Review article
Theodosius' partition of the Roman Empire, in A.D. 395, and its influence on the shaping of "Western" dimension of Croat and "Eastern" dimension of Serb identity
Saša Mrduljaš
orcid.org/0000-0002-1946-2243
Abstract
Theodosius' division of the Roman Empire in two parts, east and west, in A.D. 395, is in the literature generally understood as going, on the soil of south- astern Europe, along the valley of the river of Drina. It is not rarely attributed as having an exceptional signification in explanation of the origine of „Western“ identity of Croats and „Eastern“ identity by Serbs. According to these interpretations, at the time of their settlement, at the beginning of the 7th century, of Croats on the west side of this river, and of Serbes on its east side, this fact has substantially influenced their intregration in different sub-cultural wholes within the Christian-European civilization. In his article, the author attempts to clarify why the Theodosius' partition of the Roman Empire could not exercise an influence on the origine of the „Western“ dimension of the Croatian and the „Eastern“ dimension of the Serbian identity. On the contrary, he puts the initial impulses for the birth of these identities in the context of the 9th century and the Franconian, Bulgarian and Byzantine influence of that time. Only under these external influences and actings of local governement structures the river of Drina will acquire the role of a concrete, late-medieval cultural border between the European West and East.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
22339
URI
Publication date:
22.11.2007.
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