Drinovsky sbornik

ABOUT THE MIGRATION OF THE SONS OF ATTILLA TO THE EAST ONCE AGAIN

2025-08-16T14:44:59+00:00

The article traces the process of migration of Attila's sons to the east from the second half of the 5th century. In the historiographical tradition, this process is considered as a one-time, full-scale act, carried out either immediately after the battle at the Nedao river (Pannonia) in 454 or a decade after it.

In the present study it is established that the sons of Attila withdrew eastward from the Carpathians, not all at once, but in stages in the period 454-466. The analysis of the sources allows us to talk about at least three such migrations. The first to leave the Middle Danube were the Attila’s sons, who were in the circle of Elak. This happened in 454 after Elak fell slain in a battle with the Gepids and their allies. The new habitats of his brothers can be found in the easternmost ends of the Steppe Empire - to the banks of the Don river. Second are the Huns led by Attila's youngest son Ernach. In 454 or in the following year 455 after their unsuccessful military campaign against the Ostrogoths, they were forced to retreat to the banks of the Dnieper river in eastern neighborhood with the first group. Third and last are the Huns leading by Dengizih. After another severe defeat by the Ostrogoths in the mid-460s, this son of Attila migrated east from the Carpathians, finding himself neighboring his brother Ernach to the east.

THE CROAT MIGRATION TO THE BALKANS: A NEW ATTEMPT AT RECONSTRUCTION

2025-08-16T14:45:01+00:00

The article offers a fresh look at the issue of the Croat resettlement from East Central Europe to the north-western Balkans. By providing the critical analysis of the historiographical discourse, interpreting the evidence from the treatise “De administrando imperio”, comparing them with information from other written sources, as well as involving current results of the studies in historical linguistics, archeology, and paleogenetics, the author investigates the starting points, routes, chronology, and geopolitical context of the migration processes that led to the appearance of the Croat people in Dalmatia.

Proceeding from the localization of White Croatia on the Upper Elbe and the Upper Oder, the study has made a series of updates to the current understanding of the circumstances and course of partial resettlement of its inhabitants to the Balkans, explaining the most controversial data from chapters 30 & 31 of the Constantine’s treatise, and suggesting the return of the research on the early stages of the Croat ethnogenesis to the paradigm of migration. In particular, the author argues that the resettlement of the White Croats to Dalmatia was initiated by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius in the aftermath of the siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, while the route of their movement from Northeast Bohemia led through the Middle Elbe basin, Thuringia, Bavaria, and the Eastern Alps, thus allowing the migrants to bypass the lands of Pannonia which were tightly controlled by the hostile Avars. The suggested shift of the crucial part of the route of Croat migration towards the West, into the territory under Merovingian influence, created the basis for a more complex understanding of the geopolitical circumstances of this action which were featured by the anti-Avar collaboration between the Byzantines and the Frankish king Dagobert I.

ON THE WESTERN BORDER OF THE BULGARIAN STATE ON THE LOWER DANUBE, IMMEDIATELY AFTER ITS FOUNDATION

2025-08-16T14:45:02+00:00

The article attempts to establish where the western border of the Bulgarian state was immediately after its founding. For this purpose, parts of the texts, primarily those of Theophanes the Confessor, as more detailed in his narrative, have been examined again. It has been established that the geographical markers in the text are too conditional or inaccurate. For this reason, the identification of the Severi tribe with the bearers of the so-called Pasterskoe type ceramics was chosen as a starting point. This identification was made as early as the 1990s by Stefka Angelova and Lyudmila Doncheva-Petkova, and later further developed by Metodi Daskalov. Mapping of the necropolises with urn cremations, with a predominant presence of pastoral ceramics, shows their division into three geographical groups. Only one of these groups was known to Byzantine authors of the period. The other two are located west of the first. Taking as a marker the currently known necropolises of the bearers of Pasterskoe type ceramics – the Severi, it can be assumed that the western border of the state ran approximately along the course of the Rusenski Lom River.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ON THE MASS AND PERMANENT SETTLEMENT OF THE TERRITORY OF TODAY’S SOUTH BULGARIA WITH A BULGARIAN POPULATION IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

2025-08-16T14:45:03+00:00

Тhe analysis of the historical and, mostly, reliable archaeological data we can draw the conclusion that the long-term settlement of the Bulgarian population and the settlement of the territory of modern Southern Bulgaria by the Bulgarian state began only after the conclusion of the “Deep Peace” between Bulgaria and Byzantine empire in 864. Before that today’s southern Bulgarian lands remained a buffer zone between permanently belligerent neighbouring countries, which made the territory uncomfortable for settlement. That is why historical sources describe it as “waste land”. After it had been given to the Bulgarian state, the region became peaceful and favourable settlement conditions were created. Thus in the second half of the 9^thcentury rapid “Bulgarianization” of the whole territory of modern Southern Bulgaria followed giving a strong impetus to the development of settlements. At that time Bulgaria reached to the south from Sidera to Debelt. Later on, under the rule of Tsar Simeon (893–927) – Knyaz Boris’s heir – the Bulgarian state expanded its territory to the south. The boundary began from Midiya, passed through Adrianopol to the north, past the Derventski Heights up to Mileona, crossed the Northern Rhodopes and then went down across the Mesta River, above Thessaloniki and across the Vardar reaching up to the Adriatic Sea.

It is unlikely that being the greatest power on the Balkan Peninsula in the 10^th ccentury the Bulgarian Tsardom managed to obtain and settle with Bulgarian population those vast territories. It is most certain, though, that the lands of modern Southern Bulgaria were Bulgarian and remained within the boundaries of the Tsardom up to 967.

BULGARIANS OF THE BALKANS AND EASTERN EUROPE ACCORDING TO MUSLIM AUTHORS OF THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

2025-08-16T14:45:04+00:00

It is known that during the Khazar period in the 7^th to 10^th centuries AD, the Bulgarians lived in three or four places in Europe: on the right bank of the Middle Volga, where Volga Bulgaria emerged; in the Lower Danube, in the territory of the First Bulgarian Kingdom; and in the steppes of the Don and Azov basins. This is what stumped many Muslim geographers. Among them are al-Mas‘udi and the anonymous author of “Hudud al-‘Alam”.

