Medieval Eastern Europe, 500-1300: A Reader

Filling a major gap in medieval studies, Medieval Eastern Europe is the first collection of primary sources in English translation covering the history of the whole eastern region of the European continent between 500 and 1300. Florin Curta, a leading scholar of medieval eastern Europe, gathers sources from a geographic area ranging from the Czech lands in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east, and from northern Russia to Greece.

Curta begins with a discussion of why this region has been relatively ignored. His collection includes traditional narrative sources, such as chronicles and annals, as well as treaties, charters, letters, and legal texts. Each primary source is preceded by a brief introduction and followed by guiding questions. Organized chronologically into thematic chapters, the selections touch upon a wide variety of topics, including political developments; conversion to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism; economic and social issues; literature; laws; religious beliefs and practices; and much more.