Looking for the Concept of Style (1753-1953)

Author(s): Ján Bakoš / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

A number of authors have written about the history of the concept of style, one of the key formulating concepts of art history. Those deserving special mention here are Jan Białostocki (‘Styl’, in: BIAŁOSTOCKI, J.: Historia sztuki wśród nauk humanistycznych. Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków-Gdańsk 1980, pp. 36-55), Willibald Sauerländer, (‘From Stilus to Style: Reflections on the Fate of a Notion’, in: Art History, 6, 1983, no. 3, pp. 253-270), Carlo Ginzburg, (‘Stil. Einschließung und Ausschließung’, in: GINZBURG, C.: Holzaugen. Über Nähe und Distanz. Berlin 1999, pp. 168-211), and Robert Suckale (‘Stilgeschichte’, in: Kunsthistorische Arbeitsblätter, 11, 2001, pp. 17-26). The present study is an attempt to map in greater detail the efforts of several generations of scholars to define style, starting with the ‘discovery’ of the history of style in the mid-eighteenth century and ending with the crisis that ensued after the end of the Second World War.

Criminality: Terminology and Interpretation (An Introduction)

Author(s): Blanka Szeghyová / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

This issue examines some theoretical questions and concerns related to the study of criminality in the past. The categories and boundaries of what is considered criminal depend on circumstances determined by both power and religion. An act was not considered a crime until generally recognized as such, or made illegal by those with the power or authority to do so. Each era and society maintained its own scale and hierarchy of crimes. Some forms of behaviour were criminalised, others decriminalised. To understand and correctly interpret criminality of the past on the basis of surviving sources, it is impossible to avoid terminological issues and language usage. How the sources name criminalised behaviour, or whether it is named at all, the terms and descriptions used are indicative not only of the level of legal awareness and standards in judicial practice, but also of the personal attitudes of judges towards the offenders themselves. Just as no strict boundary between private law and criminal law existed for a long time, there was also no clear deviation between crime and sin. In medieval and Early modern periods, judges frequently referenced the Bible and spoke of a breach of the divine or natural laws. The journey from sin to crime was a longer process, beginning as late as the era of the Enlightenment. Based on a qualitative content analysis of historical sources, their language and terminology, the authors here present crime not only as a form of social pathology, but also as an important indicator of changes in society.

Measuring Crime and Morality: The bureaucratic life of a novel concept under the Habsburg Monarchy in the late 18th and first third of the 19th century

Author(s): Pavel Himl / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

This article explores the concept of “morality” as it developed in the field of criminal justice under the Habsburg monarchy during and after the Enlightenment reforms. Two penal codes, ratified in 1787 and 1803–1804, established a new, separate category for serious police offences with a heavy focus on acts against morality. Some of these offenses were grouped according to their explicitly public dimension, like endangering the public peace or serving as a bad example. Morality was also considered when administrative officials reviewed data gathered from new statistical overviews of crime, which had been compiled in the Habsburg monarchy since the 1810s. In contrast to the concept of “sin,” immorality was no longer viewed as the root of all criminality and a clear distinction was now being made between behaviours stemming from socioeconomic causes and those with a background in morality.

Family as an Object of Research and as a Motive for Reflection

Author(s): Marta Botíková / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2023

Review of: ANNA SÁSOVÁ, ANNA BRLOŠOVÁ, JÁN BRLOŠ: Hrušovské rodiny [Families of the village of Hrušov] Hrušov: Obec Hrušov, 2021, 584 p. GÁBOR KOLOH: „Szántani lehet, de vetni nem muszáj“. Az ormánsági egykézés történetei (1790 – 1941) [“Maybe ploughing – no need to sow”. Stories of the restricted reproduction in the region of Ormánság (1790 – 1941)] Budapest: ELTE, Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont, Történettudományi Intézet, 2021, 378 p. DITA ANDRUŠKOVÁ:Rodina v ľudovej kultúre Záhoria [Family in the folk culture of Záhorie the region] Skalica: Záhorské múzeum v Skalici, 2022, 175 p. and the exhibition of the same name in the Etnohouse at the Východná 2023 Folklore Festival. BOŽENA SLANČÍKOVÁ-TIMRAVA: Rozsobáše [Divorces] DAB (Andrej Bagar Theatre) in Nitra, directed by Matúš Bachynec; dramaturgy Martina Mašlárová; premiered on October 28, 2022. BOŽENA SLANČÍKOVÁ-TIMRAVA: Deti [Children] SND (Slovak National Theatre) in Bratislava, directed by Michal Vajdička, dramaturgy Daniel Majling; premiered on June 4, 2023.