Scholars have long noticed that in his work “Muruj al-Zahab...” al-Mas‘udi confuses the Volga Bulgars with the Danube Bulgars. Let us add to this the Azov and Don Bulgarians mentioned by al-Masudi. Thus, at the very beginning of the 17^th chapter of his work “Muruj al-Zahab...” al-Mas‘udi notes that the Volga “flows from the upper parts of the Turkic lands”. At the same time, al-Masudi emphasizes that “a branch flows from it in the direction of the country of the Bulgars” and flows into “Maitas (the Azov Sea)”. The Bulgars are also mentioned in al-Mas‘udi's account of the Rus' march to the Caspian Sea after 912 through the Volga-Don overland transfer.

As for the data of “Hudud al-Alam” on the Bulgarians, they are even more confusing and require a more detailed analysis. Thus, speaking about the population of the Middle Volga region, the anonymous author uses the well-known ethnonym B-rtas to refer to the inhabitants of the left bank, where the Bulgarians were known.

One of the most enigmatic ethnic groups mentioned in the “Hudud al-‘Alam” is the “Inner Bulgarians”. F. Westberg and M. J. Merpert tend to identify the “Inner Bulgarians” with the “Black Bulgarians” who lived in the Northern Azov region. J. Markwart once suggested that the “Inner Bulgarians” of Muslim authors were related to the Danube Bulgarians. V. F. Minorsky suggests that the division of Bulgarians into “Exterior” and “Inner” was probably introduced into the geographical literature by al-Balkhi (9^th –10^th centuries AD), who mentions “Exterior Bulgarians”. Moreover, al-Balkhi was the first to mention “Inner Bulgarians”. Al-Balkhi used the term “Inner Bulgarians” to refer to the Danube Bulgarians. According to V. F. Minorsky's observations, the term “Inner Bulgarians” could have been widely used by al-Istakhri (9^th –10^th centuries AD), but al-Istakhri does not have any records of “Exterior Bulgarians”. Such confusing and contradictory information, both from al-Istakhri and other Arabian authors, as well as from the anonymous author of “Hudud al-‘Alam”, led V. F. Minorsky to assume that the term “Inner Bulgarians” is clearly opposed to the term “Exterior Bulgarians.”

It is possible that al-Balkhi and al-Istakhri referred to the Danube Bulgarians as “Inner” because, according to their informants, they were the most western group among all Bulgarians. In other cases, however, the author of “Hudud al-Alam” refers to the Danube Bulgarians as V-n-n-d-r and the Volga Bulgarians as B-rtas. The method of exclusion allows us not to refer to the Danube and Volga Bulgarians as “Inner”. For example, the anonymous author of “Hudud al-Alam” calls those Bulgarians who live in in the steppes of the Don and Azov basins “Inner”, i. e. Western, Bulgarians.

Such contradictory reports of Muslim authors of the early Middle Ages about the Bulgarians are explained not only by their considerable dispersion, but also by the use of various sources in which individual groups of Bulgarians were known by different names. This forced Muslim geographers to make certain adjustments to the texts of their treatises.

THE FIRST POLISH-CZECH WAR OF THE LATE 1080s AND ITS POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC CONSEQUENCES FOR CENTRAL EUROPE

2025-08-16T14:45:08+00:00

The article examines the preconditions, traces the course, and clarifies the political and diplomatic consequences for Central Europe of the First Polish-Czech War, which broke out in the late 1080s. Until that time, for almost two decades, the rulers of the Czech Principality from the Prshemyslovych dynasty had maintained friendly relations with the Polish ruler Meshko I Piastovych, with whom they were related. In the context of the active advancement in the international arena of the German king Otto I, who in 962 acquired the title of emperor and proclaimed the formation of the Roman (German) Empire, the young Slavic states were looking for ways to bring them closer together. Emphasizing the imperial status, Otto I and his successors pursued a purposeful policy of establishing suzerain-vassal relations with the rulers of the Czech and Polish principalities. Over time, Meshko I, expanding the borders of his state, began to encroach on the possessions of Bolesłav II the Pious, which, in addition to Bohemia, covered the territory of Moravia, Lesser Poland and Silesia. The Polish prince regulated relations with the Roman Empire and seized part of the territories belonging to Bolesłav II. That was probably Silesia. The Czech ruler turned for help to the Vilts-Lyutyches (a tribal union of Polabian Slavs), with whom the empire was waging a fierce struggle. That step testified to the diplomatic shortsightedness of Bolesłav II the Pious. In return, Meshko I asked for support from the empire. During that war, Bolesłav II the Pious lost control over Silesia and part of Lesser Poland. His defeat initiated an external and internal crisis for the Czech state. At the same time, it sharply increased the political authority of Meshko I and raised the prestige of the Polish principality, which for some time began to play a leading role in Central Europe.

ABOUT THE SPECIFICITY OF MEDIEVAL ETHNICITY (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF KYIVAN RUS-UKRAINE)

2025-08-16T14:45:10+00:00

While ethnicity has been inherent to humanity since the dawn of history, its forms have varied across eras. Based on the principles of neo-evolutionism (M. Sahlins, S. Arutyunov) and studies on the division between «ours» and «strangers», we analyse the ethnic situation in Ancient Rus’. At that time, due to the rudimentary nature of communication methods, ethnic identity among «locals» was extremely underdeveloped, where «ours» referred only to the inhabitants of one’s own settlement or a few neighbouring ones. All others were considered «strangers». On this primitive basis, ethnic communities emerged within the individual «lands» into which Rus’ was divided. In Southern Rus’, these included: Rus' (Kyivans and Pereyaslavites), Galicians, Volhynians, Chernihivites, and Turovites. In Northern Rus’, they included: Smolnyans, Suzdalites (Rostovites), Novgorodians, Pskovians, and other regional communities. Indicators of these as distinct ethnicities included hostility and conflicts among them.

Keywords: identity, ethnicity, «ours», «strangers», local (territorial) communities.

