East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic
type: channel
description: Since 2009, the research group Memoria Hungariae of the Institute of History of the University of Debrecen has been working on the organisation of international conferences on the history of Central Europe, the publication of volumes of studies, and the integration of the group into international research processes, thus examining the place and image of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary from a European perspective. The journal was launched after the publication in 2023 of Zwischen Ostsee und Adria then, in 2024 Zwischen Ostsee und Adria II, and in which the contemplative lives on: studies on the medieval and early modern history of Central Europe by Hungarian and foreign scholars are published in foreign languages. The international editorial board brings together the universities of Debrecen, Würzburg, Hamburg and Toruń. One issue per year is published.
publisher: University of Debrecen Faculty of Humanities
language: en
publication name: East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic
issn: 3058-0501
copyright: All articles submitted to East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic will be published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC-4.0).
items: Dániel, Bihari, A Tatárjárás - Magyarország élet-halál harca (The Mongol Invasion: Hungary’s Struggle for Survival) Budapest, Mandiner Kiadó, 2025. ISBN 978-963-341-306-7
items: https://ojs.lib.unideb.hu/eastcentraleurope/article/view/17143
items: The III. Bálint Alajos International Conference
items: The Relationship Between Central Europe and the Low Countries from the Middle Ages to the Present Day Conference
items: Beyond the Western Metropolis: A Research Agenda for the Spatial History of Urban Crime in Budapest throughout the “Long” Twentieth Century
items: Arbeitnehmer der Niederländischen Ost-Indien Kompanie (1602–1799) aus dem Königreich Ungarn
items: “Igni ferroque”. Shaping Early Modern Ukraine History Through Lens of Armenian Sources
items: Further Additions to the Export of Wines from the Upper Tisza Region (Mostly Tokaj-Hegyalja) to Krakow (1586–1605)
items: The Wagenburg-warfare in the Army of King Matthias
items: The Ethnic and Social Background of the Military in Szeben (Sibiu) and Brassó (Brașov) during the Second Half of the Fifteenth and First Half of the Sixteenth Centuries
items: Contributions to the Venetian-Hungarian Alliance and Anti-Ottoman War of 1501–1503
items: The Role of Gifts in the Diplomatic Relations between Sigismund of Luxemburg and the Teutonic Order
items: The Turul and the White Eagles King Andrew II of Hungary and his Polish Relatives
items: Political, Cultural, Religious and Economic Transformations in the 15th and 16th Centuries
items: Báthori family and Mohács and the History of Nyírbátor from 1279 to 1847
items: https://ojs.lib.unideb.hu/eastcentraleurope/article/view/16366
items: Quellenerschließungsarbeiten am Beispiel des Herzoglich Preußischen Briefarchivs (HBA)
items: Wirtschaftliche Ungleichheit oder ausgewogene Beziehungen. Das Königreich Ungarn im europäischen Wirtschaftssystem
items: Some Notes on the Putsch Map (“Europa Regina”) and Its Depiction of Southeastern Europe
items: Europäische und ungarische Peregrinatio academica im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert
items: Balancing between Loyalties The Teutonic Order Bailiwick of Utrecht and the Formation of the Dutch State, 1528–1648
items: The Papal State and the Birth of the Modern Fortress: Innovation in Military Construction between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period
items: Bauernkrieg in Franken 1525Grundzüge – Begriffe – Ressourcen
items: Ein böhmischer Ritter an der Epochenwende: Peter Doudlebský von Doudleby (* vor 1492, † 1550)
items: Under the Shadow of Vendetta: Decision-making Situations in the Story of Anselmo and Angelica
items: The Last Year of the Hospitallers’ Rule on Rhodes
items: A Strange Year: 1513 viewed from the East
items: Diplomacy at the Time of the Breakthrough. Correspondence of King John I Albrecht (Jan Olbracht) with the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order
items: Distancing or Breaking? The Relation of the Hungarian Hospitaller Priory to the Central Convent of the Order in the late Middle Ages
items: On the Manifold Identities of John Corvinus

Dániel, Bihari, A Tatárjárás - Magyarország élet-halál harca (The Mongol Invasion: Hungary’s Struggle for Survival) Budapest, Mandiner Kiadó, 2025. ISBN 978-963-341-306-7
type: item
description: Nearly eight centuries ago, the Kingdom of Hungary experienced the most devastating catastrophe in its history up to that point, when the Mongol Empire – the largest contiguous land empire ever to have existed – invaded the Carpathian Basin from multiple directions, defeated the royal army, and laid waste to a substantial portion of the country. In Hungarian historical discourse, the defeat at Muhi is regarded as commensurate with the tragedies of the Treaty of Trianon and the Battle of Mohács (it is even alluded to in the national anthem), and consequently a wide range of questions, assumptions, and misconceptions continue to surround it.
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Levente László Kiss
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 342
ending page: 347
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17144

https://ojs.lib.unideb.hu/eastcentraleurope/article/view/17143
type: item
title: András, Sófalvi, Homoródszentmárton templomvára. Esettanulmány az erdélyi templomerődítések történetéhez (The church-fortress of Mărtiniş. Case study on the history of church fortifications in Transylvania). Cluj-Napoca, Transylvanian Museum Society, 2025
description: As the author observes in the introduction, “historical Transylvania is the homeland of church fortresses.” In Székely Land and Saxon Transylvania, this distinctive form of communal self-defence became widespread during the Middle Ages and the early modern period in response to both external threats and internal conflicts. A considerable number of these fortified churches have survived, in varying states of preservation, and continue to attract scholarly attention owing to their imposing architectural presence.
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Adrienn Botha-Lőrincz
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 339
ending page: 342
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17143

