"The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300 is the first of its kind to provide a point of reference for the history of the whole of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. While historians have recognized the importance of integrating the eastern part of the European continent into surveys of the Middle Ages, few have actually paid attention to the region, its specific features, problems of chronology, and historiography. This vast region represents more than two thirds of the European continent, but its history in general - and its medieval history in particular - is poorly known. This book covers the history of the whole region, from the Balkans to the Carpathian Basin, and the Bohemian Forest to the Finnish Bay. It provides an overview of the current state of research and a route map for navigating an abundant historiography available in more than ten different languages. Chapters cover topics as diverse as religion, architecture, art, state formation, migration, law, trade, and the experiences of women and children. This book is an essential reference for scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in the history of central and eastern Europe"--
This book is the first of its kind to provide a point of reference for the history of the whole of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. It is essential reading for scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in the history of central and eastern Europe.
Introduction
1. Situating medieval Eastern Europe: historiography and
discontent
2. Between migration and origo gentis: population movements
3.
Steppe empires without emperors: Avars, Bulgars and Khazars
4. Medieval
nomadism
5. Early conversion to Christianity, Judaism and Islam
6. Conversion
to Christianity: Bohemia, Poland, Hungary and Rus (9th to 12th centuries)
7.
State formation in the 10th century
8. Strongholds and early medieval states
9. The rise of the early medieval aristocracy
10. Rulers between ideal and
reality
11. Royal governments
12. Rural economy
13. Crafts, coins and trade
(900-1300)
14. Towns and cities
15. Lords, peasants and slaves
16. Women and
children
17. Jews, Armenians and Muslims
18. Church organization
19. Saints
and relics
20. Heresy and popular religion
21. Crusades and Eastern Europe
22. The Baltic Crusades (1147-1300)
23. Political and practical literacy
24.
Law
25. History writing
26. Hagiography
27. Monumental architecture
28.
Monumental art
29. New powers - Serbia, Bulgaria
30. The Mongols in Eastern
Europe
Florin Curta is Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology at the University of Florida, USA. His books include Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 5001250 (2006); The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube, ca. 500700 (2011), which received the Herbert Baxter Adams Award of the American Historical Association; The Edinburgh History of the Greeks, c. 500 to 1050: The Early Middle Ages (2011); Slavs in the Making: History, Linguistics and Archaeology in Eastern Europe (c. 500 to c. 700) (2021); and The Long Sixth Century in Eastern Europe (2021).