Although ethnicity has been inherent to humanity since the beginning of its history, its manifestations and forms have varied across historical eras. Based on the principles of neo-evolutionism and studies on ethnocentrism and the division into «ours» and «strangers», we analyse the ethnic situation in Ancient Rus. It was characterised by the ethnic fragmentation of local or so-called «territorial» communities, corresponding to the division into «lands», which are considered equivalent to the modern concept of «countries». For example, the Rus' Land (Kyiv and Pereiaslav principalities) was inhabited by the Rus' (a collective plural form, singular «Rusyn»), the Volyn Land by the Volhynians, the Halych Land by the Galicians, the Chernihiv Land by the Chernihivites, the Turov Land by the Turovites; in the northern «lands» of Ancient Rus’ lived the Polochans, Smolnyans, Novgorodians, Suzdalites, and others. They possessed their own identities and waged fierce wars among themselves. In other emerging European countries, the situation was similar: in France, there were Gascons, Normans, Languedocians, Burgundians, and others; in Germany, Saxons, Hessians, Swabians, Thuringians, and others; in Italy, Tuscans, Romans, Lombards, Venetians, and others. At the root of this situation, according to the informational concept of ethno-national communities, there was the state of development of information communications. In the pre-modern era, when ethnically significant information was transmitted synchronously and diachronically primarily orally (with writing merely supplementing this mode of information transmission), this led to underdeveloped expressions and forms of ethnicity and small-scale ethnic communities. The so-called «local» ethnicity, opposed to all surrounding groups, predominated. The decisive factor in the formation of local ethnic groups was the state. Therefore, during the era of political («feudal») fragmentation, ethnic communities emerged within small state entities – duchies, counties, and principalities – whose authorities established networks of informational communication within their domains. «Local» groups should be classified as those whose members had an extremely underdeveloped sense of self-awareness, only vaguely understanding that they formed a distinct group. Local identities, such as those of a village, district, or county, held far greater significance than the self-awareness of the entire community. Besides local (in Kyivan Rus – «lands») ethnonyms, the clearest indication that these were distinct ethnic groups was the hostility and constant wars among them: Galicians against Kyivans-Rus', Suzdalites against Novgorodians, Smolnyans against Novgorodians, and so on. These wars escalated into prolonged feuds, an integral aspect of which, as was common throughout the Middle Ages, involved plundering. Regularly looting, taking captives, and killing «others» was considered entirely acceptable within the prevailing ethnocentric stereotypes. This situation persisted particularly long in the Upper Oka region (the Upper Principalities), where small communities of Mtsenyans, Lyubuchans, Vorotyntsians, Novosilites, and others lived. The disappearance of local («lands») communities was tied to the end of political fragmentation, beginning in the High and Late Middle Ages.

LEVEL OF INTELLECTUAL TRAINING OF TEACHERS OF JESUIT SCHOOLS IN THE EAST OF THE POLISH PROVINCE OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS IN 1648–1675: FACTORS OF FORMATION, TRENDS OF CHANGES, IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION

2025-08-16T14:45:15+00:00

The article analyzes trends in changes in the level of intellectual training of the Jesuits who taught in the east of the Polish Province of the Society of Jesus in 1648– 1675, as well as the prerequisites of these qualitative changes and their impact on the quality of education in local centres of the Jesuit Order. The author emphasizes that the figure of the teacher was given a key role in the Jesuit school model. This is evidenced not only by the regulation of various aspects of education by the school charter of the Order ("Ratio atque institutio studiorum"), but also by the great attention paid to the intellectual education of the Jesuits.

The permanent military operations that took place on the territory of the Polish Province in 1648–1675 dealt a significant blow to its personnel potential. The death of many Jesuits, the termination or suspension of activities a number of centres of the Order, the migration of their representatives inside and outside the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the disruption of the staff reproduction system caused by them – all this had a negative impact on the level of education of the teachers of the Jesuit schools in the east of the Polish Province. The main indicator of this process was the numerous lacunae in the intellectual formation of magisters, which at the end of the 1660s – in the first half of the 1670s. became the most numerous category of Jesuit teachers of studia inferiora courses in this region. A slight improvement in the level of their mastery of rhetoric during this period was fully compensated by a simultaneous decrease in the prevalence of philosophical education. These gaps in education were a consequence of the urgent involvement of novities in teaching in a situation where there was a lack of experienced personnel. At the same time, among Jesuits priests teaching studia inferiora, the specific gravity of persons who have mastering the course of rhetoric pro nostris is decreasing in parallel. The only island of stability remained the group of the Jesuits priests who taught the studia superiora courses. This can be explained by the relevant selection of those persons who were involved in teaching ideologically important disciplines. However, this group of Jesuit teachers was small and worked with a narrow range of pupils, and therefore did not significantly affect the general situation in Jesuit schools in the east of the Polish Province. Instead, negative trends in the level of education of studia inferiora teachers (both magisters and Jesuit priests) directly affected the level of education in local Jesuit schools. This is evidenced by a several crisis phenomena that were reflected in the documentation of the Society of Jesus at the time, i.e. the efforts of Jesuits to avoid teaching, the negligence of teachers in fulfilling their duties, and the indifference of the managers to the matter of encouraging pupils to learn as well as to raising the level of education in general. The leadership of the Order was aware of the existing problems, but fought against them with conservative methods, trying to ensure the clear implementation of the "Ratio studiorum" provisions.

LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF THE THIRD LITHUANIAN STATUTE IN THE LIFE OF CRAFTSMEN OF THE HETMANATE IN THE SECOND XVII - XVIII CENTURIES

2025-08-16T14:45:18+00:00

The article examines the legal provisions of the Lithuanian Statute of 1588, which regulated the life and activities of craftsmen, and their actual application in the legal field of the Hetmanate in the second half of the 17th and 18th cc.: Kyiv, Poltava, Lokhvytsia, Keleberda, Kobeliaky, etc.