Vas strunjit în lemn (urnă de vot) din proprietatea primarului Josef Gull (1820–1899), aflat în colecția Muzeului de Istorie Sighișoara

Author(s): Nicolae Teșculă / Language(s): Romanian,German Issue: 38/2024

Die Geschichte Schäßburgs ist seit Jahrhunderten mit Leben und Schaffen der Zunfthandwerker verbunden. Die Zünfte waren diejenigen, welche Maßstäbe des wirtschaftlichen, sozialen, militärischen und politischen Lebens setzten. Der Wohlstand der gesamten Stadt hing von der Entwicklung des Handwerks ab. Die Auflösung der Handwerkszünfte im Jahr 1872, führteschließlich dazu, dass das Museum deren Güter durch Spenden übernahm. So kam eine Reihe von handwerklichen Artikeln hinzu, die sich durch ihre Qualität und ihre außergewöhnliche Form auszeichnen, welche uns diese - ohne Zurückhaltung - in die Kategorie der Kunstwerke einordnen lässt. So auch bei einem gedrechselten Holzgefäß mit der Inventarnummer 514. Dieses Gefäß hat eine Höhe von 38 Zentimetern, der Durchmesser der Vase beträgt 13 Zentimeter und an ihrer Öffnung 9,5 Zentimeter. Sie hat auch einen Holzgriff, der aus dem gleichen Material ausgehöhlt wurde. Der Deckel fehlt. Außen ist sie schwarz lackiert und mit einem Emblem bemalt, das ein Schild über dem sich eine Krone befindet darstellt. Auf der Verzierung ist auch die Jahreszahl 1744 erkennbar. Aus dem von Julius Misselbacher erstellten Aktenblatt geht hervor, dass sie dem Bürgermeister der Stadt Josef Gull gehörte. Das Gefäß ist aus Holz gedrechselt und war vermutlich eine Wahlurne der Glockengießerzunft.Die Anwesenheit der auf das Drechseln spezialisierten Handwerker in Sighișoara zeigt, dass sie die notwendigen Techniken des Drechselns von Holz in Europa kannten. Die Kunstfertigkeit,mit der dieses Gefäß ausgeführt wurde, zeugt von der tiefen Kenntnis des Handwerks der Holzdreher, welche ihre Berufserfahrungen durch Reisen als Lehrburschen auf dem europäischenKontinent vertieften. Nicht zuletzt, kannte der Besitzer dieses Gefäßes die Moderichtung der Zeitund wollte sein Haus so ausstatten, wie es auch seine Zeitgenossen aus dem Westen des Kontinents eingerichteten, wobei die künstlerische Genauigkeit, mit der er dieses tat, zu der Vervollständigung unseres Bildes von der Privatsphäre und den damaligen Denkweisen beitrug.

O POVESTE FĂRĂ SFÂRȘIT. ARHEOLOGIA DOBROGEI OTOMANE

Author(s): Aurel-Daniel Stănică,Daniela STĂNICĂ / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 55 Supp IX/2022

The history of the land between the Danube and the Black Sea, which includes the chronological interval between the 15th-19th centuries, did not enjoy the due attention. The Ottoman presence was defined as harmful, not very popular idea, with an arid and devastated landscape and it was deeply rooted in the political ideologies of the communist romanticized. Thus, misjudgements, information that is not based on documentary sources found their place in history textbooks, providing an image not exactly in line with the data extracted from the documents of the time. Despite the appreciable number of excavations targeting habitat structures, necropolises, religious monuments, as well as occasional concerns for some categories of archaeological material from the Ottoman period, the results are far from providing a detailed picture of this period. For a space that has been under Ottoman administration for four centuries, one can speak of Ottoman archaeology, which, according to documentary sources, can reduce the information gap when we want to deepen the history of Dobruja. In this paper, we make a synthesis of the findings, which highlights a representative segment for the Ottoman archaeology of Dobruja. At the end of the 14th century, the Ottomans reached the Danube line, directly threatening the Romanian Countries. During the same period, the territory between the Danube and the "Great Sea" - Dobruca-Eli, "The Land of Dobruja" - part of the medieval state Wallachia, was occupied by the Ottomans following the 819 campaigns after Hegira (23 March 1416-17 February 1417). According to another point of view, the Ottomans managed to extend their actual domination over Dobruja only during the reign of Michael, the successor of Mircea the Elder, in 1419 or the spring of 1420, the empire's boundary being established on the line formed by the Enisala (Yeni-Sale) and Isaccea (Isakci) fortresses, which become sherds (edge castles). Regarding the history of Dobruja, the documentary sources, here referring to Turkish chronicles and foreign travellers’ accounts, always have the same limitations: either too few or their information is truncated or incomplete. Archaeological research in turn has supplied the lack of documentary information, with notable results regarding habitat structures, necropolises, religious monuments, as well as some point concerns for certain categories of archaeological materials (pipe, Ottoman ceramics, belt elements, ornaments etc.). The results are far from giving a detailed picture of the settlements and communities in Ottoman Dobruja. The concerns about the archaeological approach of this period are at the beginning, and in recent years there has been an increase in the number of studies that capitalize on newer or older research. Through this paper, I set myself to present the results provided by the archaeological researches concerning the Ottoman period in which Dobruja (15th- 19th centuries) was under the administration of the Ottoman Empire.

