IMC 2014: Sessions

Eastward expansion was one of the major elements of Eastern European countries's national politics. Among the best examples we can name the Empire's conquests upon Oder, the actions of Brandenburg in Neumark and the battles between Poland and Kievan Rus'. In this session we are going to present the importance and complexity of this expansion. In the first paper, the author is going to elaborate upon Polish Piasts's Eastern politics between the 10th and 12th centuries. He will attempt to show the uniqueness of Polish campaigns against Kiev in both countries's histories, and how their historical memory has been shaped by them. In the second paper, the author will focus on the actions of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, which comprised not only of military conquest, but colonisation as well, the latter one significantly shaped the demographics of the area. In the last paper the author will showcase a more practical side of the expansion on the basis of the castles in the March of Brandenburg. These structures, built on the borderland between Brandenburg and Pomerania, were strategic for raids and troop stationing. All of the papers focus on single phenomenon: national Eastern politics - while having the viewpoints of various countries and ages.