The paper addresses the beginning of brandy distillation in the Ottoman Bal-kan, the transfer of ... more The paper addresses the beginning of brandy distillation in the Ottoman Bal-kan, the transfer of technology, commerce and taxation, as well as patterns of consumption. Those patterns include rules of alcohol production, distribution and use according to religion , class and gender, i.e. restrictions and their transgressions. Linguistic, documentary and narrative sources are deployed in building a multifaceted picture. Production of various spirits , foremost plum brandy in the Ottoman Balkans, and the usage of alcohol drinks could be viewed as an area where private and public, official and clandestine, permitted and forbidden mixed and coexisted, and influenced Ottoman political and religious system.
in: Vlada Stanković (ed.), The Balkans and the Byzantine World before and after the Captures of Constantinople, 1204 and 1453, Lexington Books 2016, 978-1-4985-1325-8, str. 155–170., 2016
This paper presents narrative sources from the Balkans, in order to supplement and confirm the es... more This paper presents narrative sources from the Balkans, in order to supplement and confirm the established chronology of astronomical phenomena during the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Leaving aside the history of physics, this reconstruction is more about social and cultural history of this region. Chroniclers, known and anonymous, either copied these records from older authors or they wrote as eyewitnesses of the sky events. The effort is made to contextualize them into their cultural and social background, detecting the connections – historical, empirical, conceptual, theoretical, symbolic, and experiential, between the natural phenomena they witnessed and described, and their living and working circumstances. Without the wide use of the printing press, the data from these manuscripts were seeded much slower than in the rest of Europe, and while the impact of the observed phenomena remains largely unknown, comparison of sentiments with the European contemporaries is possible.
The aim of this paper is to present a selected ensemble of narrative and documentary sources – di... more The aim of this paper is to present a selected ensemble of narrative and documentary sources – diaries, memoirs, chronicles, travelogues, business letters, and one confidential report – in order to pursue a sort of polyphonic path in historical research. Connecting these histories, i.e. personal stories from different, at times confronting, yet overlapping Kulturkreisen, shows a less visible web of liaisons between people. They belonged to different social strata – bellatores, oratores, nobility and the emerging third class of entrepreneurs , and stemmed from Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim religious and cultural environments. Differences in their educational, professional or cultural backgrounds seem to diminish while their interconnectedness, in the space of Southeastern Europe, comes to the fore.
The aim of this paper is to re-examine the charter
which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued i... more The aim of this paper is to re-examine the charter which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued in 1399 to the Commune of Dubrovnik (Ragusa). This donation concerned a narrow strip of coastal area connecting the isthmus of Ston (Punta Stagno, Pelješac) and Astarea. This was soon followed by a detailed survey of Terre Nove (Primorje) conducted by the Ragusan commission. The paper reconsiders the perceptions, attitudes and values of Nature, natural environment and resources in both societies based on these and other available documents, questioning the origin of the observed differences, according to the modern environmental history narratives.
... Home > PASSAROWITZ > 3. Supplementary Content for The Peace of Passarowitz, 171... more ... Home > PASSAROWITZ > 3. Supplementary Content for The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718. Title. Marsigli's Itineraries in South-Eastern Europe 1683-1700. Authors. Jelena Mrgić. Parent Publication. The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718. Date of this Version. 2011. ...
Paper is a brief overview of development of the Danube River cartography (pp. 217-224, in Serbian... more Paper is a brief overview of development of the Danube River cartography (pp. 217-224, in Serbian), then presents a cartographic bibliography (pp. 225-258), with short English summary (pp. 259-260).
Variations in the agricultural production of cereals and grapes observed in sixteenth century Ott... more Variations in the agricultural production of cereals and grapes observed in sixteenth century Ottoman tax registers of Northern Bosnia could be ascribed to changes provoked, among other causes, by climatic variability during the early phase of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (ca 1550–1650). Comparative analysis with other well-studied European regions is conducted within the general frame of the socio-cultural context of climate and other impacts on a pre-industrial society. Secondly, a significant cultural change is evaluated: the beginning of rakı (brandy or Brandtwein) production and consumption in the Central Balkans. This change is first recorded in Bosnia and Serbia in the late sixteenth century, at the same time as wine-growing began to diminish, and by the nineteenth century rakı had replaced the popular consumption of wine. The results of the historical analysis show which adaptive strategies farmers in Ottoman Bosnia applied as they faced the challenges of climate deterioration and harvest failures, as well as those of war, famine and epidemics. The survival strategies included crop pattern changes, abandonment of viticulture, intensification of pig rearing and itinerant trade and population migrations, which all correspond well to the situation observed in other European states and the Ottoman Empire. The study aims to increase the historical knowledge of a marginalised region whose environmental history has not yet been brought under closer investigation.
