Abstract
Moravia, a principality of East Central Europe in the ninth century, in spite of the rather short duration of its existence (822 – c. 900), has assured itself a prominent place in past and present historiography.1 This is partly due to its spectacular political history under the princes Rastislav (846–70) and Sventopolk (871–94). The main reason, however, is the tremendous importance of its cultural legacy, connected with the activities in Moravia of the two saintly brothers, Constantine (later known as Cyril) and Methodius, both of whom have been credited with laying the foundations of most of the Slavic literary languages.
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Notes
This study is based primarily on the interpretation of written sources. References to modern authorities are made only exceptionally, either to indicate a more complete discussion of an issue presented briefly in the text or to substantiate topics which are not based on written sources, e.g. archaeology and philology. In most cases, sources cited or referred to will be identified in the text by author or title and by date. Complete references to editions used may be derived from the Bibliography at the end of this study. Notes will be used mainly for additional or more complete quotations from sources, as well as for references to basic monographs. More recent monographs consulted are also listed in the Bibliography. Most of the names, places, sources and problems mentioned in this study may be found with a selective bibliography in the Słownik Starożytności Słowiańskich (Dictionary of Slavic Antiquities), Wrocław-Warsaw-Cracow, 1961-.
For a more recent summary of issues see the contributions of E. Georgiev and A. Dostal in Das Grossmährische Reich (Prague, 1966), 394–399 and 417–19. On the controversy concerning the use of Byzantine law in Moravia, see V. Ganev, Zakon Sudnyi Liudem (Sofia, 1959), and V. Procházka, “Deset poznámek ke Ganevovu výkladu krátké redakce Z.S.L.” in Právněhistorické Studie, g (1963), 302–17. An illustration of the linguistic dispute is presented in George Y. Shevelov’s article on the problem of Moravian components in Old Church Slavonic in The Slavonic and East European Review, 35 (1957), 379–98.
Sources relevant to the study of Liudevit and of the Sclavi Orientales are assembled in Gradivo za zgodovino Slovencev, ed. Franc Kos, vol. 2 (Ljubljana, 1906).
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae I, 666 (cf., Vizantiski izvori, vol 2, p. 78).
Lubor Niederle in his Rukovět slovanských starožitností (Prague, 1953), p. 127, has the following list: Marahenses, Margi, Marahi, Maravi, Marvani, later, from the eleventh century, Moravi.” Cf. also Lubomír Havlík, Velká Morava a středoevropšti Slované (Prague, 1964), p. 368–69.
For issues and interpretations and extensive bibliographies see Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio, vol. 2, Commentary, ed. R. J. H. Jenkins (London, 1962).
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© 1971 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Boba, I. (1971). Rewriting Moravia’s History. In: Moravia’s History Reconsidered. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2992-6_1
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