Craftsmen belonged to various large social groups of the urban population: burghers, Cossacks, and commoners (“pospolyty”), as well as small socio-professional groups, including protectionaries and co-neighbours. The political structure of the Hetmanate led to the duality of power in cities, where both city law and city government (magistrate or town hall) were in place, as well as regimental and/or sotnia government of a military and administrative unit. The legal certainty of craftsmen's guilds, supported by privileges and charters, gave them the right to operate and be subordinate to magistrates. This led to the peculiarities of the Hetmanate cities: the specificity of the judicial and economic subordination of the burghers, the existence of crafts outside the guilds (as Cossacks’ «protectionaries”), eventual transitions to the Cossack class and vice versa, and the limitation of the burghers' category to the trade element only. It is established that in the cities of the Hetmanate, both the Lithuanian Statute of 1588 and Magdeburg law (‘Statute’ or ‘Saxon’) functioned for different social classes. Non-punishable crimes, i.e. all crimes except theft and murder, were resolved by the guild’s court (general meeting of “brothers”). However, often interpreted as specific ‘laws’ or ‘court of the guild’, the rules of Magdeburg law are customary. The articles of the Lithuanian Statute can be divided into several groups: general rules for burghers and rules concerning craftsmen, which relate to criminal proceedings.

"COSSATS NATION" AND ITS LEADERS AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE MOSCOW STATE AND SWEDEN: ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER "AMSTERDAM" IN 1708

2025-08-16T14:45:20+00:00

The publication examines the military-political situation in 1708 on the borders of Ukraine and the reasons for the national liberation action of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, namely his transition to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII in the reports of the French-language publication “Amsterdam”. It has been established that the pages of the publication regularly covered the events of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721 and the figures of the Hetmans of Ukraine – Ivan Mazepa, Ivan Skoropadskyi and Pylyp Orlyk – repeatedly appeared in connection with the events of 1708. The newspaper informs the reader about the almost step-by-step march of the Swedish army to the borders with the Moscow Kingdom and the Hetmanate. The reports of “Amsterdam” clearly define the intentions of Hetman Ivan Mazepa and the reasons for his fateful decision. The actions of Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Mazepa are presented taking into account the general military situation and European policy. Information about the intentions of Hetman Ivan Mazepa appears in reports six months before Ivan Mazepa’s transition to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII. This may indicate that the person providing the news was well-informed, since such an action was kept secret, even from the Hetman’s closest entourage. The “News” edition also depicted the “images” of the Cossacks, marked the name “Ukraine” and settlements that had important military and political significance. The pages of “Amsterdam” reflected the significant international activities of the Swedish king, Polish and Ukrainian leaders, in particular their contacts with the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate and Moldova. Thus, all of the above indicates that the European reader had the opportunity to receive timely and truthful information about Ukrainian affairs and the actions of the Ukrainian leadership, and the military-political situation in the Ukrainian lands had an important European dimension.

PYLYP ORLYK IN OTTOMAN SOURCES

2025-08-16T14:45:21+00:00

The article deals with issues related to the Ottoman period of Pylyp Orlyk's life and his residency in the Balkan possessions of the Ottoman state. The coverage of these issues is based on Ottoman-Turkish documents that supplement or confirm the information of Latin and Cyrillic documents from many European archives on the longest Ottoman period of Pylyp Orlyk's activity in exile. The peculiarity of using Ottoman sources most clearly reflects the financial component in the hetman's accommodation, the geography of the hetman's movements across the European territories of the Ottoman state, the political decisions of the sultan and khan governments to recognize the hetman's power, etc. In particular, the article highlights Sultan Ahmed's fermans regarding the rights and privileges of the Cossack army of Pylyp Orlyk and the further deployment of the Cossacks in the lower reaches of the Dnipro. The article also uses the sultan's orders regarding the meeting of Pylyp Orlyk in Khotyn and his accommodation in Serres and Thessaloniki. The author emphasizes the hetman's appeals to the sultan and the Crimean khan to decide the fate of Pylyp Orlyk and to recognize his hetman's authority.

ORTHODOXY, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND THE IMPERIAL SPACE: IMAGES OF THE UKRAINIAN LANDS IN THE WORKS OF METROPOLITAN PLATON LEVSHIN (1737–1812)

2025-08-16T14:45:22+00:00

The article explores the specifics of constructing the image of Ukrainian lands in the works of Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Platon Levshin – one of the most prominent religious figures and church historians of Eastern Europe in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The influence of Platon Levshin's personal experience, philosophical, and socio-political views on the characteristics of Ukrainian lands in his travel notes and historical works is examined. Relying on the principles of the Cambridge School of Intellectual History, the theory of conceptual metaphor, and the concepts of "mental maps" and "sites of memory," the study determines how Platon Levshin used the terms "Ukraine" and "Little Russia" and outlines the specifics of the interplay between ethnic, political, and religious connotations in his descriptions of Ukrainian lands. The Enlightenment’s impact on Levshin’s perception of Ukraine is reflected in his rationalist approach to spatial categories and the limited use of anthropomorphic metaphors in his texts. An analysis of sources indicates that the territorial boundaries of Little Russia in Levshin’s texts were constructed based on historical-administrative divisions. Volhynia and Galicia were not part of the symbolic Little Russian space, and the term "Ukraine" was used relatively infrequently, having a meaning similar to "Little Russia." The ethnic specificity of Ukrainians remained outside the metropolitan’s focus, distinguishing his travel notes from the travelogues of his contemporaries. The confessional aspect was the decisive factor in constructing the image of "us" and "them" for the metropolitan. In his narrative, Jews and Greek Catholics played the role of the Other, against whom the image of the Self was constructed. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was a site of memory in Platon Levshin's perceptions of Ukrainian lands.

