“Turks, Tatars and Russians in the 13th–16th centuries”: exploring the interaction across Eurasia

Abstract

Research objectives: This article, through the review of István Vásáry’s book, published in 2023 as part of the Variorum Collected Studies Series (digital) by Taylor & Francis, aims to explore the interactions among Turks, Tatars, and Russians within the Eurasian region, as well as their broader political, economic, and cultural influences. Research results and scientific novelty: The book that forms the basis of this article consists of a total of 21 articles by the Hungarian author published in different years, including the revised and translated English version of two articles previously published in Russian. This work of Vásáry, a veteran researcher in the field of Turkic, Mongolian, and Tatar history, as well as Turcology, explores the interaction among societies spanning vast territories from the Steppes to the Balkans and further across Eastern Europe. It exposes with great skill the political, military, administrative, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, linguistic, literary and cultural aspects of the interaction in question through specific case studies and facts. This view is a challenge to the general one that ignores the contributions of the people in the mentioned territories to world civilization. From this aspect, this book beckons scholars to reevaluate historical documents not merely as repositories of the past, but also as critical lenses through which to discern and interpret contemporary realities.