Pragmatic literacy in medieval Serbia / Đorđe Bubalo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bubalo, Đorđe, author.

Series:

Utrecht studies in medieval literacy ; 29.

Utrecht studies in medieval literacy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Written communication--Serbia--History--To 1500.

Written communication.

Diplomatics--Serbia--History--To 1500.

Diplomatics.

Legal documents--Serbia--History--To 1500.

Legal documents.

Literacy--Serbia--History--To 1500.

Literacy.

History.

Serbia.

Physical Description:

xxvi, 428 pages : illustrations, color maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Turnhout, Belgium : Brepols, [2014].

Summary:

One of the most important developments in European history took place in communication. A transition is clearly visible from illiterate societies to societies in which most members are active users of the written word. This complex process, which started in Antiquity, and is still not complete, gained momentum during the Middle Ages. This series is intended to provide a forum for publications on the history of non-verbal, oral and written communication in the Middle Ages. Interest in the subject is now widespread within the worldwide community of medieval studies; and ever more scholars are becoming convinced of the potential of studying the tensions between oral and literate modes of thought. The interweaving of Latin and Byzantine influences shaped the culture of literacy in medieval Serbia. Unprecedented in the field, this study aims to show that, even if only about 1000 Serbian medieval documents are preserved, this does not mean that little had been written. An exploration of the use of written documents in commercial, legal, and private relations in late medieval Serbia constitutes the basic scope of the research. It focuses on the documents' fate and on their social roles from the moment they were issued or submitted to their beneficiaries. The making of charters-by rulers, the Church, the aristocracy, towns, and public notaries-is analysed, as are the main fields of the use of the written word-evidentiary procedure, diplomacy, and correspondence. The citation of individual examples of pragmatic literacy allows us to give an approximate idea of how widespread the belief in the power of the written word really was. Even though the ways in which documentary literacy manifested itself in late medieval Serbia display certain idiosyncrasies, the growth in the use and reputation of written documents suggests that the Serbian case was not all that unlike the written custom's and practices elsewhere in medieval Europe. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction: Medieval Serbia (Land, Ruler, People) 1

Part 1 Written Records in Medieval Serbia

Chapter 2 Several Observations on Sources 27

Laws 28

Documents 32

Literary Sources 33

Other Sources 36

Chapter 3 Characteristics of This Research 37

Chapter 4 Basic Characteristics of the Documentary Legacy of the Serbian Middle Ages 45

Materials 45

Writing and Language 50

The Names of Documents 55

The Fate and Preservation of Medieval Documents 64

Chapter 5 Social and Material Prerequisites of Written Communication 87

The Development of Literacy 87

The Pre-Nemanjic Period: Examples of Documentary Literacy 93

Serbia in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries: Causes of the Surge in Documentary Literacy 103

Peculiarities of the Bosnian State 117

Part 2 Agents of Literacy

Chapter 6 The Ruler 123

The Rulers' Ideology and the Written Document 123

The Reputation of Rulers' Documents (Public Faith and Permanence) 132

The Ruler and State Administration 139

Chapter 7 The Church 151

Written Basis of the Privileged Status of the Church 152

Documents of Bishops, Written Administration under the Auspices of the Church 154

Monasteries 163

Chapter 8 The Nobility 177

"Written Patrimony" 177

The Use of Documents as a Reflection of Social Status 184

Chapter 9 The Towns 191

Town Privileges 192

Administration 195

The Mining Business 199

Trade (Coastal Merchants in the Hinterland) 206

Chapter 10 Public Notaries and Private Legal Relations 217

Written Documents in Private Legal Relations: The Word of Law 218

Nomiks and Nomik Documents 223

Private Documents and Notes 231

Part 3 Domains of the Use of the Written Word

Chapter 11 Diplomacy 241

Diplomatic Correspondence 242

Diplomatic Missions 262

Concluding Treaties and Issuing Charters 276

Chapter 12 Correspondence 285

Hagiographies, Epistolaries, Drafts of Beginnings of Letters, Short Messages (Several Notes on Sources) 286

Private Correspondence of the Ruler's Family 296

The Ruler and the Church: A Symphony in Correspondence 300

Church, Nobles, Citizens, Private Persons 304

Chapter 13 The Probative Force of Documents and Their Role in Judicial Proceedings 315

Means of Evidence: The Basic Purpose 316

The Role of the Written Word in Legal Procedures 323

Probative Force and the Use of Serbian Documents in the Maritime Communes and in Venice 336

Forgeries 352

Chapter 14 In Place of a Conclusion: The Significance and Scope of the Written Word 359

Symbols 360

Factors of Dispersion 365

Literary Works as a Pattern 369

A Final Look 371.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9782503549613

2503549616

OCLC:

861210361