The III. Bálint Alajos International Conference
type: item
description: The Third Bálint Alajos International Conference was held at the Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged between 1 and 3 December 2025. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for scholars working with museum collections to present their latest research findings. The organisers seek to enhance the international profile of the event and to strengthen professional networks, particularly with colleagues from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland; accordingly, the working languages of the conference were Hungarian and English.
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Zoltán Szolnoki
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 335
ending page: 338
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17142

The Relationship Between Central Europe and the Low Countries from the Middle Ages to the Present Day Conference
type: item
description: The conference entitled “The Relationship Between Central Europe and the Low Countries from the Middle Ages to the Present Day” was held on 6–7 March 2026 at the Sándor Karácsony Hall of the University of Debrecen. The event was organised by the Faculty of Humanities and the Research Group for Dutch–Hungarian Connections. It brought together scholars examining the historical interactions between Central Europe and the Low Countries from the medieval period to the present, with particular attention to key figures, events, and forms of exchange shaping both regions. The primary aim of the conference was to explore patterns of continuity, change, and interaction within these relationships.
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Emre Mirza Güney
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 331
ending page: 333
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17141

Beyond the Western Metropolis: A Research Agenda for the Spatial History of Urban Crime in Budapest throughout the “Long” Twentieth Century
type: item
description: This paper outlines a comprehensive research agenda for the spatial and social history of urban crime in Budapest from the city’s unification (1873) to the end of the communist regime (1989). While historical criminology has extensively analyzed the metropolises of Western Europe and North America, the distinct urbanization trajectories and spatial dynamics of deviance in East-Central Europe remain largely underexplored. Moving beyond traditional political and state-centric narratives, this study proposes a robust theoretical and methodological framework to investigate the localized realities of both the organized “underworld” and everyday criminality. Central to this agenda is a four-factor localization model that systematically analyzes the crime scene, the residence and origin of offenders, and the spatial attachments of victims. By integrating quantitative official records with qualitative egodocuments and media representations, the proposed framework captures the lived experience of urban space. Furthermore, it highlights how macro-historical crises fundamentally reshaped the geography of metropolitan crime.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Róbert Kerepeszki
creator: Roland Perényi
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 315
ending page: 330
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17140

Arbeitnehmer der Niederländischen Ost-Indien Kompanie (1602–1799) aus dem Königreich Ungarn
type: item
description: The Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), a colossal enterprise for its time, employed a vast number of workers. The problem, however, was that two-thirds of the people died either during the journey or shortly after arriving in Asia. Scurvy, starvation, shipwrecks, clashes with the indigenous population, or with rival Spanish or Portuguese competitors were the usual causes of the high mortality rate. The loss of life on the outward journey alone was 15–20%. Upon arrival in Java, tropical diseases – particularly the dreaded malaria, typhus and dysentery – awaited the survivors. The VOC therefore constantly needed a fresh supply of a significant number of people to replace the workers who had died. Even in the seventeenth century, the Netherlands was a small country with a population of just 1.5 million. In the seventeenth century, the VOC had approximately 30 000 employees, of whom around 25 000 were in Asia. It soon became clear that, with such a small population, the Netherlands could not meet the VOC’s long-term staffing requirements. The labour shortage forced the directors of the trading company to recruit workers not only in the Netherlands but also abroad. In this article, I examine VOC workers from the Kingdom of Hungary. From the preliminary inventory, we can therefore conclude that they mostly (87%) held the lowest-ranking positions in the Dutch company and served for an average of six years. Just under 21% of the Hungarians survived the tropical adventure, and only 17% were able to return to Europe. It must be noted that most of them were assigned to lower-ranking positions. They had no formal education, so they were confined to poorly paid jobs (sailor, soldier). They were largely left to fend for themselves, and their mortality rate was much higher than that of the average VOC employee.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Gábor Pusztai
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 237
ending page: 314
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17139

“Igni ferroque”. Shaping Early Modern Ukraine History Through Lens of Armenian Sources
type: item
description: Early Modern Era historical sources, dating back to sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, are crucial for understanding the dynamics of narrative changes between the late Middle Ages and Enlightenment period. Perceived through various lens, they determine (by means of interpretation of myths and symbols) our perception of history till today. This paper could be understood as an attempt to narrate history in a variety of ways inextricably linked to continuous present. The article based on textual analysis of Early Modern Armenian chronicles and colophons originating from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita) should help us to better understand the multifaceted phenomenon of “Orient” and “Europe” constructions, especially the concept of frontier Orientalism as well as antemurale myth. Analysed sources offer a glimpse into interpretive “reading” the history of Black Sea region and neighbouring areas from multiple perspectives – through lens of Armenian chroniclers.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Petra Košťálová
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 217
ending page: 236
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17138

