The West Balkans (the Albanian Lands) during the Late 15th Century Based on Western Travellers’ Notes Cover Image

Западните Балкани (земите на Албания) през XV в. в текстовете на западни пътешественици
The West Balkans (the Albanian Lands) during the Late 15th Century Based on Western Travellers’ Notes

Author(s): Ivayla Popova
Subject(s): History, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Customs / Folklore, Geography, Regional studies, Regional Geography, Local History / Microhistory, Middle Ages, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, 15th Century
Published by: Великотърновски университет „Св. св. Кирил и Методий”
Keywords: travellers; pilgrims; Adriatic; Dalmatia; Albania; islands; fortifications; ships; cities; agriculture

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the present article is to scrutinize some curious details concerning the Balkans to be found in the western travel notes during the 15th century. Our attention was primarily concentrated on the data provided by Roberto Sanseverino, Alessandro Ariosto, Santo Brasca, Bernard von Breidenbach, Konrad Grьnemberg, and Arnold von Harff. The travellers listed above provide rather intriguing information concerning specific customary practices, language, religion, manufacture, costume, agriculture, trade, wine production, etc. In this study we focus on data about the lands of Albania and their cities, on the texts describing actual political situation, there included the administration and taxation, the fear of the Ottoman omnipotence, the eventual military opportunities, coeval events or such of the recent past.

  • Issue Year: 6/2019
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 386-395
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: English, Bulgarian