(Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Maner/ Prof. Dr. Jan Kusber)
Fortified Monasteries in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe as Places of War in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
South-eastern and Eastern Europe are landscapes of fortified monasteries. They were not only places of religion, but above all of governance and assertion in times of external threat. In south-eastern Europe, this was mainly the Ottoman threat, but in Eastern Europe it was mainly the Tatars, who gradually reduced monasteries and the rule of orthodox princes to the fortified monasteries, right up to the 16th century and part of the 17th century. This PhD thesis will conduct a comparative analysis of the documented accounts of the besieging of these monasteries, with an emphasis on the siege methods, defence strategies and description of the facilities.