Further Additions to the Export of Wines from the Upper Tisza Region (Mostly Tokaj-Hegyalja) to Krakow (1586–1605)
type: item
description: During the early modern period in Poland, wine was quite fashionable among both the nobility and the common people, despite the unsuitable climatic conditions for domestic production. Wine had to be imported from abroad. Sources indicate that wine from Hungary, Austria, the Rhine region, Bohemia, Moravia, Romania, Spain, and France, as well as Greek Malvasia, Dalmatian Rivoli, and Venetian Muscat, was already being imported here in the Middle Ages. However, the Polish wine market was almost entirely dominated by Hungarian wines. While the primary sources on the history of the wine trade – the national customs and tax records – were destroyed in both Hungary and Poland; secondary municipal sources survived, and it is in Kraków that they are found in the greatest abundance. These are still accessible today and are excellent for research purposes. Based on customs, wine tax, and cellar records from Kraków, this study examines the wines from the Upper Tisza region (primarily Tokaj-Hegyalja) that generated the highest volume of trade, specifically covering the twenty-year period between 1586 and 1605.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Bálint Vinkler
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 111
ending page: 216
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17137

The Wagenburg-warfare in the Army of King Matthias
type: item
description: This article re-examines the adoption of Hussite Wagenburg-warfare in the army of King Matthias of Hungary. While Hungarian historiography traditionally assumes the transfer of both war wagons and their associated tactical system, this study argues that only the device, not the method, was adopted. By analysing key engagements from the eras of John Hunyadi and Matthias – including the Battle of Varna (1444), Kosovo Polje (1448), Baia (1467), and the Breslau campaign (1474) – it demonstrates that wagon forts consistently played a secondary, primarily defensive role. Rather than functioning as an integrated tactical framework, they served as mobile fortifications. The presence of experienced mercenary commanders further suggests that this limited adoption cannot be explained by a lack of technical knowledge.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Dominik Tóth
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 93
ending page: 110
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17136

The Ethnic and Social Background of the Military in Szeben (Sibiu) and Brassó (Brașov) during the Second Half of the Fifteenth and First Half of the Sixteenth Centuries
type: item
description: Transylvania was one of the most highly militarized regions of the late medieval Kingdom of Hungary. This study examines the military organization of two Transylvanian Saxon towns, Szeben and Brassó, as well as the ethnic and social composition of their urban military forces in the second half of the fifteenth and the first half of the sixteenth century. The findings indicate that the two towns employed different mobilization systems. Most soldiers were recruited from the local Saxon population, though Szekler and Wallachian individuals were also present. In both towns, a significant proportion of the soldiers were originally craftsmen.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: László Szokola
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 73
ending page: 92
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17135

Contributions to the Venetian-Hungarian Alliance and Anti-Ottoman War of 1501–1503
type: item
description: In my research, I examine the diplomatic relations between Venice and the Kingdom of Hungary during the Jagiellonian era. Through Venetian narrative sources, my study presents the anti-Ottoman war of 1501–1503, a period during which both parties were engaged in conflict against the Sultan. In my work, I devote particular attention to the writings of Girolamo Priuli, a diarist who is less known to the international scientific community. Hailing from a merchant family and working as a banker, Priuli was a member of the Venetian Great Council (Maggior Consiglio), which allowed him to receive first-hand information regarding the news influencing the state’s foreign policy. In his diaries, he made detailed and relatively accurate entries that contain a wealth of information concerning the Kingdom of Hungary. His eight-volume diary covers the period between 1494 and 1512, an exceptionally active era for both countries. In this study, I intend to present the diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Hungary and Venice through the accounts of Priuli and the well-known Marin Sanudo from 1500–1503. In this context, I will address the financial subsidies provided by the Republic to Vladislaus II for the maintenance of troops, as well as how the Venetians evaluated these Hungarian military operations. To this end, I will utilize source fragments that have hitherto escaped the attention of historical scholarship.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Csenge Tímár
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 59
ending page: 72
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17134

The Role of Gifts in the Diplomatic Relations between Sigismund of Luxemburg and the Teutonic Order
type: item
description: In the diplomatic relations between Sigismund of Luxembourg and the Teutonic Order, gifts of varying kinds and value played an important role, in line with contemporary European practice. Far more records survive concerning the gifts presented by the Order to the Hungarian and King of the Romans than those sent by Sigismund to the Grand Master. The Order’s gifts often conveyed symbolic political messages; by contrast, no such function can be clearly identified in Sigismund’s case. In its gift-giving practices, the Order also considered the potential political influence of wives and daughters at princely courts, and accordingly extended gifts to them. Given the Order’s monastic and ecclesiastical character, such a practice on Sigismund’s part is hardly conceivable. Particular attention should be paid to the Grand Master’s most prestigious gifts, namely trained hunting falcons, highly esteemed across Europe. These were distributed according to the rank of the recipients and the significance of political relations, with the number of birds serving as an indicator of status. Notably, the treasury accounts of the Grand Master record only one Hungarian gift deemed worthy of specific mention: Hungarian wine. Strikingly, the sources indicate that this “gift” was in fact purchased by the Order at considerable cost. As for other items Sigismund may have sent to Prussia, these can be inferred from the practices of other European rulers, typically consisting of objects compatible with the knights’ monastic lifestyle or of religious relics.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: László Pósán
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 37
ending page: 58
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17133

