Medieval Diversity

In these concluding remarks to the collection of articles, I tease out the meanings of the term "diversity," considering the contexts in which it appeared and how the various meanings it acquired in shifting contexts are meaningful for historical analysis.If one considers the possible connotations of "diversity" when applied to the age of Sigismund, what comes to mind immediately is diversity associated with Sigismund himself.As king of Hungary and Croatia, prince-elector of Brandenburg, king of Bohemia, king of the Romans, and later emperor, he ruled over diverse lands.This was depicted, for example, in the famous posthumous portrait in Nuremberg by Abrecht Drer with the display of coats of arms. 1 Furthermore, his royal title, in line with those of his predecessors, added a large number of territories, some of which were only part of the realm in wishful thinking: "Sigismund, by the grace of God king of the Romans forever August, and of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania, and Bulgaria; Margrave of Brandenburg and heir of Luxembourg." 2 Sigismund was reputedly fluent in many languages and at home in different cultures.The Hungarian chronicler Johannes Thurczy claimed that Sigismund's long beard was a tribute to the Hungarians, whose ancestors allegedly had had long beards. 3There are also many depictions and portrayals of Sigismund.They served as reminders of his sway in diverse locations through visual means.Sigismund's political role was similarly diverse.He organized the crusade to Nicopolis, gathering Hungarian, French, Burgundian, German, and Italian troops and thus uniting a very diverse set of armies, only to suffer a major defeat in 1396.Other crusades did not fare much better. 4 While Sigismund was a failure on the battlefield, he is seen as a major innovator in diplomacy who traveled all over Europe and spent substantial amounts of time in various cities, from 1 https://www.albrecht-durer.org/Emperor-Charlemagne-And-Emperor-Sigismund.html

Geography · Linguistics · Sociology · Anthropology · History · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy