Ethnic relations in the Balkans in the light of the chronicles of Maciej Stryjkowski

Abstract

The article analyzes the image of ethnic relations in the Balkans presented in the chronicles of Maciej Stryjkowski. The purpose of the study is to reconstruct the sixteenth-century Polish chronicler’s perceptions of the peoples and ethnic structures of the Balkans. The author employs textual analysis of historiographical works, primarily the Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia, and All Rus’ and On the Origins…, while also taking into account the context of Stryjkowski’s journey to Istanbul. The study demonstrates that Stryjkowski’s image of the Balkans resulted from a combination of book learning, historical tradition, and personal observation. Particular attention is devoted to ethnic terminology, descriptions of Slavic peoples, and relations between the inhabitants of the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire. The author also examines the influence of Stryjkowski’s travels through Bulgaria and the Balkans on his perception of the region, as well as his use of oral accounts and personal experience. The conclusions indicate that Stryjkowski’s chronicles constitute valuable evidence of the ethnic and geographical consciousness of Polish Renaissance culture.