Relacje pomiędzy wspólnotami komunikatywnymi nierównorzędnymi (XVI–XVIII w.) na materiale dokumentów cechowych

Author(s): Iwona Pałucka-Czerniak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 12/2024

This article has been devoted to the mechanisms of influencing superior communities on language behaviour in subordinate communities, as part of official, formal, including legal and legislative behaviour. The texts preserving these simple and complex speech acts were created in a small urban communicative community over a period of about two centuries. It refers to the creation, transfer, consolidation and modification of patterns of linguistic behaviour produced for the needs of the craftsmen’s community, exemplified by preserved official documents of the Krakow brewers’ guild from the 16th–18th centuries. The analysis was based on the theory of communicative communities and communicative needs. Selected lexis and phraseology as well as genre determinants of the preserved texts, conditioned by the socio-historical context, were subjected to observation. The conclusions from the analysis present a direct relationship between the hierarchy of the social structure and the text, genre and language of the preserved documents.

Епистоларното наследство на Павел Дуванлията (Гайдаджийски), католически епископ на Никопол

Author(s): Keti Mircheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 49/2024

Дунайская проблема в системе международных отношений в XVIII – первой половине ХХ века: правовые, экономические и политические аспекты

Author(s): Tatiana V. Volokitina / Language(s): Russian Issue: 1/2025

The article highlights the main milestones of the history of the Danube problem and the formalization of the international legal regime of the major waterway of Central and South-Eastern Europe in the 18th – first half of the 20th century. Special attention is paid to the period of the Second world war and the post-war peace settlement. Based on the documents of the Russian archives, the plans of the western allies to ensure their political and economic dominance in the Danube basin, in particular the re-establishment of an internationalized river regime under the control of non-coastal states, are shown, analyzed «factor Danube» in connection with sharp discussions on determining the nature of governments in Bulgaria and Romania at the stage of signing the Armistice Agreements and attempts by the West to equalize the capabilities of coastal and non-coastal countries in solving problems Danube Management. Materials of the sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CMF) in London, Paris, New York, Paris Peace Conference are presented. The preparation of the Danube conference of 1948 in Belgrade, the development of a coherent position of the people’s democratic states were studied, the atmosphere of discussion and adoption of the Belgrade Convention was reproduced. The conclusion is made about the relevance of the Danube problem today, reflecting, as in the past, cooperation and rivalry, strategic risks, different «statuses» and the capabilities of the Danube states and their various national interests.

Scrinia Slavonica: godišnjak Podružnice za povijest Slavonije

Author(s): Marija Kanižaj / Language(s): Croatian Issue: 66/2024

Review of: Scrinia Slavonica: godišnjak Podružnice za povijest Slavonije, Srijema i Baranje Hrvatskog instituta za povijest 23 (2023), 465 stranica

Politica fiscală a domnilor fanarioți față de așezămintele religioase. Studiu de caz: mănăstirile Cotroceni, Radu Vodă și Mihai Vodă

