Chronica

Friedrich Hirth (1845-1927) zwischen Sachsen, China und New York

2026-04-09T08:04:45+02:00

Friedrich Hirth was an active German Sinologist in the second half of 19th Century. He raised some influential hypotheses concerning the history of Central Asia, e.g. Ashide Yuanzhen and Tonyukuk could be the same person, which made the worldwide Turkologists debate with each other for more than a century. This paper is going to analyse the intellectual genealogy of Hirth, and reveal the fact that his methodology in researching can be traced back to the great French Sinologist Joseph De Guignes (1721-1800), who had proposed many theories by building connections between ethnic groups in the European horizon with those in the Oriental literature, such as Xiongnu, Rouran and Tujue with Huns, Avars and Turks.

Mongol Military Strategies Regarding the Campaign against the Hungarian Kingdom

2026-04-09T08:36:43+02:00

The focus of the study is the Mongol diplomatic and military tactics during the invasion of the Hungarian Kingdom in 1241–1242. The Mongols formed a characteristic art of war in the campaigns of the first half of the 13th century. The general elements of Mongol warfare and their military strategies and tactics can be identified in the campaign against the Hungarian Kingdom. Those elements are discussed in this paper.

The mission of Cyril and Methodius and the Duchy of Priwina and Kocel

2026-04-09T08:48:59+02:00

This study intends to present the aims of the Moravian mission (863), the establishing of Methodius’s Pannonian and Moravian archdiocese, and its relations with the Pannonian duchy of Priwina and Kocel. The history of Methodius’s evangelization mission is in striking contradiction with the point of view of Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum (CBC, A. D. 870), which describes the activity of the Salzburg archbishopric in Carantania and Pannonia. Salzburg’s mission territory extended on the territory of Carantania, which can be proven by contemporary sources, but, against Methodius, the author of the CBC tries to prove its Pannonian rights of Salzburg as well. It was definitely necessary, because of the canonical basis of Salzburg’s church organizing activities in the Pannonian duchy was strongly doubtful. Therefore the author, after their same Slavic name variant, Blatenski Grad, arbitrarily called also the center of Priwina and Kocel’s Pannonian duchy as Mosaburg, which name was actually the German name version of Arnulf’s important court in Carantania (now Moosburg). The settlements were placed in Pannonia by the CBC, in fact they can be found in Carniola and Carantania. After the death of Duke Kocel, the Pannonian duchy came under the control of Duke Braslav in 896, to defend the Bavarian Pannonia from the conqueror Hungarians. After that, in 907, this fortress, under its new name Brezalauspurc/Braslavespurch may have been the site of the decisive battle between the Bavarians and the Hungarians for the control of the Middle Danube Basin.

Spatial extension of viticulture in Hungary between 1301 and 1325

2026-04-09T09:07:07+02:00

Viticulture was the dominant branch of Hungarian agriculture in the early Angevin era. Its territorial growth is indicated by the increasing number of data available on vine turnover, vineyard renewals and new plantings. In the 14th century, vineyards already enjoyed a special legal status which was based on freedom of disposal. This new form of tenure and the leasehold allowed a wide section of society to become involved in the cultivation of vines.
The study is based on a database compiled from the sources, which aims to provide quantitative data on vine cultivation in the early 14th century as well as on the territorial distribution of the estates. The primary focus of the research is to describe the delimitation of the major vine-growing areas, the social strata involved in cultivation and the ecological conditions necessary for successful production.

Ideologies and villas

2026-04-09T09:25:19+02:00

In this paper, I examine how the ancient Latin concepts of otium (leisure, recreation) and villa were constructed from ideological and lifestyle constructs in the late republic. In the analysis, I contrast the conceptions of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus with the ideas of the contemporary Cicero and Varro. It can be shown that Philodemus, in his ideas on property management and estate administration, incorporated ideas appropriate to the wealthy Roman landowners. And prominent members of the Hellenistic-learned Roman social and cultural elite, such as Cicero and Varro, not only knew this rate of living, but also sought to put the otium and one of its depositories, the countryside-villa, at the service of self-education and sophisticated management, especially in the literary sources that have come down to us.

The importance of Grigory Teplov's report from the perspective of the Ukrainian Hetmanate

2026-04-09T09:31:49+02:00

The primary focus of this study is to present an analysis of the conditions prevailing in the Ukrainian Hetmanate during the 18th century, based on the report by Grigory Nikolayevich Teplov. Given his role as an official in the Collegium of Little Russia, Teplov possessed extensive insights into Ukrainian affairs, lending authenticity to his work. The historical value of the Teplov report lies primarily in its unique ability to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Ukrainian Hetmanate's conditions during the 18th century. Thus, the objective of this study is to offer a detailed description of the major sources of problems within the Ukrainian Hetmanate highlighted in Teplov's report. Additionally, it aims to describe the principal economic and social issues that arose in the Ukrainian Hetmanate during the latter half of the 18th century. Finally, this study intends to explore the motivations behind Grigory Nikolayevich Teplov's report prepared for the tsarist government, which present intriguing aspects worthy of consideration.

Christian Tradition and the State – the Metamorphoses of the National Holiday of St. Stephen

2026-04-09T10:08:41+02:00

St Stephen's Day, the day of the founding of the state, is one of Hungary's 3 national holidays. It is celebrated on 20 August and, according to Article J of the Constitution of Hungary, commemorates the founding of the state and the historical life of King Stephen. It is currently the only official state holiday. This paper examines the feast of St. Stephen in the light of historical narrative and commemoration. The brief outlines the history of the feast and reviews the historical versions of the commemoration.