STUDY OF “CENTRAL PLACES” IN THE HISTORICAL
GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS
AND ... more STUDY OF “CENTRAL PLACES” IN THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS AND POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE NEW METHODOLOGY The paper aims to further promote the historical-geographical studies of urban centers in the medieval Balkans, by highlighting the results achieved by Johannes Koder in the field of Byzantine studies, and pointing out further possibilities of applying his research methodology. In his numerous works, Koder both improved the methodology of historical geography, and in practice, conducting the project Tabula Imperii Byzantini (TIB) for over four decades proves how it is possible to enlarge our knowledge of medieval social and cultural landscapes. Those works for me were the ‘gate’ to obtain a proper insight into this particular scientific discipline and showed me the prospects of yielding new results in the field of my own research — medieval Bosnia. By applying his methodology of combining various historical sources (narrative, diplomatic, travelogues, topographical, cartographical etc.) with certain theoretical concepts, such as von Thunen’s location theory and ‘central place theory’, it was possible both to establish a much denser urban settlement network in the regions of Western and Northern medieval Bosnia, as well as to analyze correlations between the city and its agrarian hinterland, with or without the centers with a lesser impact, i.e. lower hierarchical level. Therefore, there are numerous future prospects of improving the research methodology of urban studies in medieval Serbia, together with more extensive archaeological research.
This paper presents the wider socio-cultural context
of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the p... more This paper presents the wider socio-cultural context of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the public misbehaviour of Persida Stefanović, wife of the high-ranking Serbian statesman Stefan Stefanović-Tenka. Following correspondence preserved between the husband, Stefan, Belgrade municipal authorities, and several physicians, it is possible to determine both the nature of Persida’s mental illness and to observe the mechanisms of private and public conduct. As much as these documents speak of medical treatment of illness, they also testify to public morals and system of values in nineteenth-century Belgrade.
The paper addresses the beginning of brandy distillation in the Ottoman Bal-kan, the transfer of ... more The paper addresses the beginning of brandy distillation in the Ottoman Bal-kan, the transfer of technology, commerce and taxation, as well as patterns of consumption. Those patterns include rules of alcohol production, distribution and use according to religion , class and gender, i.e. restrictions and their transgressions. Linguistic, documentary and narrative sources are deployed in building a multifaceted picture. Production of various spirits , foremost plum brandy in the Ottoman Balkans, and the usage of alcohol drinks could be viewed as an area where private and public, official and clandestine, permitted and forbidden mixed and coexisted, and influenced Ottoman political and religious system.
in: Vlada Stanković (ed.), The Balkans and the Byzantine World before and after the Captures of Constantinople, 1204 and 1453, Lexington Books 2016, 978-1-4985-1325-8, str. 155–170., 2016
This paper presents narrative sources from the Balkans, in order to supplement and confirm the es... more This paper presents narrative sources from the Balkans, in order to supplement and confirm the established chronology of astronomical phenomena during the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Leaving aside the history of physics, this reconstruction is more about social and cultural history of this region. Chroniclers, known and anonymous, either copied these records from older authors or they wrote as eyewitnesses of the sky events. The effort is made to contextualize them into their cultural and social background, detecting the connections – historical, empirical, conceptual, theoretical, symbolic, and experiential, between the natural phenomena they witnessed and described, and their living and working circumstances. Without the wide use of the printing press, the data from these manuscripts were seeded much slower than in the rest of Europe, and while the impact of the observed phenomena remains largely unknown, comparison of sentiments with the European contemporaries is possible.
The aim of this paper is to present a selected ensemble of narrative and documentary sources – di... more The aim of this paper is to present a selected ensemble of narrative and documentary sources – diaries, memoirs, chronicles, travelogues, business letters, and one confidential report – in order to pursue a sort of polyphonic path in historical research. Connecting these histories, i.e. personal stories from different, at times confronting, yet overlapping Kulturkreisen, shows a less visible web of liaisons between people. They belonged to different social strata – bellatores, oratores, nobility and the emerging third class of entrepreneurs , and stemmed from Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim religious and cultural environments. Differences in their educational, professional or cultural backgrounds seem to diminish while their interconnectedness, in the space of Southeastern Europe, comes to the fore.
