Коя църква с патрон св. Георги е издигната през XVI век в Арбанаси?

Author(s): Hitko Vachev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2015

Nowadays in the south-western part of the village of Arbanassi there is a church whose patron is St. George. A lot of conservation and restoration work has been carried out in this church. Prior to this the church had been studied from an architectural point of view. It was established that the church was built during the first half of the 17th c. However, a recent study suggests that the church was built in the 16th c. Evidence in support of the earlier dating was found in the stylistic analysis of some of the mural decoration in the altar of the church and in the adjoining gallery. A more profound interpretation of the architecture of the church, the ascertained sequence of structuring the individual sections of the church, as well as the applied design solutions firmly refute the view that the first construction period of St. George’s Church can be dated to the 16th c. Indeed, in the 16th c. there was a church dedicated to St. George in the village of Arbanassi. This is the current chapel of St. Demetrius’ Church, which existed as an independent unit in the 16th c. This was attested during archaeological excavation works carried out inside the building and in the yard. The findings indicate that at about the mid-16th c. a church, consisting of an altar, nave and narthex was built. The studies of the surviving fragments from the earlier mural layer validate unambiguously the proposed dating. In the early 17th c. the existing St. George’s Church was reconstructed and was incorporated in the building of the newly erected St. Demetrius’ Church. As of 1621 the mural paintings inside were completed. Over the time the new patronof the church – St. Demetrius – gained currency. Therefore a new church, dedicated to St. George, was constructed lateron in the southwestern quarter of the village of Arbanassi.

Бунтовният Хемус. Масивът като база за нападения и убежище по време на първите Асеневци

Author(s): Kiril Marinov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

Mountains were always a convenient region, which could be profited from as both a safe refuge protecting from the enemy as well as an opportune starting point of an attack against the enemy’s territory. An analysis of works left by Byzantine historians and orators, describing military struggles between the Byzantines and the Bulgarians, which took place at the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th centuries, prove the abovementioned role was played by the Haemus range (meaning here the Pre-Balkan and Stara Planina) in the process of recreating the Bulgarian state on the eve of the late Medieval Period. The texts suggest that over the period the mountains were associated by the Byzantines with a lair of rebels, i. e. a place, where their enemies were seeking refuge form the imperial army, and an area from which they would launch their attacks against the Byzantine territory. The Bulgarians, in turn, utilized the naturally protective characteristic of the Haemus itself as well as strongholds constructed therein to turn the region into a stronghold of their independence movement, which was especially important in the initial period of existence of their late medieval Bulgarian state, i.e. still when it was not a well-established political structure.

Жената във властовите структури на Второто българско царство

Author(s): Rumyana Komsalova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

The Bulgarian aristocratic woman is a part of the aristocratic elite. This is determined primarily by her origin, but in some cases the aristocratic status can also be acquired through marriage with a representative of the aristocratic class. Undoubtedly greater role for the realization in the public life have the ruler’s wives and relatives. This trend is clearly outlined in the Second Bulgarian Empire, when the noble woman manifests herself in power not only by her titles and insignia, but as effective factor in government. Of course, this largely depends on the particular political situation in the country, the behavior of her husband or that one of the influential relatives, and last but not least, on her personal qualities and ambitions. Her role in the public domain can be systemized in several ways: first, through her direct participation in the management of the Bulgarian State and not to be underestimated her role of the “gray cardinal”; Secondly, in her capacity as a kind of “tool” to regulate interstate relations and thirdly, her position as a “foreign”, as a ruler in another country and the influence applied on the politics of this country towards the Bulgarian State.

