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The article is based on broad material evidence collected by the author from numismatic publications of different countries, and studies peculiarities of penetration of foreign coins into South-Eastern Europe in 13th – early 17th centuries. An analysis of the massive of numismatic data reveals main tendencies in circulation of foreign coins in the region. It shows the desire to supply the market with monetary mass and to get rid of dictatorship of political catastrophes in the financial sector. Besides, the foreign monetary mass was characterized by heterogeneity, periodical change of capacity of different streams and development of use of old coins. The monetary circulation in South-Eastern Europe showed a peculiar dynamic balance of the range of political and financial actors.
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The article studies rather rare but interesting icons of St. George on Throne which appeared in XII-XIII and widely spread by XV-XVII. An icon made of bone recently found in Chersoneses, however, suggests a need to review the theory. From the stylistic and iconographical viewpoint, the artifact found in Crimea is connected with the late Macedonian neoclassicism of the second half of X - early XI c., which supports an earlier origin of the image. It seems to be connected with contamination of iconographies of emperors and saints, which, according to A. Grabar’, can be observed most often. The Medieval written records on St. George do not contain direct references to appearance of the icons with the saint on throne. It is an explanation to their later appearance and limited spread. If this icon was to be met rarely in XII-XIII cc., when along with St. George, St. Dimitri and St. Theodor were depicted in the same way, then already from the late XIV - early XV c. it becomes typical only to St. George. This is the period by which the icon from Sofia was dated, and it is the most delicate image of St. George on throne. So far, this icon has been dated by XVI c., but its style and iconographical analysis reveal late Paleolog stylistic features of the late XIV - early XV c. St. George on Throne icons got widest spread in the late XV - XVII cc. Particularly, on banners, St. George is depicted wearing Moldavian princes’ crown in the form of a lily. Taking into account a downcast dragon lying at his feet, one can see here a contamination of the images of a saint-triumphant and an emperor-triumphant – a tradition with roots already in Byzantine art of X c., spread thereafter from the post-Byzantine territory in XV c.
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It is the first work to consider as comprehensively, explicitly and in as simple language as possible treating both the history of coinage and monetary circulation in Moldavia of XIV-XVI centuries. The Preface describes images on coins, attempts are made to identify their nature, origins and meaning. Chapter 1 treats the typology of coins minted primarily in the medieval capital of the state – Suceava. It is shown that Moldavia developed a genuine and steady model of coins, whose changes would fix vassal relations between the issuers and the rulers of the neighbour countries. Chapter 2 analyses numismatic findings of the late XIV – first third of XVI cc. discovered on the territories of the modern Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine. Ratios and three areas of spread of coins of various countries are distinguished in the Eastern part of the medieval Moldavia – the lands between Prut and Dniester. Linking the development of the coinage with the historical fate of the country (Chapter 3) and basing on real data, the authors come to the conclusion about the full implication of Moldavia in the international economic life. The situation tremendously changed in result of the Ottoman conquest: the history of the coinage ceased to be (Epilogue). The two Appendixes either partly or integrally bring the documents about commodity-money relations and coins of the medieval Moldavia.
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The object of the study in the paper are some portolans, medieval maritime compass charts of the 14—17 centuries. The author emphasizes the need for comparison of their data with other sources. The importance of such a comparison lies in its potential for dating and locating historical and geographical realities of the Danube estuary and the adjacent territory. The analysis allows the author to make some suggestions about the number of medieval and modern toponyms.
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The article analyzes a collection of rings with Christian symbols dated by the late 10th — 17th centuries from Kursk region (Russia). Images are divided into several types — people, birds, animals, plants, geometric symbols (pentagram, swastika). Some of these characters are associated with Jesus Christ, some find direct links with biblical scenes. According to the author, most of the rings considered in the paper is of Eastern Christian (Ancient Russia, Byzantium, Balkans) origin, while some of them may be cheap Byzantine decorations. Byzantine inlfuences can be traced until the end of the 17th century. Influence of the Catholic world is less noticeable, and rings with swastika may be such possible borrowing.