The aim of this paper is to re-examine the charter
which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued i... more The aim of this paper is to re-examine the charter which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued in 1399 to the Commune of Dubrovnik (Ragusa). This donation concerned a narrow strip of coastal area connecting the isthmus of Ston (Punta Stagno, Pelješac) and Astarea. This was soon followed by a detailed survey of Terre Nove (Primorje) conducted by the Ragusan commission. The paper reconsiders the perceptions, attitudes and values of Nature, natural environment and resources in both societies based on these and other available documents, questioning the origin of the observed differences, according to the modern environmental history narratives.
... Home > PASSAROWITZ > 3. Supplementary Content for The Peace of Passarowitz, 171... more ... Home > PASSAROWITZ > 3. Supplementary Content for The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718. Title. Marsigli's Itineraries in South-Eastern Europe 1683-1700. Authors. Jelena Mrgić. Parent Publication. The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718. Date of this Version. 2011. ...
Paper is a brief overview of development of the Danube River cartography (pp. 217-224, in Serbian... more Paper is a brief overview of development of the Danube River cartography (pp. 217-224, in Serbian), then presents a cartographic bibliography (pp. 225-258), with short English summary (pp. 259-260).
Variations in the agricultural production of cereals and grapes observed in sixteenth century Ott... more Variations in the agricultural production of cereals and grapes observed in sixteenth century Ottoman tax registers of Northern Bosnia could be ascribed to changes provoked, among other causes, by climatic variability during the early phase of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (ca 1550–1650). Comparative analysis with other well-studied European regions is conducted within the general frame of the socio-cultural context of climate and other impacts on a pre-industrial society. Secondly, a significant cultural change is evaluated: the beginning of rakı (brandy or Brandtwein) production and consumption in the Central Balkans. This change is first recorded in Bosnia and Serbia in the late sixteenth century, at the same time as wine-growing began to diminish, and by the nineteenth century rakı had replaced the popular consumption of wine. The results of the historical analysis show which adaptive strategies farmers in Ottoman Bosnia applied as they faced the challenges of climate deterioration and harvest failures, as well as those of war, famine and epidemics. The survival strategies included crop pattern changes, abandonment of viticulture, intensification of pig rearing and itinerant trade and population migrations, which all correspond well to the situation observed in other European states and the Ottoman Empire. The study aims to increase the historical knowledge of a marginalised region whose environmental history has not yet been brought under closer investigation.
STUDY OF “CENTRAL PLACES” IN THE HISTORICAL
GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS
AND ... more STUDY OF “CENTRAL PLACES” IN THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS AND POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE NEW METHODOLOGY The paper aims to further promote the historical-geographical studies of urban centers in the medieval Balkans, by highlighting the results achieved by Johannes Koder in the field of Byzantine studies, and pointing out further possibilities of applying his research methodology. In his numerous works, Koder both improved the methodology of historical geography, and in practice, conducting the project Tabula Imperii Byzantini (TIB) for over four decades proves how it is possible to enlarge our knowledge of medieval social and cultural landscapes. Those works for me were the ‘gate’ to obtain a proper insight into this particular scientific discipline and showed me the prospects of yielding new results in the field of my own research — medieval Bosnia. By applying his methodology of combining various historical sources (narrative, diplomatic, travelogues, topographical, cartographical etc.) with certain theoretical concepts, such as von Thunen’s location theory and ‘central place theory’, it was possible both to establish a much denser urban settlement network in the regions of Western and Northern medieval Bosnia, as well as to analyze correlations between the city and its agrarian hinterland, with or without the centers with a lesser impact, i.e. lower hierarchical level. Therefore, there are numerous future prospects of improving the research methodology of urban studies in medieval Serbia, together with more extensive archaeological research.
This paper presents the wider socio-cultural context
of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the p... more This paper presents the wider socio-cultural context of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the public misbehaviour of Persida Stefanović, wife of the high-ranking Serbian statesman Stefan Stefanović-Tenka. Following correspondence preserved between the husband, Stefan, Belgrade municipal authorities, and several physicians, it is possible to determine both the nature of Persida’s mental illness and to observe the mechanisms of private and public conduct. As much as these documents speak of medical treatment of illness, they also testify to public morals and system of values in nineteenth-century Belgrade.