MAIN DIRECTIONS OF ACTIVITY OF THE BULGARIAN COMMUNITY IN ODESSA (END OF THE XVІІІ th CENTURY – 1877)

2025-08-16T14:45:23+00:00

The article attempts to reach the origins in formation of the Bulgarian community in Odesa and the main directions of its activity. It is noted that the most active phase Bulgarian resettlement to the city falls on the end of XVIII – the beginning of the XIX century. It was especially successful during the time of the Duke de Richelieu, the mayor of Odesa, who was friendly to Bulgarian immigrants. Governor General of Novorossiysk Region and Bessarabian Region M.S.Vorontsov focused his attention on attracting Bulgarian sailors and port workers to the city, which was determined by the needs of the Black Sea Fleet. However, his efforts were not successful. During the first half of XIX century Bulgarians from Transdanubian Bulgaria and Bessarabia, who belonged to different social statuses, moved to the city. They were merchants, teachers, artisans, farmers, ect. Bulgarian settlers compactly settled on the outskirts of Odesa and formed their own community, the members of which played a prominent role in the socio-economic and cultural life of the city. The main task of the community was the preparation of the national liberation movement in Bulgaria and the formation of the specialists in the field of education and culture for the revival of their homeland. It was investigated that among the main tasks of the community of Bulgarian mentoring were to help Bulgarian schools and churches. Leading figures of the Mentorship: the Palauzov brothers, Ivan Bogorov, Zakhar Kniazhevskiy, Botyo Petkov, Dmytro Mutev and others who were educated in Odesa. In the process of their activities they cooperated with the Orthodox clergy, intelligentsia, scientific institutions and educational institutions. It has been proven, that Odesa became the centre of preparations for the revival of Bulgaria. After the liberation of the country from Ottoman enslavement a large part of Odesa Bulgarions returned to their homelands and played an important role in the process of building its statehood. A small number of Bulgarians remained in Odesa preserved their cultural traditions and later formed the Bulgarian Society, which continues its activities at the present stage.

ODESSA BULGARIANS’ FIRST CONTACTS WITH THE PRAG SLAV IC STUDIES CENTRE

2025-08-16T14:45:25+00:00

The Article's task is to include new not yet published sources from Vaclav Hanka's and Pavel Josef Šafařík's personal Archives in Prague and together with already published letters to present and analyze the contacts they had with the Bulgarian cultural leader Vasil Aprilov. Brief content of the work. Based on the correspondence and in a comparative manner research has been done on the common ideas and concepts, the Odessa Bulgarian and Vaclav Hanka shared. Presented are also the contacts some younger generation Odessa Alumni (Ivan Bogorov, Ivan Shopov, Father Natanayl) established with the Czechs Scholars at the Bohemia Kingdom National Museum. Conclusions Thanks the cultural activities these Odessa educated emigrants had in Central Europe, by the 60^tiesof 19 C. for first time Bulgarians – in the beginning predominately living abroad – actively contributed to the Bulgarian Studies development.

THE PROBLEM OF UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE FROM RUSSIA IN THE VISION OF FRENCH POLITICIANS OF THE SECOND EMPIRE

2025-08-16T14:45:26+00:00

The purpose of the article: to analyze the vision of Ukrainian independence in the intellectual environment of French politicians during the Second Empire. Brief content of the work. The author, methodologically relying on Karl Mannheim's idea of a common spatial-temporal space for "generational unions", singles out several French intellectuals who raised the issue of Ukrainian independence in the 1850-1860s, and analyzes their ideas. The opinions of senators of the French Second Empire T. C. Delamarre, L. H. Carnot and P. Mérimée are considered, and a comparative analysis of their concepts is carried out. Conclusions. All political figures paid special attention to the development of the issue of concretizing the ways and grounds for the liberation of Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Poles from the Russian yoke. At the same time, they expressed various conceptual proposals regarding the idea of Ukrainian independence. Delamarre adhered to the civilizational conceptualization, arguing that Ukrainians have the right to their own freedom thanks to a self-identification different from the Russians, which the latter stole from them, as well as a history, language and culture different from the Russians. Carnot and Mérimée adhered to the traditional historical conceptualization, hidden in the past of Ukraine and France. Carnot called on the parliament to support Ukraine as a continuation of French political tradition in the external arena – to actively oppose Russian Panslavism. Mérimée derived his justification from the analysis of the activities of hetmans B. Khmelnytsky and I. Mazepa, whose political steps made possible the emergence of a Ukrainian state, independent of both Poland and Russia.

THE COSMOPOLITAN CITY AS DIASPORIC NATION-BUILDING CENTER: ISTANBUL URBAN SPACE, COMMUNITIES AND COSSACK PROJECT 1853-1872

2025-08-16T14:45:29+00:00

This study explores the role of Istanbul as a diasporic center for nation-building in the 19th century, focusing on the Ottoman Cossacks (1853–1872) as a unique multinational group that contributed to the intellectual and political landscape of Southeastern Europe. Situated within the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul served as a crossroads for various national movements, where diverse communities—including the Ottoman Cossacks—engaged in intellectual and political activities aimed at resisting Russian imperialism and fostering national identities. Led by Michał Czajkowski (Mehmed Sadık Pasha), the Ottoman Cossacks played a pivotal role in forming a "Cossack millet" that transcended traditional ethnic boundaries, bringing together Slavic, Greek, Jewish, and Muslim identities into a cosmopolitan military and intellectual community.

Using a combination of archival research, urban studies, and prosopographic methods, the study reconstructs the social and intellectual networks of the Cossacks, highlighting their influence on the national movements of the Balkans, particularly in Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Poland. Czajkowski's literary and political activities—including his novels and his role in the Crimean War—advanced ideas of resistance and self-determination among Slavic populations under Ottoman rule. This research underscores the significance of Istanbul not only as an imperial capital but also as a multicultural space that facilitated cross-cultural exchange and the development of national ideas, especially during the era of the "Spring of Nations."

The study contributes to our understanding of the Ottoman Cossacks' role in European nation-building and offers new insights into Istanbul as a site of diasporic political and cultural formation. It emphasizes the transformative impact of the Cossacks on both Ottoman society and the broader sociopolitical fabric of Southeastern Europe, with implications for heritage preservation and contemporary understandings of multicultural urban spaces.

