Bulgaria in Jan Długosz’s "Annales Poloniae”

Abstract

The article is devoted to an analysis of information concerning Bulgaria contained in Jan Długosz’s Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae. The purpose of the study is to determine the extent of Długosz’s knowledge of Bulgaria’s geography, history, and political situation, and to assess the reliability of this information. The author employs source-based and historiographical analysis, comparing Długosz’s descriptions with the actual geographical and historical realities of medieval Bulgaria. The study demonstrates that Długosz possessed relatively extensive knowledge of the Balkans, although he made errors resulting from the identification of medieval Bulgaria with ancient Moesia. Particular attention is devoted to his descriptions of the Danube, the Balkan mountain range, Varna, and Nikopol, as well as to the chronicler’s account of Władysław of Varna’s campaign against the Turks. The author also examines the way geographical space and the political significance of Bulgaria were represented in Długosz’s narrative. The conclusions indicate that despite certain inaccuracies, the chronicler possessed a relatively sound understanding of Balkan geography and history, and that his work constitutes an important source for research on Polish perceptions of Bulgaria in the fifteenth century.