Byzantine Influences in the Documentary Production of Serbian Medieval Rulers

Abstract

The paper analyses the diplomatic features of the approximately 460 preserved documents of medieval Serbian rulers, which cover a period of roughly three centuries (1180s to the early 1500s), to provide an overview of influences generated upon them by Byzantine documentary production. Throughout that time Serbia was also exposed to diplomatic models from the Latin West, while the fact that the majority of documents were produced in the native, Serbian language stimulated the development of characteristic local practices. Nevertheless, Byzantine influences clearly maintained a continued presence and had a conspicuous role in shaping various aspects of Serbian medieval documentary production, especially regarding rulers’ representation. In addition, these influences display a diachronic dynamism with periods of increasing and decreasing intensity which are closely correlated with the dynamics of political relations between Serbia and the Byzantine Empire.