Contents … vii

Maps … viii

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Preface … 1

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1. ORIGINS AND MIGRATIONS OF THE SLAVS … 3

Original home of the primitive Slavs – New theories – Greek and Roman writers on the Slavs – Abortive attempts by the Romans to reach Slavic territory – Commercial intercourse between the Baltic and the Black Sea and migrations of the Scythians, Slavs, Germans and Sarmatians – Eastern Slavs, Goths and Iranians – Hunnish invasion, the Antes, Croats and Serbs – Slav penetration through Hungary towards the borders of the Roman Empire – Spread of the Western Slavs, Southern Slavs and Byzantium – Avar invasion – Destruction of Christianity in Illyricum and its consequences for the history of mankind.

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2. PRIMITIVE SLAVIC CIVILIZATION … 46

The main sources on Slavic civilization – Common Iranian and Slavic religious conceptions – Main Slavic deities and their Iranian counterparts – Iranian influence on Slavic burial customs – Commercial intercourse and its influence on the life of the primitive Slavs – Gothic and Roman cultural influences – Biskupin a Slavic settlement? – Primitive social organization of the Slavs – The Sarmatians and the political evolution of the Slavs.

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3. THE FRANKS, BYZANTIUM AND THE FIRST SLAVIC STATES … 60

Samo’s Slavic empire – The Croats and Serbs liberate the Southern Slavs – Khazars, Bulgars and Byzantines – Advance of the Franks – First attempts at political union of the Southern Slavs – Charlemagne and the Western Slavs – Imperial ideas and Frankish missionary methods among the Slavs.

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4. THE MORAVIAN EMPIRE AND ITS GREEK APOSTLES SS. CONSTANTINE-CYRIL AND METHODIUS … 80

Franco-Bulgarian and Moravo-Byzantine alliances – Careers of Constantine-Cyril and Methodius – Eastern and Western attitudes towards national liturgies; consequences of Moravo-Byzantine alliance – East Frankish Church and papal policy – Confirmation of Slavic liturgy, metropolis of Sirmium and East Frankish opposition – Pope John VIII, Methodius and Svatopluk of Moravia – Methodius’ visit to Constantinople; ruin of his work in Moravia.

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5. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MORAVIAN EMPIRE. GERMANY AND THE RISE OF BOHEMIA AND POLAND … 103

Consequences of the Moravian catastrophe – The two Bohemian dukedoms – Bohemia, Bavaria and the new Saxon dynasty – The first wave of the “Drang nach Osten”; St. Wenceslas of Bohemia – Otto II, the Magyars and the Slavs – Mieszko I of Poland, Boleslas I of Bohemia – St. Adalbert, Bishop of Prague; Poland and the struggle between the two Bohemian dynasties.

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6. THE SOUTHERN SLAVS, THE FRANKS, BYZANTIUM AND ROME … 116

Slow Hellenization of the Slavs in Greece – Byzantine, Frankish and Roman interests clash in Bulgaria; foundation of the first Slav national Church – Byzantium, the Franks, the Papacy, Serbs and Croats – Political aspirations of Symeon the Great of Bulgaria – Political union of Dalmatian and Pannonian Croatia – Evolution in Serbia, the coastal cities and Venice – The Bogomils and the disintegration of Bulgarian power – End of the first Bulgarian Empire.

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7. OLD SLAVONIC CULTURE AND LITERATURE AND THEIR BYZANTINE BACKGROUND … 147

Byzantine cultural influences in Moravia – Cultural and political evolution of the Croats – Main features of early Bulgarian civilization – Social and religious organization of the Serbs – Literary activity of SS. Constantine-Cyril and Methodius – Achievements of Old Slavonic literature in Bohemia – Traces of Moravian culture in Poland and Pannonia – Slavonic liturgy and letters in Croatia – St. Clement, founder of the Slavonic school of Ochrida – The school of Preslav and some Slavo-Byzantine literary problems – Historical literature in Bulgaria – Literary activity of the Bogomils.