The Turul and the White Eagles King Andrew II of Hungary and his Polish Relatives
type: item
description: The research of the relations between certain rulers, territories or peoples can be considered as one of the classic topics of historiography in general and of Medieval Studies as well. The history of Polish–Hungarian contacts in the Middle Ages is no exception, several scientific and popular works have dealt with the relations of the Piasts and Árpáds, and their respective realms. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize, that we can only speak indirectly about international relations concerning the High Middle Ages, the personal contacts of the rulers and the dynastic ties established between the ruling families are of great importance when studying the various elements of the relations. This paper focuses on the analysis of certain episodes of the relations of the rulers of Poland and King Andrew II of Hungary (1205–1235) in the early thirteenth century. Family ties were of paramount importance in the case of the Hungarian king as well. This was particularly true given that during his reign matrimonial relations were reestablished between the Árpáds and the Piasts after a hiatus of nearly eighty years. In 1214, Andrew II made an agreement with the ruler of Cracow, Leszek the White, on the marriage of their children, Prince Coloman and Princess Salomea. However, the Hungarian king’s relations with Poland were not limited to the marriage of his second son. The relation between the brothers-in-law, Andrew II and Duke Henry I the Bearded of Silesia, or the case of Władysław Odonic of Greater Poland, and his hypothetical exile in Hungary are perhaps not among the most well-known episodes of this era, but they offer quite interesting details regarding the Polish-Hungarian relations.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Gábor Barabás
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-06-03
publication date: 2026-06-03
starting page: 9
ending page: 36
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2026/17132

Political, Cultural, Religious and Economic Transformations in the 15th and 16th Centuries
type: item
description: This conference delved into a significant period in European history: the transition from the medieval to the early modern era. The specific experiences of Hungary, Poland, Italy, the Baltic East, and the Balkans were profoundly shaped by their proximity to the expansionist Ottoman Empire and geographical location...
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Nicholas Paul Tayler
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 301
ending page: 305
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16368

Báthori family and Mohács and the History of Nyírbátor from 1279 to 1847
type: item
description: The Báthoris and Mohács conference and the book launch for The History of Nyírbátor from 1279 to 1847 were organized by the MNMKK MNM István Báthori Museum (Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Center – Hungarian National Museum István Báthori Museum), the Municipality of Nyírbátor, and the Circle of Friends of the Museum on 25 September...
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
creator: Gergő Németh
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 297
ending page: 300
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16367

https://ojs.lib.unideb.hu/eastcentraleurope/article/view/16366
type: item
title: Tünde, Árvai – Katona, Csete (eds.), Medievisztikai Vándorkonferencia. Tanulmányok 2. (Studia Mediaevalia Itinerantia). Debrecen, Debreceni Egyetem Történelmi és Néprajzi Doktori Iskola, 2025. ISBN: 9789634907244
description: Itinerantes... The conference of doctoral students conducting research on the Middle Ages travels from city to city, from university to university. The itinerary started in Szeged in 2023, then it moved to the doctoral school of the University of Debrecen. The second volume of the Studia mediaevalia itinerantia series, edited by Tünde Árvai and Csete Katona, contains 11 studies, nine in Hungarian and two in English. There is a growing expectation that the scholarly achievements of Hungarian researchers should be embedded in a broad international discourse. At the same time, it has become a basic requirement of most Hungarian doctoral schools that their doctoral students publish their results in foreign languages before their dissertations to be submitted for public defense. Sometimes this is justified by the choice of topic itself, and at times by the need for making Hungarian research results available for comparative European studies...
subject: Reviews and Reports
  topic: section
subject: Review
  topic: keywords
creator: Zsolt Hunyadi
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 293
ending page: 296
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16366

Quellenerschließungsarbeiten am Beispiel des Herzoglich Preußischen Briefarchivs (HBA)
type: item
description: The Ducal Prussian Letter Archive (HBA) can be compared in its historical significance to the Vatican Archives or the great dynastic archives of Europe. It represents the continuation of the Order’s Letter Archive (OBA). Like its predecessor, the HBA primarily preserves unbound records. Charters are rarely to be found among these holdings; instead, the collection largely consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence, financial accounts, reports, and so-called “news” (Zeitungen). Outgoing correspondence has often survived in the form of drafts, which are palaeographically demanding. Closely connected to the HBA is a series of books known as Registranden or letter-books, which contain copies of both incoming and outgoing correspondence. As these have generally been transmitted exclusively in written form, they can be of considerable value for archival research. The Registranden belong to the so-called “East Prussian Folios” (Ostpreußische Folianten, abbreviated Ostpr. Fol.), which continue chronologically after the “Order Folios” (Ordensfolianten, abbreviated OF). The HBA is organized into departments (A–K) according to geographical and thematic pertinence. These departments are subdivided numerically, alphanumerically, or by means of lowercase letters (e.g., A.1. or J.1b). With approximately 117 linear meters of material, Department A ranks among the most extensive sections of the HBA.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Ducal Prussian Letter Archive
  topic: keywords
subject: continuation of the Order’s Letter Archive
  topic: keywords
subject: letterbooks
  topic: keywords
subject: Registranden
  topic: keywords
creator: Dieter Heckmann
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 277
ending page: 290
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16365

