Word and Power in Mediaeval Bulgaria

The interconnected relationship of medieval Bulgarian language, letters, religion, culture, and law with the Byzantine culture from which it derived is a central thesis of this major and wide-ranging work. The first 170 pages contain a glossary of medieval Bulgarian legal vocabulary, giving source, etymology, and English translation of each term. Many entries in the glossary also include a lengthy explanation of the term's significance. The chapters which follow focus on legal language and the official languages used in institutions of the church and government. Throughout his discussion, Biliarsky (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) glosses the Bulgarian terminology employed, with attention to shared use of terms with Byzantine practice; specific geographic occurrences of terms; and definitions and descriptions of terms, institutions, and history. The result is a substantial treatment of medieval Bulgarian documents, institutions, taxation, and the practice of law. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ivan Biliarsky, Ph.D (1989), Doctor Sci. (2009) Mediaeval history, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, professor in legal history and institutions, Varna Free University (2000), Senior fellow, Institute of History (2001). Author, co-author and editor of thirteen books, published in Switzerland, Bulgaria, France, Romania and Germany.