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The authors present fifteen coins found in different locations of the South-Western Crimea. These were Moldavian emissions minted in the last quarter of 14th — early 16th centuries. Presence of these finds in the South-Western part of the peninsula can tell not only about participation of Moldavian coins in the monetary circulation in this region, but also about development of commercial and political links between the Genoese colonies and Moldavia.
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The article analyzes spatial distribution of pogost centers in Koporye, Yam and Oreshek counties of Vodskaya pyatina. These centers are known from 15th—16th centuries and analyzed against the background of settlement in I — beginning of II millennium BC, landscape and geographical features of Izhora Plateau. It is established that pogost centers of 15th—16th centuries were located in the marginal zone of the highlad, skirting its slopes and foothills. In the central part of the plateau there are no pogost centers, in spite of a dense network of settlements of 12th—15th centuries. This can apparently be explained by the presence of the Ingrian elevated water sources in the marginal zone— springs, creeks and small rivers originating on its slopes. Only 3 of the 17 studied pogost centers are located closer to the arid central plateau. Six pogost centers are located in the ancient foci development and their beginning relates to the first centuries BC and is associated with the culture of stone tombs with fences. Their area covers the northern and western outskirts of the hill. In most cases (13 of 17) pogosts are located in the centers Russian medieval settlement in 12th—13th centuries, which is marked by barrow cemeteries. At the same time, pogost centers of 15th—16th cc. are not related to the forts of the preceding period. It is noteworthy that pogost centers of 15th—16th centuries and barrow burials with swords of 12th—13th centuries gravitate to wards the marginal zone of the plateau, to the sources of rivers.
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The authors analyze the medieval temple rings and earrings with four or more metal beads strung on a ring. Most of the remains are associated with Eastern Europe, primarily with Novgorod region. There are known about 400 of these ornaments in the area from Karelia and Frisia to the Caucasus and Slovenia.Five main types of jewelry with many beads can be distinguished. The earliest type (over 30 finds) — are the rings with beads separated by wire spirals. The earliest ones date back to the second or third quarter of 13th c. and are a modification of rings with three beads. They had been spread until late 14th c. In the last decades of 13th c., in Novgorod, there appeared the most numerous (over 300 finds) type — rings with equal smooth spherical hollow beads placed on a ring without wire spiral delimiters. Some specimens are cast. Such decorations got spread in Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Podlasie, Volhynia, Podolia, the Middle Dnieper area and Moldova, and in the east — in Moscow area, the Middle Volga area and trans-Urals since 14th c. New types are documented for 15th c. — alternation of different beads: spherical smooth and filigree of the same size; large spherical and small beads of complex forms; with alternation of large multifaceted and small beads. The last type was spread until late 17th c.Origin of these decorations is not related to any ethnic groups’ attire, but rather a manifestation of the last stage of the general trend spread in 11th—13th cc. Russia towards more complicated decorations, as well as influence of the European fashion and development of a wide-spread specific set of jewelry in 13th—15th cc.
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Početkom novog vijeka često se mogao čuti govor o novìni, reformi, akomodaciji, obnovi... I u Crkvi se dugo vremena govorilo o potrebnoj obnovi, svježem zraku, no za nju se nitko nije zdušnije založio. Da se ona na vrijeme provela u djelo povijest Crkve na Zapadu drugačije bi se odvijala. No, budući da je došla relativno kasno posljedica jest nova, bolna podjela. Brojni ustaju na učmalo, letargično stanje Crkve, kritiziraju život klera i laika da bi se na koncu odcijepili od Katoličke Crkve. Njih sve nazivamo zajedničkim imenom protestantima. Uzroci njihovog pojavka su brojni. Ipak, radi lakšeg shvaćanja možemo ih podijeliti u tri skupine. Prvi uzroci općenito su Crkvene naravi. Tiču se vjerskog života klera, osobito papa, ali i života laika. Druge razloge možemo pronaći u pokretima humanizma i renesanse koji su donijeli sa sobom jedan novi pogled na stvarnost. I treći su novi pokreti u Crkvi koji su nesvjesno pripremili teren za reformaciju. Da bi dobili cjelovitu sliku potrebno je pogledati dublje u sve tri skupine.
