Great Cauldron: A History of Southeastern Europe

The Balkans have been a dynamic meeting place of cultures and religions, from late antiquity to the present, shaping global and continental developments. Marie-Janine Calic's book "The Great Cauldron" offers a sweeping history of the region, introducing fascinating figures and revealing moments in time.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 736 pages
\n Publication date: 28 June 2019
\n Publisher: Harvard University Press
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From antiquity to the present, southeastern Europe has been a vibrant crossroads of trade, ideas, and religions, a region often overlooked in traditional histories. In her book "The Great Cauldron: A History of Southeastern Europe," Marie-Janine Calic offers a sweeping and insightful exploration of this region, challenging our perceptions and revealing its essential role in shaping global Europe.

Southeastern Europe's location at the crossroads of East and West has played a crucial role in shaping continental and global developments throughout history. Calic highlights how the nascent merchant capitalism of the Mediterranean world aided the Balkan knights in their fight against the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. The deep-rooted nationalism of the region also played a significant role in sparking the outbreak of World War I, with a young Serbian bookworm playing a pivotal role in the conflict.

In the late twentieth century, political Islam spread rapidly in the Balkans, where Christians and Muslims had coexisted for centuries. Calic provides vivid snapshots of these historical moments, such as the fall of Krujë in 1450 and the siege of Sarajevo in 1984, which serve to illustrate the complex and ever-changing dynamics of the region.

Beyond these historical events, Calic introduces fascinating figures who have been overlooked in standard European histories. She highlights the Greek merchant and poet Rhigas Velestinlis, who published a revolutionary pamphlet in 1797 calling for a general uprising against Ottoman tyranny. She also discusses the Croatian bishop Ivan Dominik Stratiko, a passionate advocate for gender equality who astonished even his friend Casanova with his success with women.

Calic's ambitious reappraisal of southeastern Europe expands and deepens our understanding of the region's complex mixture of peoples, faiths, and civilizations. She challenges the notion that the Balkans have always been a region of turmoil and backwardness and demonstrates how it has been a dynamic meeting place of cultures and religions throughout history. "The Great Cauldron" is a valuable addition to the field of European history, offering a fresh perspective on a region that has been largely neglected.

\n Weight: 1264g\n
Dimension: 238 x 161 x 54 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780674983922\n \n