Remarks on research into medieval intellectual culture in East-Central Europe

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.