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The study is dedicated to the various factors which prevented the successful integration of some domestic slaves and ex-slaves into the Ottoman society as well as to the two main forms of slaves’ societal self-exclusion – slave fugitivism and slave criminality. An attempt was made to delineate some characteristic features of these phenomena. Slave integration and slave exclusion are viewed as a reverberation of the very ambivalent essence of pre-modern Islamic slavery that regarded slaves as both things and persons. The porous boundaries between integration and exclusion are illustrated with several examples of fugitive slaves or slaves involved in heavy crimes who despite acting in violation of the law appeared to be well incorporated in the (marginal) segments of the Ottoman society. The text is based on multiple sources but mostly on documents derived from the kadi registers.
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The aim of this study is to investigate the Britain’s interest on Cyprus in the context of Mediterranean policy between the years of 1580 - 1878. At the beginning of the study, Cyprus’ role in the Levant region throughout the history is mentioned. Then, the importance of Cyprus in the relations between East and West throughout the Middle Ages is discussed. Afterwards, focus is given to Britain's Cyprus policy. The study emphasizes that firstly Britain attributed a commercial meaning to Cyprus and explains the developments in this process. Due to the changing conditions of the Mediterranean’s re-entry into the international affairs, it is found that over time the interest became a political interest on Cyprus. Therefore, the increasing importance of Britain's Mediterranean policy in parallel with Cyprus’ increased value in the eyes of Britain, forms the basis of this study. As a result, a number of factors that can be listed as the security of international trade routes, the threat posed by Russia in the Mediterranean and the debates about the future of the Ottoman Empire, are seen as reasons for the Island's occupation by the British.
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First prison in cities was established in 1555 and quickly, became widespread in the European continent. The prisons that were first setup in Europe then in America in 1773, have developed new forms in limiting freedoms. Before the modern prisons, Ottomans have imposed fines to mild to moderate crimes while, heavy offences were punished by rowing in the empire’s galleys or by being confined to a fortress. During the Ottoman period, the other form of punishment was shackling. This was defined in the documents of the Ottoman Archives with a phrase “confinement to iron” and it has been noted that this punishment was also imposed in the late Ottoman period. In general, the research informs about the prison establishment as one of the the Westernization attempts of the Empire. Karesi Prison was singled out as an example to illuminate the escapes, bribery and corruption that prevailed under the light of the documents of the archives.
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Royal Prussia experienced a complex transformation time in the 17th century, experienced by the socio-religious crisis, wars and plague. The religious phenomenon of northern Pomerania is primarily an indication of emerging new places of Marian cult, passion, wake up of the pilgrimage movement. The Sanctuary of the Mother of God in Swarzewo and Calvary of Wejherowo played a crucial role in creating spiritual life. The integration of the Catholic community of northern Royal Prussia around the Passion and Marian mysteries in the context of the implemented reforms of the Church and the problems of the still active reformation took on a new culture-forming significance. Catholicism based on the Tridentian foundation of faith in the renewal of the Pomeranian Church was realized thanks to unique personalities. To them, undoubtedly, the Franciscan Father Grzegorz Gdański devoted himself immensely to the cause of the Church in the difficult social reality that he had the courage to contest. For whom loyalty to Christ and patriotism was the principle of understanding life’s mission.
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This paper analyses the attitudes toward the Armenian Diaspora in early modern Polish society through a close examination of the issues viewed as burning by the contemporaries. The paper is focused on three such burning topics – a) the ‘price revolution’ and, in connection therewith, mercantilism; b) the growing level of consumption (“redundant luxury” – zbytek nierozmyślny) and the fears of social disorder aroused by it; and c) the Ottoman threat (real and imagined). The paper argues that there were a variety of discourses on the Armenians because the discourses were influenced by the different answers to the challenging issues presented by the representatives of various social estates – noblemen (szlachta), clergymen (duchowieństwo) and burghers (mieszczaństwo). Therefore, the attitudes to the Monophysite Armenians in Polish society were mostly shaped not as part of the Counter-Reformation agenda (as was the case with respect to Protestants and the GreekOrthodox), but rather within the framework of economic (mercantilism), social (consumption), and psychological/political (fears of the Ottoman threat) issues.
