Poland's first native chronicler and a proud contributor to the twelfth century renaissance placed his people's history on a continuum with the classical world. This work brings to light the importance of Poland in the making of Europe. This volume presents an in-depth analysis of the 'Chronica Polonorum', one of the greatest works of the twelfth-century renaissance which profoundly influenced history writing in Central Europe. The 'Chronica Polonorum' was written by Poland's first native historian Vincentius of Cracow. Educated in Paris and Bologna, he was the first canonically elected bishop of Cracow and a participant of the Fourth Lateran Council. The eyewitness accounts given in the 'Chronica Polonorum' offer insights into the development of twelfth-century Poland, the ambitions of its dynasty, the country's integration into Christendom, and the interaction between the Polish and Western elites. Vincentius's work is considered a masterpiece in literary erudition grounded in classical training. The historical evidence it presents illuminates the socio-cultural interaction between Poland and the West during the period. Vincentius's chronicle demonstrates the strong, enduring influence of the history, law, and traditions of ancient Rome in twelfth-century Europe.

Drawing on the dynastic conflict in medieval Poland this book shows how important it is for comprehension of medieval political culture to consider the complex functions of ritual—as a tool shaping political relations both in the realm of practical politics, and on the level of narrative material by which those relations were described.

An updated and expanded second edition covering Polish history from medieval times to the present day.

The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing contains over 800 entries ranging from Lord Acton and Anna Comnena to Howard Zinn and from Herodotus to Simon Schama. Over 300 contributors from around the world have composed critical assessments of historians from the beginning of historical writing to the present day, including individuals from related disciplines like Jürgen Habermas and Clifford Geertz, whose theoretical contributions have informed historical debate. Additionally, the Encyclopedia includes some 200 essays treating the development of national, regional and topical historiographies, from the Ancient Near East to the history of sexuality. In addition to the Western tradition, it includes substantial assessments of African, Asian, and Latin American historians and debates on gender and subaltern studies.

The first academic book concerning the most interesting archaeological discoveries of Medieval date (6th-mid 13th centuries) in Poland. The book is meant mainly for students, archaeologists and historians. It will also interest a wider audience interested in the history and archaeology of central Europe.

History writing in the Middle Ages did not belong to any particular genre, language or class of texts. Its remit was wide, embracing the events of antiquity; the deeds of saints, rulers and abbots; archival practices; and contemporary reportage. This volume addresses the challenges presented by medieval historiography by using the diverse methodologies of medieval studies: legal and literary history, art history, religious studies, codicology, the history of the emotions, gender studies and critical race theory. Spanning one thousand years of historiography in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, the essays map historical thinking across literary genres and expose the rich veins of national mythmaking tapped into by medieval writers. Additionally, they attend to the ways in which medieval histories crossed linguistic and geographical borders. Together, they trace multiple temporalities and productive anachronisms that fuelled some of the most innovative medieval writing.

The history of Poland is a fascinating story of a people struggling to achieve nationhood in the face of internal and external conflict. Poland became a unified Christian state in AD 966 and by the 12th century a knightly class had emerged a force that was integral to the defence of Poland against increasingly frequent foreign invasions. Intent on crushing rival Christian states, the Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights all mounted attacks but were beaten back by the Poles, as were invading Mongols and Turks. This book reveals the organisation, equipment and battle histories of the medieval Polish armies as they developed and modernised to emerge as one of the dominant powers of Eastern Europe.