The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest

by John V.A. Fine, John V. Fine

"Any further advances in scholarship on the late medieval Balkans will have to begin with this book."
---George Majeska, University of Maryland The Late Medieval Balkans is the first comprehensive examination of the events of the late medieval Balkan history---events that were as important as they were fascinating. The period that John Fine examines was an era of significant demographic, political, and religious change in the region. During this time, native populations were supplemented or replaced by the Bulgars and various Slavic tribes, who were to become the Bulgarians, Serbs, and Croats---ethnic identities whose historical conflicts have persisted to this day. The Late Medieval Balkans is an important source for those who wish to expand their knowledge of this turbulent period and who wish to broaden their understanding of the region. John V. A. Fine, Jr., is Professor of History, University of Michigan.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, European History, Medieval History

704 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Eadweard]

One of the best history books I have ever read. The amount of detail and information is astounding.

[A.L. Sowards]

I didn’t read this one cover to cover, so I won’t give it a star rating. The writing was academic but not dry. I liked how the author went over different versions of history and explained why various accounts might differ. Sometimes he was repetitive, but overall it was an informative book.

[JJ Waggy]

I very much want to go back and finish this at some point, but I have to go through the Early Medieval Balkans first, for context. That's taking a bit longer than the library is willing to wait, so I have to return this and get it again when I have a bit more time on my hands. (I.e., when I retire. Hopefully before then.)

[Lena]

So I've managed to find this entire book online:

URL: https://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/97804...
(for later chapters, just change "ch1" to "chX" in the URL)

Alternatively, try this (although I personally prefer pdf format).

This is one of the only books I've found on the history of the medieval Balkans, so for me this is an exciting discovery :)

[Agli Nanaj]

One of the most inciteful and detailed history books I've read. Even if he did not go over a topic, he went over further reading in the notes. I really appreciated that. Furthermore, the writing is not dry and goes well in helping the reader understand what's going on. This is an excellent book for historical reference and the author cites various historians from different backgrounds. Ducellier is French, there is a Russian as well as Serb and English historians. Overall, I will continue to use this book as it is very useful for my research.

[Matthew]

This is a scholarly work and has a significant focus on historiography. The focus is unfortunately and perhaps necessarily focused on named leaders, battles, marriages, and alliances. But it is well written and I would recommend only for someone with a serious interest in the region.