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It is assumed in the history of language that the main phase of infl uences of the Turkish-Tatar languages is the 16th and 17th centuries. They were caused by linguistic and cultural contacts the background of which was largely political and military. The infl uences are indirect borrowings (through the medium of the Ruthenian languages, the Hungarian language, and the German language) or direct ones. An example of the latter is the Turkicism sandżak ‘an administrator of a district in the Ottoman Empire, a military commander’, which – as a result of adaptation processes – was equated with the original Polish form sędziak, constituting an interesting example of lexical heterogenic homonymy.
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The article analyzes the information on the socio-economic situation of the falconers from the groups of the shahin and cakir falconers, according to the information of two Ottoman registers of 1560. The falconers who served for the inner courtyard falconry service, such as the cakir and shahin falconers from Sofia and Vidin’s sanjak, were among the most privileged. They were exempt from ispence, tithes, and taxes on sheep and beehives. The falconers of the Nikopol and Silistra sanjaks, as well as those of Philibe and Pazardjik kazas, despite of having their office-lands, they paid taxes on sheep and bee hives, and in cases where their plots were in the Doganci-basi timars, they were also taxed with ispence and tithes. When they did not fulfil their service and did not obtain the required certificates, the falconers had to pay the equivalent of the rayet taxes, a large part of which included the fee for a dead bird (falcon) – murde beha. Falconers’ office-lands included fields for planting cereals, vines and meadows. The plots were not very large, but since they were not taxed, in most cases they were enough to feed a household. A group of falconers served only to be exempt from state extraordinary taxes and services. These people were obliged to pay ispence and cizye (jizya), taxes on sheep, pigs and beehives. In most cases these are newly registered falconers or brothers and sons of falconers from old falconers’ families. Despite the differences in status, falconers of all categories had the potential to become an economically active and wealthy social bracket. The exemption from the various components of state extraordinary taxes and services over time became an essential privilege that benefited even falconers without office-lands and taxed with cizye.
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Medieval Bosnian inscriptions were written in the vernacular with infiltrations of Church Slavonic forms which have a stylistic role. Because of its correspondence with the language of legal documents, we can suppose that a special usage norm of the language of non-literary texts existed. After the fall of Bosnia under the Turkish power, the Bosnian redaction of Church Slavonic died out, and literary language disintegrated into Serbian Church Slavonic in the Orthodox and štokavian vernacular in the Catholic cultural circle.
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The Polish–Pomeranian sovereignty over Gdańsk continued for 338 years (970–1308) and purely Polish for 339 years (1454–1793), which corresponds to the total of 677 years, while that of the Teutonic Order and Prussia (1308–1454; 1793–1807; 1813–1918) – only to 265 years. The thirteen-years’ war continued from 1454 to 1466. Its result on the one hand was the establishment of Royal Prussia, dependent on Poland, and on the other – the granting of four great privileges (in 1454–1457) by King Casimir the Jagiellon (Kazimierz Jagiellończyk) to Gdańsk. They awarded the city with broad territorial, court and legal, trade and customs, maritime, and minting autonomy, with only limited duties towards the sovereign kings of Poland. In the 16th century, controversies between the governing patriciate and the commons started in Gdańsk around 1517. An end was put to them in 1526 by King Sigismund the Old (Zygmunt Stary), who issued Constitutiones Sigismundi that generally brought back the old political system of Gdańsk, albeit altered by the setting up of the Third Order being a representation of the commons. In the 17th century, King John (Jan) III Sobieski interfered with the political system of Gdańsk, issuing two decrees in 1678. They reinforced the rights of the monarch in the city and the position of the Third Order. The political system of Gdańsk was reformed again in mid-18th century, by King August III who in 1750 issued a declaration and a statute expanding the rights of the king in the city, and reinforcing the position of the Third Order and changing the principles of its nomination. Finally, plenty of administrative, organisational, economic, and financial questions were revised.
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