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8. THE RUSSIA OF KIEV … 189

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8a. HISTORY … 189

The Eastern Slavs, the Volga Bulgars, the Khazars – Scandinavians discover the river route from the Baltic to the Near East – Origin of the name Rus’ – Discovery of the route from the Baltic to Constantinople; Norsemen and Slavic confederates – Askold and Dir of Kiev accept Christianity – Oleg, founder of the Russian state; commercial treaties with Byzantium – Baptism of Olga, her relations with Byzantium and Germany – Svjatoslav and the Bulgars – Vladimir and Byzantine Christianity – Roman or Bulgarian origin of the Russian hierarchy? – Special features of Russian Christianity – Jaroslav the Wise – Vladimir Monomach, the decline of Kiev.

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8b. CIVILIZATION … 218

Commercial intercourse between East and West the basis of Kiev’s greatness – Importance of cities in Kiev’s growth, their “veče” a democratic institution, the boyars, the ducal officers – Beginning of feudalism? – Byzantium’s legacy in art – The Bulgarian and Moravian literary legacy – Original Russian literary works in prose – Russian Belles Lettres in the Kievan period.

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8c. KIEV, THE PRINCIPALITIES, THE WEST AND BYZANTIUM … 239

Literary relationship between Bohemia and Kiev – The Cult of Western saints in Kiev – Religious contacts between Kieve, Germany and Bohemia after the schism – The Kievan State and Western Europe – Kiev’s relations with the Byzantine Emperor – Kiev, an intermediary between Byzantium and the West? Lost possibilities – Western influences in Galicia, Volynia and Novgorod – The Principality of Suzdal’, and expansion towards the east – The Tatar invasion and Novgorod’s survival.

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9. THE SLAVS AT THE CROSSROADS. FEDERATION IN OTTO III’S ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE FORMATION OF A GREAT SLAV STATE? … 256

Otto III’s new conception of the Roman Empire – St. Adalbert of Prague – Otto III, Boleslas the Great, Hungary and Dalmatia – The importance of Otto’s plan for a European community – Henry II jettisons Otto’s plan – The attempt of Boleslas the Great of Poland to form a great Slav state; debasement of the imperial idea – The Czech failure to secure Slav leadership.

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10. THE SLAVS, THE EMPIRE, AND THE PAPACY … 271

The Contest between Empire and Papacy – The Popes seek allies among the Slav princes – Boleslas II of Poland, the Pope’s agent in Hungary and Russia – Zvonimir of Croatia pays with his life for supporting the papal policy – The Papacy and the Serbs – The Czech Duke, a staunch supporter of the Emperor – Reversal in Poland in favor of the Emperor – The Czech Duke’s vain hope of obtaining a foothold in Lusatia and Austria (Ostmark).

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11. THE BALTIC AND POLABIAN SLAVS: THE WENDS … 293

The Wends’ hatred of Christianity and the causes of it – Political organization of the Wends – Abortive attempt at the formation of a Christian Slavic dukedom on the Baltic –The crusade against the Wends – Albrecht the Bear gets Brandenburg – Submission of the Obodrites and Rani – Economic changes in Germany, colonization of the East, foundation of cities and the new role of Magdeburg – Colonization of the Sorbs.

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12. THE DOWNFALL OF POLAND AND BOHEMIA: WESTERNIZATION OF THEIR CULTURE … 312

Boleslas III, Poland’s last hope – The consequences of the division of Poland into duchies – German progress in Pomerania and German colonists in Poland – The Teutonic Order and Poland; the margraves of Brandenburg – Disintegration of Bohemia into imperial principalities – Přemysl Otakar restores Bohemian prestige – Social and political development in Bohemia – Bohemia’s cultural progress – Poland’s social differentiation and political evolution – Polish civilization, literature and art.

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Bibliography … 342

Index … 373