Wirtschaftliche Ungleichheit oder ausgewogene Beziehungen. Das Königreich Ungarn im europäischen Wirtschaftssystem
type: item
description: The economic division of labour in Europe from the second half of the fifteenth century onwards is clearly visible. Western European historiography focuses primarily on the Atlantic region and Western Europe in its portrayal of the globalising economic system, while Central Europe is very often treated as peripheral. However, this cannot be confirmed by the relevant historical sources. The regions of the Carpathian Basin participated in the continental economic cycle mainly with raw materials, live animals and semi-finished products. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the early modern period, Central Europe and the Hungarian regions were indispensable partners of the Western European regions rather than vulnerable markets. The period from the second half of the fifteenth century to the first half of the seventeenth century was the last period of (early) modern history in which a more or less balanced system of relations still connected the regions above mentioned. This does not, of course, contradict the part of the classic centre-periphery model that states that the regions of Western and Central Europe had different production profiles from the fifteenth century onwards. While the former had a clear advantage in craft production, the latter concentrated mainly on agricultural products and mining raw materials. Nevertheless, it should be emphasised that in the first half of the early modern period, every region was still able to participate in multilateral trade with numerous goods that other regions needed. None of the regions became the exclusive consumer market for the other. Mutual dependence can be demonstrated in almost all bilateral interregional relationships.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Early modern period
  topic: keywords
subject: Economic History
  topic: keywords
subject: Kingdom of Hungary
  topic: keywords
subject: Central Europe
  topic: keywords
creator: Attila Tózsa-Rigó
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 261
ending page: 276
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16364

Some Notes on the Putsch Map (“Europa Regina”) and Its Depiction of Southeastern Europe
type: item
description: This paper examines a series of anthropomorphic maps depicting Europe in the form of a woman, now collectively referred to as Europa Regina. The first such map was created by Johannes Putsch of Innsbruck (1516–1542) as a visual accompaniment to his poem Europa Lamentans, dedicated to Archduke Ferdinand I of Habsburg and his brother, Charles V. The concept gained widespread popularity through adaptations of Putsch’s map, including a more detailed version by Matthias Quad and Johann Bussemacher, printed in Cologne in 1587, and two smaller, simplified versions featured in Heinrich Bünting’s Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae (1587) and Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia (1588). Previously, the earliest known version of Putsch’s map was thought to have been printed in Paris in 1537. However, in 2019, an earlier edition printed in 1534 – now kept in the Retz Museum in Lower Austria – was (re)discovered. Along with describing this map and the circumstances of its rediscovery, this presentation will examine the representation of the south-eastern regions of the European continent in Putsch’s map and its derivatives. It is suggested that Putsch, in addition to drawing from Ptolemaic geography, was probably familiar with Lázár Deák’s Tabula Hungariae (1528).
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Johann Putsch
  topic: keywords
subject: Europa Regina
  topic: keywords
subject: sixteenth century
  topic: keywords
subject: Renaissance Cartography
  topic: keywords
subject: Southeastern Europe
  topic: keywords
subject: Belgrade
  topic: keywords
creator: Aleksandar Uzelac
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 213
ending page: 228
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16363

Europäische und ungarische Peregrinatio academica im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert
type: item
description: This study explores the evolution of academic peregrination in Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a particular focus on students from the Kingdom of Hungary. It examines how the expansion of universities and the impact of the Reformation reshaped student mobility across the continent. In the fifteenth century, the rise of regional universities led to a decline in international student migration, although Italian institutions like Padua, Bologna, and Ferrara remained popular for legal and medical studies. Hungarian students, lacking domestic universities, pursued education abroad, primarily in Vienna and Krakow, and also in Italy and France. The sixteenth century brought significant changes due to confessional divisions. Protestant students increasingly attended newly founded or reformed institutions such as Wittenberg, Marburg, and Heidelberg, while Catholic students gravitated toward Jesuit-led universities like Graz, Dillingen, and Ingolstadt. Confessional loyalty influenced university choice, with restrictions imposed by rulers to ensure ideological conformity. Hungarian academic peregrination mirrored broader European trends. While Wittenberg became the leading destination for Hungarian Protestants, Vienna and Padua remained important centers for Catholic students. The study draws on extensive archival sources, including rectoral registers and academic databases (RAG, RAH), to trace student movements and institutional preferences. Ultimately, the research highlights how geopolitical, religious, and cultural factors shaped the academic journeys of Hungarian students within the dynamic landscape of early modern European higher education.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Peregrinatio academica
  topic: keywords
subject: Hungarian students
  topic: keywords
subject: University mobility
  topic: keywords
subject: Reformation
  topic: keywords
subject: Confessionalization
  topic: keywords
creator: Réka Bozzay
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 193
ending page: 212
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16362