MEMORIALIZATION OF MEMORY SPACES OF THE RUSSIAN-TURKISH WAR, 1877-1878 IN SOFIA LATE 1870s – MID 1880s

2025-08-16T14:45:30+00:00

The politics of memory during the formative period of Bulgarian statehood has not yet become the subject of a comprehensive specialized study. Historiography so far has addressed only certain commemorative practices of this time. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the process of employing historical events associated with Russia’s involvement in the establishment of Bulgarian statehood in the memorialization of sites of memory related to the war of 1877–1878 in Sofia. The implementation of projects to erect monuments to the Russian army was hindered by the deterioration of relations between Sofia and Saint Petersburg in 1885, caused by Alexander III’s reluctance to support the unification of the Bulgarian Principality with Eastern Rumelia. Moreover, Sofia’s refusal to comply with the ultimative demands of the tsarist government regarding the resolution of the political crisis that erupted in Bulgaria in 1886 led Russia to unilaterally sever bilateral diplomatic relations. The participation of Bulgarians in the war found no reflection in the memorialization processes, which otherwise could have contributed to the formation of collective memory of the Bulgarian national liberation movement. The cult of gratitude to Russia clearly dominated all others. In the memorialization of sites of memory related to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the following featured prominently: the Russian Empire as a state, Emperor Alexander II, Saint Alexander Nevsky, the Russian army as a whole and, in particular, its commanders and medical personnel as a separate category, representatives of the Provisional Administration, and the mystical “miraculous salvation of Sofia.”

FERDINAND COBURG IN GALICIAN SATIRE.

2025-08-16T14:45:33+00:00

The Bulgarian theme for Galician satire became relevant in the last decades of the 19th century. in connection with a vacant position for the monarch's throne in Sofia. For the kingdom of Galicia, getting a real leader who would always be in the capital Lviv was a barely possible distant prospect, the region belonged to Austria-Hungary, which allowed various national-political currents here according to the ancient imperial principle of "Divide and rule" and no further than cultural-administrative autonomy. Therefore, Galician journalists and cartoonists, as creative people and from the position of ordinary people, envied the events in Bulgaria. True, some are for good, some are for evil. Ukrainian independent writers (T. Romanchuk – "Zerkalo" magazine) enthusiastically depicted the Slavic peoples of Central and Southern Europe near the throne of Queen Slava. As followers of the leader of the Cyril and Methodius Society T. They rightly saw in Shevchenko the historical roots of Slavic civilization in the Moravian state and the Bulgarian kingdom, and not in modern autocratic Russia, which was depicted as a brutal gendarme with a whip.

Galician Muscophiles portrayed the situation in Bulgaria differently as paid supporters of the accession of all Slavs (by any means, benevolent or by force) to Russia. They considered it a great threat if relatives of the Russian Romanovs occupied the throne of Bulgaria. That is why the greatest arrows of satire flew at the maternal representative of the royal Orléans dynasty, Ferdinand Coburg. He was depicted both in the form of a parrot, and in the form of a clown, and as a mother's son behind the already old Klementina, with a toy Eiffel Tower or with a children's net for butterflies (Magazine "Scarecrow") and in the image of Hamlet (magazine "Schutek"). Those images are rich and varied, emphasizing the weak features of a statesman. However, what betrays the confidence and perseverance of the Bulgarian monarch, even from the pen of a pro-Russian cartoonist, is his large nose with a hump. The number of caricatures of the Prince of Coburg at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. XIX century became greater than the German Chancellor Bismarck and the Russian Tsar.

ABRAHAM BENAROYA, THE MACEDONIAN QUESTION AND THE SOLUNA SOCIALIST WORKERS' FEDERATION

2025-08-16T14:45:35+00:00

Avraam Benaroya was born in 1887 in the Bulgarian town of Vidin to a family of small-scale merchants; his father was of Sephardic origin. He soon became a committed social democrat and emerged as both an ideologue and an organizer of the Macedonian social democratic movement during the period between 1909 and 1912. As the leader of the Thessaloniki Socialist Workers’ Federation (Federación Socialista Obrera), Benaroya articulated the idea of the particular character of Marxist ideology. He maintained that Marxist tactics ought to be both flexible and adaptable to the specific political conditions of each country. Accordingly, his views could be classified as distinctly centrist, aligning closely with the political logic of the left wing of Bulgarian social democracy, namely the BRSDP (Narrow Socialists). This characterization is further supported by the chronology of Benaroya’s political activity. For instance, during 1910–1911 he edited the newspaper Solidaridad Obradera / Workers’ Solidarity, the successor to the multilingual Workers’ Herald. The publication timeline of Benaroya’s periodical closely corresponds with that of Napred, a left-centrist organ issued under the leadership of the prominent Bulgarian left-centrist figure, Christian Rakovsky.

Moreover, Benaroya – like Rakovsky – initially endorsed the ideals of the Young Turk Revolution. Furthermore, in line with Rakovsky and the leadership of the centrist left within the BRSDP (Narrow Socialists), Benaroya aligned his political activities with the stance of the Second International. This occurred precisely at the time when Rakovsky was acting as a representative of the Bureau for the Unification of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Movement. Additional evidence of Benaroya’s ideological proximity to the left-centrist platform lies in the fact that, in May 1910 and again in November 1911, at his personal invitation and with the official endorsement of the Federación leadership, Rakovsky traveled to Thessaloniki “as a representative of the International Socialist Bureau.” There, he participated in the May Day rally (1910), spoke at a Federación rally (4 November 1911), and even delivered several lectures “on issues concerning the Balkan and international socialist movement.”

In conclusion, the Macedonian phase of Avraam Benaroya’s political career must be recognized as distinctly left-centrist in orientation. It was during this period that Benaroya – both as a humanist and a democratically inclined political figure, and as a prominent Macedonian socialist – maintained closest alignment with the centrist platform of the BRSDP (Narrow Socialists). It was also during this period that he most directly linked the Jewish Question to the Macedonian Question, envisioning their resolution through the implementation of a Macedonian federation (confederation or union).

