The working definition of a “succession crisis” is based on the presumption that stability is a critical factor in a political system. The system becomes vulnerable if something deprives it of its steadiness and pushes it out of balance. A monarch in the medieval political system played the role of the stability factor which was supposed to harmonize contrary interests of different groups and circles in a kingdom. A “succession crisis” erupts when there is no political agreement regarding who should step into the role of a deceased monarch, i.e., who shows the most promise in achieving the goals of stability, harmony and a balance of power. The thrones in Central Europe were emptied nearly simultaneously at the turn of the fourteenth century. Since politics cannot bear a vacuum, these unexpected vacancies opened the field for new candidates to the throne(s). The paper reflects on three subjects. First, it raises the question of a “succession crisis” as a methodological tool for studying politics in the Middle Ages. Secondly, it outlines the stances of the modern Polish historiography on Łokietek’s coming back to power between 1305 and 1314 and his puzzling popularity among the nobility of Little Poland. It also reveals recent opinions of Polish historians about the Bohemian rule in Poland in the turn of the fourteenth century. Finally, the paper applies the concept of “succession crisis” and switch the focus of Łokietek’s attempts for the throne from a political microhistory to a picture of greater regional range. and Wojciech Kozłowski.
The article analyses Czech-Byzantine contacts in the 1160s. The author focuses on a reconstruction of the mainly diplomatic confrontation in Hungary, capped by a peaceful dynastic marriage. From the perspective of the history of everydayness, however, the most distinctive is the figure of the Moravian Boguta, "A Roman who knew Czech", mentioned in both basic sources. Those are the treatises of the canon of Prague Vincentius and an official in Constantinople John Kinnamos. The comparison presented of the two leads to a closer specification of the chronology of the Bohemian campaign of 1164. Kinnamos´s little known text in Czech historiography moreover offers an interesting view of the Byzantines on Bohemia and Vladislaus II. and Martin Šorm.