Благоденстващите градове на средновековна Европа (На примера на няколко италиански града от края на XIII до началото на XV век)

Author(s): Nadezhda Hristova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

In the present paper, on the basis of information from sources dating to the period from the end of the 13th century to the beginning of the 15th century (such as chronicles, town statutes, documents of guilds, etc.), an analysis is made of the policy followed by the authorities of several medieval Italian towns in the sphere of urban planning and development, organization of public services, maintaining of order and sanitation in public places. Part of the selected sources provides information on the attitude of medieval Italian city dwellers towards their towns and their communities. The sources under analysis show that the whole diversity of architectural and spatial solutions, the construction and maintenance of urban infrastructure, the keeping of public order and sanitation in the Italian towns in the Middle Ages, demanded from their inhabitants the exertion of joint efforts in order to ensure a harmonious and safe urban environment. All the aspects of urban life were strictly supervised, managed and controlled by the town authorities. They had to take care of everything: from the construction of reliable defences for the constantly growing towns in the form of new fortified walls, towers and gates, through the securing of free access and moving along the town streets and squares, the regulation of vehicles’ speed, the supply of enough quantity of drinking water, to the maintenance of public sanitation and the punishing of offenders. The legal regulations of the town authorities, which were brought to life by the problems of the daily routine in the medieval Italian towns, marked the gradual formation of a tradition of common occupation of the often limited urban space.

Да остраееш по английски: грижа за възрастните в средновековна Англия (ХIII–ХV в.)

Author(s): Nadezhda Hristova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2014

This paper aims at presenting the social and legal practices established in England during the Middle Ages, which guaranteed the elderly in need among the urban population that they would spend their old age in peace and relative ease. The research is based on data from bylaws of guilds and religious fraternities, monastery cartularies, town and court registers.

Антиюдаизмът в законодателството на късноантична и средновековна Европа (III–ХV в.). Опит за кратък обзор

Author(s): Ivelin A. Ivanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2013

Демография на България през Средновековието

Author(s): Shteliyan Shterionov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2022

Clarifying the demographic state of humankind during all periods of its historical development is an issue that has long been of interest to the scientific community. This paper traces the specifics and trends in the dynamics of the main demographic processes and structures of the population inhabiting Bulgaria during the Middle Ages. Their analysis allows us to establish that, during the period under review, the Bulgarian state’s characteristic demographic potential was formed with its establishment. The way it was created and the specifics of its subsequent development predetermined its sustainability, and allowed it to preserve its identity despite many negative processes.

В коя година патриарх Калист отговаря на въпроса на българските монаси? 1355 или 1361?

Author(s): Bistra Nikolova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

The second half of the 14th century marked events that intertwined the interests and actions of the Bulgarian and Constantinople Patriarchates in the field of interchurch relations in the East. Two of these events disrupted the good relationship between the two ecclesiastical institutes. The first was the recognition of the patriarchal title of the Serbian church head by the Bulgarian patriarch, the second was the intervention of the Bulgarian church in the Russian-Lithuanian church dispute in the middle of the 14th century. It is in the light of these events that the question of the date of Patriarch Kallist‘s letter to two unnamed Old Bulgarian monks is raised. When tracing the Russian-Lithuanian dispute over the dominant in the election of the metropolitan of Kyiv and all Russia and the location of his throne, the events related to the election of monk Theoctistus come to the fore. Constantinople refused to place Theoctistus on this throne. However, when he sought assistance from Tarnovo, he was elected Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Russia, and this happened before the summer of 1354. The event provoked the reaction of Patriarch Philoteus (1253-1355), who rejected it as illegal. The reason was that his ordination, carried out by the Tarnovo patriarch Theodosius, was in violation of the order established by the Eastern churches. This had a negative impact on Bulgarian-Byzantine church relations for a short period. In this case, Constantinople qualified as illegal the actions of the Patriarchate of Tarnovo. In the light of this incident, the article examines the reaction of Patriarch Callistus (1350–1353, 1355–1363) to the letter of two Bulgarian monks, from which it is clear that the Constantinople Patriarch questioned the complete independence of the Turnovo Patriarchate. In order to make the explanation of his reaction more thorough, evidence is used, which illustrates the personal, disapproving attitude of Callistus towards Theodosius of Turnovo. In the context of the events of the 1340s – 1350s, concerning the politics of the Church of Tarnovo and the reaction of Constantinople, expressed through the attitude of two of its church leaders, the article expresses the opinion that the letter of Callistus is from 1355, and not from 1361, a date deduced by codicological means.