THE KHARKIV STUDIO MOVEMENT AND BLUE LILY STUDIO AS AN ASPECT OF EUROPEAN ART PRACTICES

2025-08-16T14:45:38+00:00

The article examines the studio movement in Kharkiv in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and how it was influenced by European cultural and artistic processes. The studios of Yegor Schrader (1875–1907), Yevhen Agafonov’s Blue Lily (1907–1912), Oleksiy Grot, Eduard Steinberg, Mykola Savvin, Oleksiy Zahonov (1909–1913), the Thistle (1913–1914), and Nakos’-Vykos’ (1914) were recipients of European artistic practices; they involved Ukraine in European artistic processes and contributed to the creation of a Ukrainian version of European styles and movements. A special role in Kharkiv’s artistic life was played by the Blue Lily studio, founded by Kharkiv artist Yevhen Agafonov, which quickly turned into an artistic association. Its members were engaged in painting, drawing, engraving, organized plein air, exhibitions, including innovative ones (The Ring, 1911, 1912), where they introduced the public to the new art that had burst upon Europe. The students published the literary and artistic almanac “Blue Lily” (1911), and were involved in theater activities. Yevhen Agafonov was a stage designer for the first cabaret theater in Kharkiv, the Blue Eye (1909–1911), which introduced the Kharkiv audience to modernist plays and modernist aesthetics. The Blue Lily Studio, focusing on contemporary European models, became a place of learning, experimentation and practice, one of the initiators of the Ukrainian avant-garde. The presence of national Ukrainian themes in the artistic works of the Studio Movement (in particular, Yevhen Agafonov) was an important contribution to the nation-building process. And the various types of creative activity of the studio artists turned Kharkiv into a European city involved in building a common European cultural space.

“EXTERNAL” IMAGES OF RUS’ IN THE CONTEXT OF MACROINTEGRATION PROCESSES: MEDIEVAL “REALITIES” AND HISTORIOGRAPHY INTERPRETATIONS IN MODERN HISTORY PERIOD

2025-08-16T14:45:39+00:00

In this article the specialties of external images of Rus’ and its representatives/inhabitants which have been forming at international counterparties of the country within external relation and integration or intentions toward the latter are revealed. The problematic of external images of Rus’, in the author’s opinion, should not be accepted only as the problematic of spreading the information concerning this state and its population, because the information has a fragmentary character, and the images, in contrary, can be regarded as a relatively whole perception with emotional and ideas features. In the article different variants of the images were examined, the peculiarities of Rus’’s and its population’s perceptions by different confessional communities and certain countries in the context of their aspirations, expectations etc. were pointed. It was revealed that the term “Rusy” [Ruses] has been attaining in some usages the confessional connotation, e. g. during the pre-Christian period in relations with Byzantine Empire or in the time of contacts with Muslim East. It is proposed that the terms existing in the medieval international relations sphere had imprints of the images inherent to different discourses of the subjects of those relations and integration processes. Also, in the article has been made an attempt to correlate the external images of Rus’ with the conceptions of “Own”, “Alien” and “Other”. Additionally, the question on the influence of certain integration ideas in connection with some historiography tradition toward the formation “external” originated images of medieval Rus’ namely of initial period of its history in the historiography of XVIII – the early XX centuries was regarded. In particular, the issue of the influence of the idea of so-called Slavic reciprocity in Europe and of the perspective, at that moment, of reformatting of the system of European relations in the context of developing of modern nations on historiography images of Rus’ are paid attention. It is pointed on the role of Odesa scientific center in the attempt of creation of syncretic conception of early Rus’ history which can be determined as “Norman-Slavic”.

CZECH-GERMAN RELATIONS OF THE PRE-WESTFALIAN ERA IN THE ASSESSMENT OF UKRAINIAN HISTORIANS (XIX-EARLY XX CENTURY)

2025-08-16T14:45:40+00:00

The article examines the study by scientists of higher educational institutions of Ukraine of Czech-German relations in the 9th – first half of the 17th centuries. It is shown that the interest of domestic researchers in this topic was associated with the successes of the contemporary Czech national Renaissance, the great achievements of Czech historical science, the publication by its representatives of fundamental research on the medieval past of the Czech Kingdom, the relations of the Czechs with their neighbors, primarily with the Germans. The purpose of the article is to explore Czech-German relations of the pre-Westphalian era in the assessments of historians of Ukraine in the 19th and early 20th centuries and to find out how their concepts reflected the state of medieval and Slavic studies of that time. The author employs the methods of historical and comparative analysis, systematization and generalization, and retrospective analysis. The article shows that in the Czech-German relations of the pre-Westphalian era, medievalists of pre-revolutionary universities in Ukraine identified and studied three key topics: 1) the influence of German colonization, law and institutions on the development of the Czech state in the X-XIII centuries (N. Ivanishev, A. Yasinsky); 2) the Hussite movement and the Hussite wars (V. Nadler, V. Bilbasov, A. Vertelovsky); 3) the struggle of Czech Protestants against the Habsburgs at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War (P. Lavrovsky, A. Kochubinsky). Domestic historians have made a great contribution to the study of Czech-German relations, devoted fundamental monographs and articles to this topic, and carried out an in-depth study of documents. At the same time, they absolutized the severity of Czech-German relations at different stages of history.

THE FABLE OF BOHDAN KHMELNYTSKY: TEXT – CONTEXT – INTERTEXT

2025-08-16T14:45:42+00:00

The paper deals with the Ukrainian versions of the narrative plot “grass snake in the hut” and its variant “the just grass snake” (AA 285 and 285А* in Comparative List of Plots: East Slavic Fairy-Tales) that corresponds to the concept of ‘unforgiveness’. Records made in different parts of Ukraine expose the dialectic of folklore tradition that is reflected in polyfunctionality and variability of international parallels of the plot. The fable depicts mythological beliefs about the grass snake as zoomorphic embodiment of the demonological character appreciated in traditional culture as the home demon-protector and wealth bearer. At the same time the formal stability of the plot allows semantic alteration and ambivalent thematic positions while its intertextual transformation in the context of conceptual models of “collective trauma”. From this aspect we examine the same fable narrated by Bogdan Khmelnytsky used in a sense of political metaphor as the example of ‘unforgiveness’ and ‘revenge’ and the historically evidence of “collective trauma”. The main element of the composition is a dialogue with a stable formulaic character which stresses the continuity of cultural heritage and reflects the mode of cognitive model. The historically accurate text by Khmelnytsky was recorded in 1656.by a contemporary of the Ukrainian hetman and historian of his wars with Poland and mentioned in Russian translation by Nikolay Kostomarov in his novel “Bogdan Khmelnytsky“ (1857). The current contextualization of the concept of ‘unforgiveness’ actualizes the opposition one’s own – other’s and reflects the war situation in Ukraine defined as the “war for identity”.

