The discussion on the concept of East-Central Europe conducted in historical
writings for several past decades favoured the development of studies focused
on this part of Europe as well as its mediaeval intellectual culture. The presented
article discusses the trends of assorted investigations and their heretofore outcome.
An opinion well ensconced in historiography claims that during the Middle
Ages East-Central Europe was composed of three monarchies: Polish (together
with Lithuania after the latter’s acceptance of Christianity), Bohemian, and
Hungarian as well as the Teutonic Order state on the Baltic. The concept of East-
-Central Europe (or Central Europe) in research dealing with intellectual culture
was first introduced by Adam Vetulani and Ferdinand Seibt, and subsequently
was considerably modified and expanded by Jerzy Kłoczowski. The Lublin-based
historian created not only an extensive questionnaire for comparative research
relating to East-Central Europe but his works presented analyses concerned
with the chief elements of intellectual culture, including schools (parish, chapter
and monastic) in Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary, universities and the academic
education of representatives of those monarchies and intellectual elites,
their role and accomplishments. Such studies are continued and progress in several
centres, i.a. in Utrecht by Anna Adamska, who delves into the mediaeval culture
of writing in East-Central Europe. The concept of comparative research into
the titular issue in this particular part of Europe has been increasingly intensively
pursued by mediaevalists representing assorted specialist domains and
reaches ever deeper strata of such culture. The researchers in question successfully
apply expanded models of the reception and diffusion of culture.