Balancing between Loyalties The Teutonic Order Bailiwick of Utrecht and the Formation of the Dutch State, 1528–1648
type: item
description: During the Dutch Revolt, the Teutonic Order Bailiwick of Utrecht found itself caught between two fires: the rebels and the legitimate authority of the Spanish king, who had been sovereign of the Netherlands since Charles V expanded his Burgundian inheritance with a few territories and loosened the Burgundian Circle from the Holy Roman Empire, transferring it together with the Spanish possessions to his son Philip II. While at first the fiction was maintained that the battle was not against the king himself but against his evil advisers, with the abjuration of Philip II in 1581 that was over. The rebellious area became a republic of independent provinces, increasingly Calvinistic in character. From then on, the province of Utrecht had authority over the Bailiwick of Utrecht. This institution, under the leadership of the fiercely Catholic Land Commander Jacob Taets van Amerongen, resisted the push for Protestantization. He also remained loyal to the Habsburg Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and in 1594 he sent knights to Hungary to fight the Turks, whom the Dutch actually viewed as allies. This created a security problem for the new state. In 1615, the States of Utrecht decided that the next land commander and also new knights should be Protestant. In 1640, the Protestantization process was finished with the abolition of celibacy, which marked a break with the Grand Master. Henceforth, the Utrecht Teutonic knights were Protestant, mostly married nobles, who functioned as politicians or army officers in the Dutch Republic. This state was recognized at the Westphalian Peace in 1648, including by the Spanish king.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Teutonic Order
  topic: keywords
subject: Military Orders
  topic: keywords
subject: Nobility
  topic: keywords
subject: State formation processes
  topic: keywords
subject: Balance of Power
  topic: keywords
creator: Renger E. de Bruin
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 169
ending page: 192
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16361

The Papal State and the Birth of the Modern Fortress: Innovation in Military Construction between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period
type: item
description: Transformations from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries, particularly focusing on the emergence of the angular bastion trace. It argues that this “modern style” of fortification was not merely a response to advances in weaponry but a generative force that reshaped political communities, especially evident in the Papal States. Drawing on Paolo Prodi’s seminal work, the study highlights how these military innovations contributed to the Papal States becoming a prototype of the early modern State. The analysis traces the evolution of papal fortification policy from the mid-fourteenth century, examining initiatives under Cardinal Albornoz and subsequent popes, including significant projects like Rocca Pia and Matteo Nuti’s designs. The “Borgia moment” under Alexander VI is emphasized as a period of unprecedented quantitative and qualitative innovation, characterized by a centralized defensive network and cutting-edge architectural advancements, notably at Nettuno. The essay then details the continuity of this strategic vision under Julius II and Clement VII, despite periods of conflict, illustrating the ongoing integration of military infrastructure with broader state-building objectives. Finally, it notes that this intense period of design and construction preceded the formal codification of fortification treatises, underscoring a unique channel of knowledge transmission.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Bastioned Fortifications
  topic: keywords
subject: Papal State
  topic: keywords
subject: Military Innovation
  topic: keywords
subject: State building
  topic: keywords
creator: Giampiero Brunelli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 149
ending page: 167
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16360

Bauernkrieg in Franken 1525Grundzüge – Begriffe – Ressourcen
type: item
description: The term “Peasants’ War” generally refers to the events of 1524/25, when peasants and citizens in Switzerland, Upper Swabia, Württemberg, Austria, Tyrol, Thuringia, and Franconia dared to revolt against their feudal lords. The respective regional and local concerns played an important role that should not be neglected in a generalized account of the events, but there were also commonalities: a strong anti-clerical movement developed, particularly in areas where monasteries, abbeys, and other ecclesiastical landlords were strongly positioned. The lords’ control over the local and, in some cases, centuries-old special rights of peasants, citizens, and knights became stronger, and the conflicts with them became more intense. The mostly oral local laws of villages and noble lordships were pushed back in favor of the new written state law based on Roman law. The rebels operated in a diverse and fragmented landscape of various territorial rulers in Franconia, which made it difficult for them to take concerted action. This area is defined by a complex conglomerate of different rulers, towns, castles, and monasteries. Is this complexity of different rulers in a small region with open borders one of the causes of the uprising? Specifically, the following topics are addressed: Wine growing and vineyard workers, the deliberate destruction of vineyards, the ownership of mills, in general the natural resources and their use by humans, as well as the importance of the ‘community’ (gemein) in cities and towns, whose quartermasters had significant political influence in times of uncertainty. These would be intangible resources of social and political coexistence within the framework of city districts. This meant that conflicts in the Peasants’ War are focused on various natural, economic, social, and religious resources, which defined the respective scope for action, which took place in narrowly defined areas.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Peasants’ War 1525
  topic: keywords
subject: Wine
  topic: keywords
subject: winegrower
  topic: keywords
subject: quarter and quartermaster
  topic: keywords
subject: pastoral care
  topic: keywords
creator: Helmut Flachenecker
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 129
ending page: 148
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16359