Author(s): Mariana Lazăr / Language(s): Romanian Issue: XLII/2024

The history of medieval Romanian taxation was a complex one, not yet enough understood. In what the monasteries are concerned, whereas they initially benefited from tax immunity, over time certain contributions began being imposed on them. After 1720, in direct relation to the growing financial needs of the Phanariot rulers, the taxes imposed on the monasteries were both diversified and increased. The documents regarding the budgets of the monasteries Cotroceni, Radu Vodă and Mihai Vodă contain detailed information about the taxes personal, real and extraordinary that were paid not only by these monasteries, but also by all other similar institutions between 1730 and 1740. Thus, taxes that had previously been only exceptional, became annual taxes under the Phanariot reigns, some being even collected twice in a year, whenever there was a change of ruler or when the demands of the Turks became pressing.The quantum of these taxes paid by the monasteries to the country’s treasury demonstrates the excessive taxation of that era. The serious consequences on their situation determine Prince Constantin Mavrocordat to give them exception from the taxes (1741). Later, due to increased financial needs, the successors of Constantin Mavrocordat reimposed the monasteries to pay the taxes. In 1775, Prince Alexandru Ipsilanti exempted the monasteries from paying taxes, instead asking them to pay a contribution proportional with their wealth in order to finance the schools. Although the monasteries were exempt from paying taxes by a number of princely charters, nevertheless at later dates they were asked to contribute towards the wellbeing of the country, whenever the need required it.

Din istoria mănăstirii Slobozia lui Enache de la întemeiere până la mijlocul secolului al XIX-lea

Author(s): Petronel Zahariuc / Language(s): Romanian Issue: XLII/2024

This study is based on the documentary treasure of the monastery Slobozia lui Enache (Ialomița county), preserved in the Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. The author co-edited a volume comprising the Romanian documents from the Docheiariou archives, published in 2019. In addition to the Athonite sources, he also considered the documents from the Romanian National Historical Archives in Bucharest, found in the archival fond of Slobozia lui Enache monastery and Apostolache skete. Based on this corpus of sources, the author investigates the history of the Slobozia lui Enache monastery, starting from its foundation and continuing until the mid-nineteenth century. The studythrows new lights on the early history of both Slobozia lui Enache monastery and Apostolache skete, with respect to their foundation and architecture. Incidentally, the study also invalidates a series of false historiographical assumptions and hypotheses.

Addenda et corrigenda

Author(s): Petronel Zahariuc / Language(s): Romanian Issue: XLII/2024

More than a quarter of a century ago, Florin Marinescu published a partial photograph (missing the last three lines) of a Slavic-Romanian document issued by the ruler of Moldavia, Petru II. Two years after the last edition, in 1998, the document was transcribed and translated by Valentin Constantinov, being "collated together with Professor Dr. Ioan Caproșu."

PRILOG PROUČAVANJU HERCEGOVAČKIH STAMBENO-FORTIFIKACIONIH OBJEKATA (KULA) IZ OSMANSKOG PERIODA SA POSEBNIM FOKUSOM NA PODRUČJE MOSTARA

Author(s): Faruk Taslidža,Ahmet Kurt / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 23/2024

As early as the 17th century, due to deteriorating security conditions, the construction of residential and fortification buildings (towers) began in Herzegovinian sandžak. This practice, which continued during the 18th and 19th centuries, was particularly pronounced in the rural areas west of the Neretva River, as well as in the fertile regions of the Trebinje Nahija. New research indicates that in this regard, the city of Mostar and its wider surroundings are no exception, where we recorded 49 such towers, which is certainly not a final number. The towers (mostly on two floors) were built according to plan, in strategic places and with quality materials. In addition to housing, they served as strong defensive fortifications in wartime conditions. They belonged to respectable and wealthy Bosniak families, and were raised on their estates. Unfortunately, the demolition of these buildings was a continuous phenomenon, accelerated in the era of modernization. As for the Mostar area, most of the towers are completely destroyed today, without any remains. It is certain that the competent institutions should finally show interest in what is still left of these significant historical monuments from the Ottoman era. It is necessary to take concrete steps in order to rehabilitate, protect and culturally affirm them.

Toasting, Oratory and Parody in Britain during the French Revolution

Author(s): Rémy Duthille / Language(s): English Issue: 68/2024

In keeping with recent historiography on the interplay of orality and literature in Romantic Britain, this article starts from the emergence of toasting in the early phase of the French Revolution as a new form of radical discourse, in the context of a budding public-dinner sociability. The main focus bears on conservative parodies of such radical toasting, in papers such as the Times and especially the Anti-Jacobin and Anti-Jacobin Review. Parody enabled conservatives to mimic republican and regicidal tropes in ways that were much more outrageous than the alleged radical originals, thus testing the limits of public speech in 1790s Pittite Britain. The article ends with a close reading of a particularly ornate parody, based on an ode by Horace, of the Duke of Norfolk’s notorious toast to “the Majesty of the People,” which symbolized, in the eyes of the selfstyled anti-Jacobins, the treachery and inconsequence of the Foxite Whigs in the 1790s.

