In this episode, we focus in on the subregion of Bohemia, surrounded by the Sudetan mountains. We will summarize the early growth of its societies, specifically focusing on the period following the dissolution of Great Moravia and consolidation of the Bohemian Basin under the first Christian Přemyslid Dukes in the 10th century. Through their stories, we aim to learn how Bohemia was able to be consolidated into a strong and autonomous power for centuries to come, and what models will come to be applied to the other growing powers of Inner Europe.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Berend, Nora. Urbanczyk, Przemyslaw. Wiszewski, Przemyslaw. Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland, C.900-C.1300. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Davies, Norman. Moorhouse, Roger. Microcosm: A Portrait of a Central European City. Jonathan Cape, 2002.

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

In this series, we introduce finally the stories of the native-led conversions of the influential dyansties of eastern Inner Europe, namely, the Přemyslids of Bohemia, the Piasts of Poland, and the Arpads of Hungary. With them will come the "birth" of their unique societies and written histories. To set up these stories in this introduction, we summarize a few of the important parallels in worldview between the traditional beliefs of Inner Europe and 10th century Catholic Christianity, which help to explain why these rulers underwent such sweeping change, and why this change was largely successful.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

Berend, Nora. Urbanczyk, Przemyslaw. Wiszewski, Przemyslaw. Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland, C.900-C.1300. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.

In this episode, we focus once more on the southern frontier of Inner Europe, to see the bloody resolution of conflict between the First Bulgarian Empire and a revived Byzantium. This includes the rule of the tsar Peter I, but also the unexpected rise of the Cometopuli, led by the ambitious and talented conqueror and later Tsar Samuel. We will also discuss Byzantine administration during this time, the "Byzantine Golden Era", and how it was adapted for rule in the Balkans, and what influences it would begin to show within Inner Europe.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.

Krsmanovic, Bojana. The Byzantine Province in Change (On the Threshold Between the 10th and the 1th Century). Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Byzantine Studies, 2008.

Moravcsik, Gyula. The Role of the Byzantine Church in Medieval Hungary. Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 1947.

Heath, Ian. McBride, Angus. Byzantine Armies 886-1118. Osprey Publishing, 1979.

Schwerpunkt, Basil II Porphyrogenitus. Youtube.com, 2023.

Apostolic Majesty, The Byzantine Golden Age. Youtube.com, 2021.