Ein böhmischer Ritter an der Epochenwende: Peter Doudlebský von Doudleby (* vor 1492, † 1550)
type: item
description: The study is dedicated to the remarkable personality of Peter Doudlebský of Doudleby (b. before 1492, d. 1550). A member of a South Bohemian knightly family, he devoted his life to serving the Lords of Rosenberg. As their official, gradually rising to the top of the Rosenberg bureaucratic hierarchy, he was in constant contact with a large number of aristocrats and was also very well informed about events not only in the Kingdom of Bohemia, but also in other parts of the then known world. He used his contacts for generous lending. He multiplied his wealth by investing in loans, which he constantly expanded by using all available funds, including interest income. Doudlebský’s activities anticipated the behaviour of later financiers from the lower nobility, but at the same time his lifestyle also had some unusual features. He showed no interest in building up his own land holdings; on the contrary, he sold the estates he had inherited from his ancestors. Peter remained unmarried and childless, so he did not have to worry about providing for his descendants. He bequeathed only half of his estate to his relatives; the other half went to members of the last generation of the Rosenberg family, to whom he was personally attached. Thanks to the preserved inventories, it is possible to gain an insight into Peter’s household, the composition of which provides a number of insights into his personality. The sources suggest that he spent his leisure time hunting game and catching birds. Otherwise, there is not a single reference to the knight’s literary interests, suggesting a “practical” rather than an intellectual dimension to his personality.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Kingdom of Bohemia
  topic: keywords
subject: credit business
  topic: keywords
subject: lower nobility
  topic: keywords
subject: Peter Doudlebský of Doudleby
  topic: keywords
creator: Tomáš Sterneck
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 117
ending page: 128
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16358

Under the Shadow of Vendetta: Decision-making Situations in the Story of Anselmo and Angelica
type: item
description: The factional struggles for position and influence were truly defining historical events in medieval Italian towns for decades. Families such as the Uberti, Donati and Cerchi of Florence or the Bentivogli and Marescotti of Bologna fought each other. The background and the cause of these struggles were recorded in the thirteenth–fifteenth-century Italian narrative sources. The chapters on revenge (vendetta) and other acts of violence are very important and valuable parts of the mentality of that age. The descriptions, which inform us about the resolution of conflicts and reconciliation provide essential information about the authors’ views of the factional conflicts. In medieval Siena, the Salimbeni were one of the most powerful families. During the fourteenth century they fought against the Tolomei, the Malavolti and the Piccolomini factions. In the meantime, the Senese popolo excluded these clans – the so called casati – from the main officies to insure the pax urbana. In my presentation, I will examine the fight between the Salimbeni and Montanini families as well as the turning-points in the story of the reconciliation of this struggle. According to the Annali sansei, a bloody, factional conflict broke out between these two influential families in 1394. This chronicle describes that the struggle led to many casualties, leaving only one young man, Carlo, in the male line of the Montanini family. Instead of continuing to fight, the two sides made peace the following year. According to the fifteenth century author of the chronicle of Siena, the solution to the conflict was a marriage between the members of the opposing families, Anselmo Salimbeni and Carlo’s sister Angelica Montanini. Anselmo’s choice between vendetta and peace symbolised a turning point in the city’s politics. In my lecture, I will examine how this case might be interpreted by analysing its particular features.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Zoltán Szolnoki
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 101
ending page: 116
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16357

The Last Year of the Hospitallers’ Rule on Rhodes
type: item
description: Early in 1523, the Hospitallers had to leave Rhodes with a small number of ships, after a long siege by the Ottoman forces under Sultan Soliman I. The Hospitaller rule on Rhodes and the Dodecanese had been endangered at least since the middle of the fifteenth century, but the Order had successfully resisted both the sieges by the Mamluks in the 1440s and by the Ottomans in 1480. The paper discusses the perception of a growing danger for Rhodes after the fall of Belgrade (1521) and the measures taken by the Order, based on the surviving registers from the years 1521/1522. While regular administration continued, the new Grand Master fr. Philippe Villiers de l’Isle-Adam who reached Rhodes in September 1521 had to handle the situation. The appeals to the Emperor, the Kings of England and France, the Pope and others set aside, fr. Villiers focussed on strengthening the fortifications, gathering supplies and monies and revising the Order’s contingent on Rhodes. Internal problems were mostly overcome, but without relief from the Western powers who were at war with each other, the Order finally had to surrender.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Rhodes
  topic: keywords
subject: Hospitallers
  topic: keywords
subject: siege of 1522
  topic: keywords
subject: administration
  topic: keywords
subject: Philippe Villiers de I’Isle Adam
  topic: keywords
creator: Jürgen Sarnowsky
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 83
ending page: 100
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16356