“An alarming state of affairs”: Rhetoric, Resistance and the Nation in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s Speech of 20 April 1798

Author(s): Rober W. Jones / Language(s): English Issue: 68/2024

On 21 April 1798 the Morning Post printed a speech, given the night before, by the Foxite politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Sheridan had sought to rouse the nation against threatened French invasion. The French must be resisted at all costs, he insisted, and he explained why: “What is it they want? Ships, commerce, manufactures, cash, capital, and credit; or, in other words, they only want the sinews, bones, marrow, and heart’s blood of Great Britain.” Such passionate rhetoric contained a change of argument. Sheridan had previously opposed British warmongering and had maintained a liberal sympathy for France and the cause of reform. The Morning Post’s account of Sheridan’s speech confirms its importance to a liberal audience, but what is equally remarkable is that several other newspapers carried similarly extensive but politically different versions of what Sheridan had said. By confronting this contested mediascape, this article examines Sheridan’s speech, analysing his arguments and rhetoric but also appraising the competing ways in which the speech was reported. The article thereby raises broader questions about the status of printed transcriptions of parliamentary speeches, the dissemination process and the methodological problems of studying different versions of a famous speech.

Sugrįžusi atmintis: Kauno bernardinių istorija ir vienuolyno ansamblis XVI a. pab. – XIX a.

Author(s): Mindaugas Paknys / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 22/2024

Review of: Vaida Kamuntavičienė, Aušra Vasiliauskienė. Sugrįžusi atmintis: Kauno bernardinių istorija ir vienuolyno ansamblis XVI a. pab. – XIX a. Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, 2023, p. 432 p

Engineering Education in Ukraine and Europe (18th–Early 20th Century)

Author(s): Elena Tverytnykova,Manfred Heinemann,Maryna Gutnyk / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

The article examines the system of engineering education in European countries, analyzing the formation of polytechnical education in France on the example of l'École Polytechnique (the Polytechnic School of Paris), which became the foundation of the French educational model and influenced the subsequent development of engineering education not only in France but also in Europe. The article also highlights the process of preparing engineering professionals in Germany, one of the features of which was the introduction of vocational training. It was a type of study separate from the general system, with funding coming from local budgets or private sponsors. This strengthened the role of technical universities, which focused not only on the transmission of accumulated knowledge but also on fostering motivation for learning and scientific activities. The curricula of technical universities gradually expanded to include components of physics, mechanics, mathematics, and chemistry. In addition, the article outlines the influence of European engineering studies on the formation of the engineering education system in Ukraine. Advances in industry created a demand for engineers with diverse specialties, which led to the establishment of an effective training system, taking into account European experience. The organizational and pedagogical contributions of Viktor Lvovich Kyrpychov to the development of domestic engineering education have been significant. However, during the massification of engineering education in the second half of the 20th century, certain issues emerged, including the fragmentation of the system and a decline in interest in professional engineering education. The more than century-old experience of training engineers in Europe and Ukraine, based on the combination of “education–science–production,” can be valuable in preparing qualified professionals for today’s labor market. By integrating the principles of education, scientific research, and practical application, the engineering education system can produce competent specialists capable of thriving in modern conditions.

First General Meeting of COST Action on Print Culture and Public Spheres in Central Europe, 1500–1800

Author(s): Michael Wögerbauer / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2025

In February 2025, 72 scholars from diverse disciplines gathered in Prague for the first meeting of the COST Action on Print Culture and Public Spheres in Central Europe, 1500–1800. This initiative, led by Mona Garloff from the University of Innsbruck, aims to explore the historical dimensions of public discourse and political authority, emphasizing the impact of print culture. The event highlighted the importance of understanding early modern public spheres to address contemporary transformations. Key objectives include publishing a handbook on regional book histories and creating a bibliographic database. The meeting featured keynote lectures on children's instructional print, the intermediality of public spheres, and the dynamic geography of book culture. These contributions underscore the network's commitment to a multilingual and transnational perspective, promising significant insights into the cultural historiography of Central Europe.

Bekenntnis und Diaspora

Author(s): Dirk Schuster / Language(s): German Issue: 1/2025

Review of: Bekenntnis und Diaspora. Beziehungen und Netzwerke zwischen Deutschland, Mittelund Südosteuropa im Protestantismus vom 16. bis 20. Jahrhundert. Hrsg. Von Angela I l i ć. (Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für deutsche Kultur und Geschichte Südosteuropas an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Bd. 142.) Verlag Friedrich Pustet. Regensburg 2021. 244 S., Ill. ISBN 978-3-7917-3227-5. (€ 29,95.).