Suchergebnisse

Review of Steven Thiry, Matter(s) of state. Heraldic display and discourse in the early modern Monarchy (c. 1480−1650) (Ostfildern: Jan Thorbecke Verlag, 2018, 401 p., ill., index).

Review of Steven Thiry, Matter(s) of state. Heraldic display and discourse in the early modern Monarchy (c. 1480−1650) (Ostfildern: Jan Thorbecke Verlag, 2018, 401 p., ill., index).

In 2022, a team of specialists in the field of special historical disciplines completed the research stage of work on the project of the fundamental generalizing publication "Russian Heraldry: Encyclopedia", which was highly appreciated by the RFBR expert community.
Methodically, the project is based on micro- and macro-historical approaches to the study of the past that are fundamental for modern science. In this case, the micro–level is realized through the analysis of the genesis, iconographic evolution and semantics of the heraldic space, and the macro-historical – through their integration into the context of the main historical events and processes. The heraldic history of the country is presented as a complex, multidimensional process caused by a combination of political, social, cultural and other factors. The encyclopedia is a complete body of knowledge about Russian heraldry, contains articles on the theoretical concepts of this discipline, special terminology, heraldic figures, the history of state, territorial and ancestral coats of arms, the main sources (including material – banners), state institutions, heraldic scientists, artists, etc. The chronological boundaries of the publication are from the end of the XV to the present.
For the first time, a comprehensive encyclopedic study of the history of scientific and practical heraldry of one country (Russia) was undertaken in a broad general historical context, using the latest methods of historical analysis and theoretical experience accumulated by world herbology.

'Ilirska heraldika', kao fenomen izmišljene tradicije, obuhvata rukopisne zbornike grbova - grbovnike, koji su se pojavili u Primorju, Italiji, Španiji i Austriji krajem XVI i početkom XVII veka. Ti grbovnici sadrže srpske i druge južnoslovenske vladarske, zemaljske i porodične grbove. Ilirska heraldika je u vezi s ličnim i političkim ambicijama španskog admirala don Pedra Ohmučevića Grgurića, ali i s istorijskim konstrukcijama koje su u XVI i XVII veku dokazivale jedinstvo Ilira i Slovena i otkrivale navodno slovensko poreklo slavnih ličnosti antike. Kao osnov za izmišljenu tradiciju ilirske heraldike iskorišćen je i epski narativ o moćnom Dušanovom carstvu, srpskim velmožama, junacima, slavi i bogatstvu nekadašnjeg slovenskog sveta. Grbovi iz ilirskih grbovnika kasnije su često precrtavani i preštampavani, te su bili od izuzetnog značaja za formiranje nacionalne i državne simbolike južnoslovenskih naroda. . ; The 'Illyrian heraldry', as a phenomenon of the invented tradition, encompasses the rolls of arms - armorials, which appear in Dalmatia, Italy, Spain and Austria at the end of the XVI and beginning of the XVII century. These armorials contained Serbian and other southern Slav monarchic, territorial and family coats of arms. The authenticity, heraldic sources and origins of these armorials are extremely complex problems that can be traced back to the medieval heraldic heritage of the Serbs, on the one hand, and reveal the intricate web of political circumstances in the XVI and XVII centuries. Illyrian heraldry is also closely linked to the personal and political ambitions of the Spanish admiral, Don Pedro Ohmučević Grgurić, from Slano near Dubrovnik. One cannot, however, link the entire Illyrian heraldry movement only to the daring ambitions of Petar Ohmučević Grgurić. In the XVI and XVII centuries historical constructions, inspired for the most part by sincere Slav patriotism, emerged that proved the unity of the Illyrians and the Slavs, revealed the alleged Slav origins of famous figures (Alexander the Great, Justinian), or simply extolled the splendor and magnitude of a lost Slav kingdom, that could be restored again. Much as it was developing within the spiritual scope of the Catholic church, this 'Slovine' movement found its historical basis in the medieval statehood of Serbia and Bosnia, particularly in the powerful empire of Stephan Dushan (1331-55), in the Serbian potentates, heroes, their glitter and opulence, which used to glorify the Slav world. Since the XVII century till today, despite their doubtful authenticity, the Illyrian armorials have been considered important genealogical and heraldic documents. Many families relied on the information in Illyrian heraldic collections when claiming their true, or, more often purported, ancient hereditary rights, titles and lands. The Illyrian armorials were transcribed and reprinted in books that were important for the national identity of the southern Slav peoples, such as Orbini's Kingdom of the Slavs (1601), Stemmatographia or the Drawing, Description and Renewal of Illyrian Coats of Arms by Pavao Riter Vitezović, published in Vienna in 1701, and Stemmatographia by Hristifor Žefarović, published in 1741. After the liberation of Serbia and Montenegro from the Turks, heraldry was granted official sanction, and the coats of arms are based on the tradition preserved in Illyrian heraldry.

Review of Robert W. Jones and Peter Coss, eds, A companion to chivalry (Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2019, 338 p., ill., index); and Philip J. Caudrey, Military society and the Court of Chivalry in the age of the Hundred Years War, Warfare in History (Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2019, 227 p., index).

This handbook analyses the different types of shields used by soldiers in the Neo-Assyrian army and their opponents. Written, visual, and material sources are analysed to illustrate practical aspects of defensive weaponry in the ancient Near East in the first millennium B.C. The origins, use, evolution, and manufacture of shields are considered in presenting a typology of these objects. The first study of its kind, this work will appeal to advanced scholars, graduate students, general non-specialists, and re-enactors alike