Ново изследване за феодализма на Балканите

Author(s): Ivayla Popova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2022

Dane Pavlica, U vatrama – Počitelj (1263. — 1993.)

Author(s): Ivana Drmić / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 1/2022

Review of : Ivana Drmić - Dane Pavlica, U vatrama – Počitelj (1263. — 1993.), Požega: Povijesno društvo Požega i Biro-tisak d.o.o. Brestovac, 2021., 310 str.

Fra Anđelko Barun, Franjevci među svojim pukom, Kratka povijest Bosne Srebrene

Author(s): Dražen Janko / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 21/2022

Review of: Fra Anđelko Barun, Franjevci među svojim pukom, Kratka povijest Bosne Srebrene, Sarajevo: Svjetlo riječi, 2021, 179 str.

Български научни изследвания (2010–2020) по въпроси, свързани с историята на Италия и на българо-италианските контакти (XIV–XVIII век)

Author(s): Penka Danova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

This study presents an overview of the historical sources printed in Bulgaria in the years between 2010 and 2020, related to the history of the old Italian states or to the Bulgarian-Italian contacts from the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. Emphasis is placed on sources in Italian, therefore documents and studies on the Dubrovnik Republic are also included. Important trends in the publication of sources such as bilingual editions, translations and commentaries, as well as indexes are outlined. Among the published sources and relevant studies, those related to economic history are the most numerous, followed by travelogues, chronicles, and other narratives. The tendency of the previous decades continues, to print on average one monograph per year by a Bulgarian author, related to the issues under consideration; one collection of sources and six studies or articles. The number of dissertations for attaining a PhD degree is increasing. A list of publications and dissertations is included.

Město Brušperk v kontextu biskupských měst na severovýchodní Moravě

Author(s): Kateřina Knopová,Tomáš Kocourek / Language(s): Czech Issue: 17/2022

The study deals with the development of Brušperk, which lies in northeastern Moravia. The town was founded in 1267—1268 by the Bishop of Olomouc, Bruno of Schauenburg. Brušperk was located in the territory that belonged to the Olomouc bishopric and since the 14th century was a part of the Hukvaldy manor. The first written mention of Brušperk comes from the founding charter of the town, which is, however, the medieval forgery. On the basis of other documents, we came to the conclusion that the dating of the founding document, namely 6 December 1269, is incorrect. The town was probably founded in prior to this date. Brušperk was founded as a town on the green land. Brušperk was the centre of jurisprudence for the surrounding villages: Fryčovice, Stařič, Paskov, and Stara Ves nad Ondřejnici. This area is delimited by the so-called Brušperk vikbild to which these villages belonged. The town of Brušperk was endowed with important privileges, such as the privilege called in Czech odumrť, the granting of which was very valuable to Brušperk. However, Brušperk was no exception; this privilege was granted by Bishop Mikulaš to most episcopal towns. The office of township reeve in Brušperk was most of the time hereditary and he was vassal of Bishop of Olomouc. The possibilities for where to conduct research in the future are still wide. In Brušperk itself, there is still a lack of detailed archaeological research in the city centre and its immediate surroundings, namely, the square, the cellars of old houses in the square, and the area around the church and the historic town centre. This archaeological research could bring new knowledge to the question of the fortifications of the town in the Middle Ages. Although the shape of the square has remained virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages, there is still the opportunity to learn, as no view or plan has been preserved from earlier times that the original appearance of the town would suggest (the oldest veduta Brušperka dates back to 1727).