A Strange Year: 1513 viewed from the East
type: item
description: Years that come before (in particular) or after an annus mirabilis as usually neglected, even though it stands to reason that major events have both origins and impact that exceed strict chronological limitations. 1513 is one of those years: “the eve” of the crusade/rebellion that spread through the eastern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1514. The developments outlined in this short essay are potentially indicative for the policies of the three major neighbours of Jagiello Buda: Vienna, Krakow and Constantinople. Two “events” stand out in this regional framework ad annum 1513: an invented Ottoman-Tartar-Wallachian invasion of Transylvania and a failed – Habsburg-sponsored – Moldavian princely wedding. After crushing the opposition in Asia Minor, Selim I was asserting his power in Europe. Sigismund I Jagiello had to secure his borders against perils from all sides. Maximilian I of Habsburg still attempted to be Christendom’s “unifying spider”. In-between theme, Wladislaw II Jagiello had more down-to-earth concerns. The same applied, for Bogdan III, the vassal in fact of four mentioned monarchs (even though he did not accept Sigismund as suzerain and Maximilian was only de iure co-king of Hungary). Bogdan had one major problem (which had led to war between him and Sigismund, as his and Wladislaw’s youngest sister, Elisabeth, had not become his wife): the lack of a prestigious spouse. This is what Maximilian attempted to sort precisely at a time when Wladislaw’s envoys were claiming, outside of the Hungarian kingdom, that “the Wallachian” too had invaded Transylvania.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: House of Jagiello
  topic: keywords
subject: House of Habsburg
  topic: keywords
subject: Selim I
  topic: keywords
subject: Transylvania
  topic: keywords
subject: matrimony
  topic: keywords
creator: Alexandru Simon
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 67
ending page: 82
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16355

Diplomacy at the Time of the Breakthrough. Correspondence of King John I Albrecht (Jan Olbracht) with the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order
type: item
description: This article discusses letters written by King John I Albert to the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order and other recipients, preserved in the archives of the Teutonic Order. The first of these was sent by the prince, who sought the support of Grand Master Johann von Tiefen during the election of 1492. Most of the correspondence concerns the king’s relations with Tiefen’s successor, Duke Frederick of Saxony. The first problem was Frederick’s refusal to swear an oath of allegiance, which he consistently refused to do. The second important issue was the fight against the Turks, with the king demanding help from the Teutonic Order. The Grand Master’s brother, Duke Georg of Saxony, whose wife was the Polish king’s sister Barbara, was also involved in Polish diplomatic activities. Thirteen letters from the short reign of John Albrecht (1492–1501) were discussed, including their subject matter, form, and accompanying seals.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Adam Szweda
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 57
ending page: 66
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16354

Distancing or Breaking? The Relation of the Hungarian Hospitaller Priory to the Central Convent of the Order in the late Middle Ages
type: item
description: In the course of recent historiography it has been debated that the Hungarian-Slavonian Hospitaller priory became detached from the Order’s central convent in Rhodes by the late Middle Ages: local Hospitallers failed to pay the regular taxes and other dues, they disregarded the centrally appointed priors, and elected their superiors locally. More recently, it has even been suggested that the Hungarian-Slavonian priory, known as the Priory of Vrana, may have also broken away from the administrative structure of the Order. Based on international analogies of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the article argues that despite the loosening of the administrative burdens, the Hungarian-Slavonian priory remained an integral part of the Order of the Hospital. Several other priories and bailwicks of the Order showed similar features in the period under query. The author argues that the internal changes of the Hospital, inter alia, the growing independence of the bailiwicks forced the Convent to react: the intensity of visitation manifestly increased in the fifteenth century. On the other hand, one of the most serious constraints that retained the Hungarian priory in the Order was the exemption/privilege that functioned as a basis of the Order’s economy, which the local knights could not renounce.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Hospitallers
  topic: keywords
subject: Hungarian-Slavonian Priory
  topic: keywords
subject: administrative structure
  topic: keywords
subject: visitations
  topic: keywords
creator: Zsolt Hunyadi
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 39
ending page: 56
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16353

On the Manifold Identities of John Corvinus
type: item
description: According to the wishes of his father, King Matthias, John Corvinus should have become king of Hungary (the ideal dynastic case) or at least king of Bosnia (and maybe Croatia), in agreement with the House of Habsburg. Nothing came of it, as it is well-known. The co-king of Bohemia, Ladislaus II Jagiellon, was elected king of Hungary and John had to concede defeat and, gradually, “make a living” at the borders of the Ottoman Empire. By mid-1497, John Corvinus had reached agreements with Maximilian I of Habsburg, king of the Romans and co-king of Hungary, and with the Republic of Venice, becoming a citizen and a noblemen of the “strange ally” of late Matthias. John, however, did not renounce his allegiance to Ladislaus II, as the rightful (de iure) king of Hungary. As a result, for the final seven years of his life (1497–1504), John Corvinus seemingly had three “masters”: Ladislaus, Maximilian and Venice. The presentation aims to explore the impact of these political ties on the (royal) territories under the administration of John Corvinus and on his “other family”, by marriage (since 1496), the Frankopans (the Frangepans).
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: King Matthias
  topic: keywords
subject: John Corvinus
  topic: keywords
subject: Ladislaus II Jagiellon
  topic: keywords
subject: Republic of Venice
  topic: keywords
subject: Maximilian I of Habsburg
  topic: keywords
creator: Suzana Simon
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 East Central Europe: Between the Baltic and the Adriatic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-11-28
publication date: 2025-11-28
starting page: 31
ending page: 38
doi: 10.65006/eastcentraleurope/2025/16352