“TEKA STAŃCZYKA” AND THE KRAKOW HISTORICAL SCHOOL OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY ON THE PROSPECTS FOR POLISH STATEHOOD REVIVAL

2025-08-16T14:45:43+00:00

The article examines the specifics of the Poles’ struggle in the second half of the 19^th century for the revival of statehood after its loss during the gradual conquest by Russia, Austria and Prussia in 1772, 1793, and 1795. The attempts of Poles in the territories enslaved by Russia to revive it during the unsuccessful November (1830) and January (1863) Uprisings were brutally suppressed. Krakow also lost its status as a “free” city due to the 1846 riots, which historians call the Krakow Revolution. All of this has led to despondency and apathy in the general public. In turn, former active participants in the liberation struggle also advocated peaceful forms of struggle as a way to obtain certain concessions from the occupation administration. This was called for in “Teka Stańczyka”, the authorship of which was attributed to a number of Krakow intellectuals. In 1867, the Jagiellonian University allowed the opening of the Polish History Department, headed by Józef Szujski, one of the founders of the Krakow School of History. Representatives of this trend in Polish historical scholarship blamed the Poles themselves for losing independence and opposed using force to revive the statehood.

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA THROUGH THE EYES OF WESTERN ACADEMIA

2025-08-16T14:45:44+00:00

The article describes some main trends and stages of development of Ukrainian and Russian historical studies in the West (mainly in North America) in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries. The author focuses on the issues of methodology, terminology, and interpretations of Ukrainian and Russian history.

Western historians studying Ukrainian-Russian relations face many obstacles that can be explained by the political preferences of authors and inertia of traditional stereotypes inherited from the past.

THE CONTEMPORARY APPLICATIONS OF OLD MEASUREMENTS OF SPACE REVIEW OF PROF. DR. SC. HIST. MANCHO VEKOV’S BOOK „KAK DEDITE NI SA IZMERVALI PROSTRANSTVOTO?“ (SOFIA: IZDATELSKA KUSHTA DIO MIRA, 2022), 171 p. ISBN: 978-619-7696-08-0

2025-08-16T14:45:44+00:00

THE CONTEMPORARY APPLICATIONS OF OLD MEASUREMENTS OF SPACE REVIEW OF PROF. DR. SC. HIST. MANCHO VEKOV’S BOOK „KAK DEDITE NI SA IZMERVALI PROSTRANSTVOTO?“ [1] (SOFIA: IZDATELSKA KUSHTA DIO MIRA, 2022), 171 p. ISBN: 978-619-7696-08-0

[1] Translated in English as “How our ancestors measured space?”

A NEW PUBLICATION ON ARCHIVAL HERITAGE: TETIANA KARA-VASYLIEVA, DELICATE STRINGS OF THE HEART. KYIV: TROPEA PUBLISHING, 2022. 64 P.

2025-08-16T14:45:45+00:00

A NEW PUBLICATION ON ARCHIVAL HERITAGE: TETIANA KARA-VASYLIEVA, DELICATE STRINGS OF THE HEART. KYIV: TROPEA PUBLISHING, 2022. 64 P.

EASTERN ROMAN HISTORY IN THE NATIONAL NARRATIVES OF THE BALKANS. REVIEW OF: MISHKOVA, D. RIVAL BYZANTIUMS. EMPIRE AND IDENTITY IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2023. 368 p.

2025-08-16T14:45:45+00:00

Eastern Roman History in the National Narratives of the Balkans. Review of: Mishkova, D. Rival Byzantiums. Empire and Identity in Southeastern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2023. 368 p.

NEW BOOK ABOUT GEORGI RAKOVSKI AND THE BULGARIANS FROM BESSARABIA AND BANAT BOOK REVIEW: NIKOLA KARAIVANOV. GEORGI RAKOVSKI AND THE BULGARIANS FROM BESSARABIA, ODESSA AND BANAT. SECOND REVISED AND SUPPLEMENTED EDITION. SOFIA: OGLEDALO PUBLISHING HOUSE, 20

2025-08-16T14:45:46+00:00

NEW BOOK ABOUT GEORGI RAKOVSKI AND THE BULGARIANS FROM BESSARABIA AND BANAT BOOK REVIEW: NIKOLA KARAIVANOV. GEORGI RAKOVSKI AND THE BULGARIANS FROM BESSARABIA, ODESSA AND BANAT. SECOND REVISED AND SUPPLEMENTED EDITION. SOFIA: OGLEDALO PUBLISHING HOUSE, 2024. 391 P.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC FORUMS IN RIGA

2025-08-16T14:45:47+00:00

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC FORUMS IN RIGA

CONFERENCE IN UKRAINIAN STUDIES IN BELGRADE

2025-08-16T14:45:47+00:00

CONFERENCE IN UKRAINIAN STUDIES IN BELGRADE

"THE LEGACY OF ANCIENT ROME IN HISTORY AND LAW": A ROUND TABLE IN MEMORY OF PROFESSOR SIMEON ANGELOV

2025-09-21T12:12:13+00:00

"THE LEGACY OF ANCIENT ROME IN HISTORY AND LAW": A ROUND TABLE IN MEMORY OF PROFESSOR SIMEON ANGELOV

NATIONAL CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION (HYBRID FORMAT) „MINORITIES AND MINORITY GROUPS – CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATION WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM”

2025-08-16T14:45:48+00:00

NATIONAL CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION (HYBRID FORMAT) „MINORITIES AND MINORITY GROUPS – CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATION WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM”

DMYTRO VLASOVYCH STEPOVYK (1938 – 2024)

2025-08-16T14:45:49+00:00

DMYTRO VLASOVYCH STEPOVYK (1938 – 2024)

NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH CHERVENKOV (02. 01. 1948 – 01. 07. 2025)

2025-08-16T14:45:49+00:00

NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH CHERVENKOV (02. 01. 1948 – 01. 07. 2025)