Franciscanii și cultura occidentală în vestul României. Biblioteci în mișcare

Author(s): Elena Rodica Colta / Language(s): Romanian Issue: XXVI/2021

At first, monks brought manuscripts and theological writings especially in Latin, but their interest had very quicly widened to books in the field of social sciences (history, literature) and natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics). The broadening of the Franciscan’s area of study and interest in the 18th century is partially a consequence of the encyclopedism that was present in that period of time. In the Arad county there have been two large libraries: in Radna and in Arad. Because of the vow of poverty, these libraries were actually “moving”, active libraries, meaning that copies or even some of the volumes were passed on (to the convent in Deva, to the monastery of Lăzarea, etc.). However, for more than two centuries, these books had been studied here and the monks who were prepared enough passed their knowledge to the local population.At first, monks brought manuscripts and theological writings especially in Latin, but their interest had very quicly widened to books in the field of social sciences (history, literature) and natural sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics). The broadening of the Franciscan’s area of study and interest in the 18th century is partially a consequence of the encyclopedism that was present in that period of time. In the Arad county there have been two large libraries: in Radna and in Arad. Because of the vow of poverty, these libraries were actually “moving”, active libraries, meaning that copies or even some of the volumes were passed on (to the convent in Deva, to the monastery of Lăzarea, etc.).However, for more than two centuries, these books had been studied here and the monks who were prepared enough passed their knowledge to the local population.

THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA IN THE SOUTH OF UKRAINE: TYAHIN FORTRESS

Author(s): Svitlana Biliaieva,Natalia Danute Bimbirayte / Language(s): English Issue: 48/2022

The article is devoted to the results of the research of the fortress Tyagin, built by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas on the territory of the island Bolshoye Gorodishche in the late 14th to early 15th century. The archaeological materials provided valuable information about the syncretism of the complex of monuments on the island, the typology, layout and size of the fortress. It was one of the earliest stone castle-type fortresses on the northern Black Sea coast, a part of the defensive line of the southern borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The fortress’ defensive system included a synthesis of defensive architectural elements, ranging from timber-engineered structures known from Old Russian times to stone walls and buttresses of a new level of fortification in Europe. The fortress was armed with artillery and edged weapons, the main type being crossbows, which were widespread in Lithuania. The fortress of Tyagin was situated at the crossroads of trade routes between the East and the West, at the crossroads of the custom. The artifacts testify to the presence of Lithuanian cultural objects, Genoese influence, contact with Crimea, and trade and economic relations with Poland. The monument is an integral part of the cultural heritage of Lithuania and Ukraine.

Някои загадъчни сведения за българската история в Руския хронограф

Author(s): Denitsa Petrova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2022

Of all the Slavic sources for Bulgarian history, the Russian Chronograph has the largest chronological scope, providing information on events from the settlement of the Bulgarians in the Balkans to the fall of the state under Ottoman rule. The present study focuses on several unclear and unanalyzed reports about the Bulgarians, the information in which differs from the data in other sources. The reasons for these differences should be clarified, as in this way the remaining information can be supplemented. Khan Krum is called “Homer”. It is stated that one of the wives of the Russian Prince Vladimir I Sviatoslavych is Bulgarian. Information related to the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen II is given, which is not borrowed from the sources used in the compilation of the Chronograph. A Bulgarian-Serbian conflict at the end of the reign of Tsar Todor Svetoslav is mentioned, but there is no evidence of such a conflict elsewhere. Some of the reports do not correspond to the facts and are the result of errors of the copyist or compiler. Others deserve special attention because they testify to the spread of Bulgarian writings in Russia, provide additional arguments for some theses, suggest the existence of unpreserved chronicle texts and show how the place of the Bulgarians in world history was understood.