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which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued in
1399 to the Commune of Dubrovnik (Ragusa).
This donation concerned a narrow strip of coastal
area connecting the isthmus of Ston (Punta
Stagno, Pelješac) and Astarea. This was soon
followed by a detailed survey of Terre Nove (Primorje)
conducted by the Ragusan commission.
The paper reconsiders the perceptions, attitudes
and values of Nature, natural environment and
resources in both societies based on these and
other available documents, questioning the
origin of the observed differences, according
to the modern environmental history narratives.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS
AND POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE NEW METHODOLOGY
The paper aims to further promote the historical-geographical studies of urban
centers in the medieval Balkans, by highlighting the results achieved by
Johannes Koder in the field of Byzantine studies, and pointing out further possibilities of applying his research methodology. In his numerous works, Koder both improved the methodology of historical geography, and in practice, conducting the project Tabula Imperii Byzantini (TIB) for over four decades proves how it is possible to enlarge our knowledge of medieval social and cultural landscapes.
Those works for me were the ‘gate’ to obtain a proper insight into this particular scientific discipline and showed me the prospects of yielding new results in the field of my own research — medieval Bosnia. By applying his methodology of combining various historical sources (narrative, diplomatic, travelogues, topographical, cartographical etc.) with certain theoretical concepts, such as von Thunen’s location theory and ‘central place theory’, it was possible both to establish a much denser urban settlement network in the regions of Western and Northern medieval Bosnia, as well as to analyze correlations between the city and its agrarian hinterland, with or without the centers with a lesser impact, i.e. lower hierarchical level. Therefore, there are numerous future prospects of improving the research methodology of urban studies in medieval Serbia, together with more extensive
archaeological research.
of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the public misbehaviour
of Persida Stefanović, wife of the high-ranking
Serbian statesman Stefan Stefanović-Tenka. Following correspondence
preserved between the husband, Stefan, Belgrade
municipal authorities, and several physicians, it is possible to
determine both the nature of Persida’s mental illness and to
observe the mechanisms of private and public conduct. As
much as these documents speak of medical treatment of illness,
they also testify to public morals and system of values
in nineteenth-century Belgrade.
which the Bosnian king Stephen Ostoja issued in
1399 to the Commune of Dubrovnik (Ragusa).
This donation concerned a narrow strip of coastal
area connecting the isthmus of Ston (Punta
Stagno, Pelješac) and Astarea. This was soon
followed by a detailed survey of Terre Nove (Primorje)
conducted by the Ragusan commission.
The paper reconsiders the perceptions, attitudes
and values of Nature, natural environment and
resources in both societies based on these and
other available documents, questioning the
origin of the observed differences, according
to the modern environmental history narratives.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE BALKANS
AND POSSIBILITIES OF APPLYING THE NEW METHODOLOGY
The paper aims to further promote the historical-geographical studies of urban
centers in the medieval Balkans, by highlighting the results achieved by
Johannes Koder in the field of Byzantine studies, and pointing out further possibilities of applying his research methodology. In his numerous works, Koder both improved the methodology of historical geography, and in practice, conducting the project Tabula Imperii Byzantini (TIB) for over four decades proves how it is possible to enlarge our knowledge of medieval social and cultural landscapes.
Those works for me were the ‘gate’ to obtain a proper insight into this particular scientific discipline and showed me the prospects of yielding new results in the field of my own research — medieval Bosnia. By applying his methodology of combining various historical sources (narrative, diplomatic, travelogues, topographical, cartographical etc.) with certain theoretical concepts, such as von Thunen’s location theory and ‘central place theory’, it was possible both to establish a much denser urban settlement network in the regions of Western and Northern medieval Bosnia, as well as to analyze correlations between the city and its agrarian hinterland, with or without the centers with a lesser impact, i.e. lower hierarchical level. Therefore, there are numerous future prospects of improving the research methodology of urban studies in medieval Serbia, together with more extensive
archaeological research.
of a scandal in Belgrade, arising from the public misbehaviour
of Persida Stefanović, wife of the high-ranking
Serbian statesman Stefan Stefanović-Tenka. Following correspondence
preserved between the husband, Stefan, Belgrade
municipal authorities, and several physicians, it is possible to
determine both the nature of Persida’s mental illness and to
observe the mechanisms of private and public conduct. As
much as these documents speak of medical treatment of illness,
they also testify to public morals and system of values
in nineteenth-century Belgrade.