MARTORI DE PICTURĂ MURALĂ DE LA CETATEA DE SCAUN A SUCEVEI

Author(s): Paula Vartolomei,Loredana Axinte / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 4/2022

The work proposes the presentation of the casuistry of some fragments of fresco coming from the chapel of the fortress of Suceava. First mentioned in 1388, during the reign of Peter I Mușat, the fortress suffered numerous restorations, both during the reign of Stephen the Great and of the rulers who followed it. Over time, the fortress undergone numerous damages as a result of sieges and natural disasters. Archaeological excavations have revealed various vestiges, including fragments of the original decoration of the fortress chapel. Currently, the fresco fragments are in the custody of the Zonal Restoration Laboratory within the National Museum of Bucovina, where they benefit from specific conservation processes.

Kinship, Orthodoxy and Political Ideology: The Byzantines and the Balkans after the Catastrophe of 1204

Author(s): Vlada Stanković / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2022

The concept of the Byzantine Commonwealth, conceived by Dimitri Obolensky more than half a century ago, remains one of the rare innovative attempts to study the relations of Byzantine Empire with the wider Orthodox world that leaned toward Constantinople. However, Obolensky paid little attention to the idea of Romanness as the core identity marker of the Byzantines, focusing mainly on the second element of the Byzantine political identity, especially after the fall of Constantinople in 1204: Orthodoxy and its bonding potential. The present paper offers a new perspective by arguing that the bases of the gradually strengthening bonds between the Byzantine states, both the empire of Nicaea and the state of Epirus, with the Bulgarians and the Serbs, are to be found in the system of kinship networks established both within the now destroyed Byzantine empire, and beyond its borders, from the beginning of the twelfth century onwards.

The Church Slavonic Karpino Gospel Menology and Seven Close Greek Relatives

Author(s): Cynthia M. Vakareliyska / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2022

While some Slavic calendars of saints from the 12th through 14th centuries contain Church Slavonic translations of fragments of textual formulae from the Constantinople Typikon (hereafter “CT”), and while there are Church Slavonic translations of an entire typikon (viz., the Studite Typikon), it is highly unusual to come across a Slavic menology that constitutes for the most part a close translation of the commemorations in a more minor Greek menology tradition, without major mediation by Slavic ancestors. This study focuses on such a calendar, the full menology to the long lectionary Karpino Gospel, a manuscript with Macedonian dialect features which was produced in western Bulgaria and has been dated to the late 13th century (hereafter “KE”).

Rukopisna baština srednjovjekovne Bosne i Hercegovine kao primjer kulturnih odnosa između Istoka i Zapada

Author(s): Emilian Szymon Prałat / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 2/2012

The article is devoted to the legacy of selected manuscripts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, formed before the fall of Bosnia in 1463, which is the reflection of the cultural wealth that was created in the area throughout history. At the same time in the texts of manuscripts, their illuminations, we can see elements from different traditions, which main determinant was confession (Slavia Latina, Slavia Orthodoxa). This specific feature will be confronted with the contemporary political and cultural situation of the Polish Kingdom and slightly later Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Res Publica Utriusque Nationis). Example of Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic Missal and the chapel at Lublin Castle is the best paradigm of vital currents associated with infiltration of various ethnic groups and their nurtured artistic traditions. This fact made those two dualistic countries significant centers of art and cultural communication nodes with an extremely strong influence on Europe at this time. A special place in the article will take analyze the cultural perspective and illumination, taking into account the border nature of Balkans art, its homo-and heterogeneity. On this occasion, may be necessary to appeal to the complicated political history of the area, its multiculturalism and multi-confessional nature. Article will also attempt to bring the problem of South Slavic miniature painting, in a little present in the minds of western researchers, which will allow for fuller and more coherent view of the artistic map of Europe in the Middle Ages. The basic argument for the desirability of taken theme is its validity from the standpoint of cultural reconstruction of the full picture of South Slavs in the medieval period, which is an important aspect of miniature paintings, tested and well known in relation to Western Europe. Synchronous perspective of history and culture of BiH and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth will find the universal elements, as well as those who contributed to the uniqueness of the analyzed area.