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„THE ANTIQUITY OF THE FATHERLAND AND THE DEEDS OF THE BULGARIANS” BY PETAR BOGDAN BAKSIČ – STRUCTURE, CONTENTS, MAIN HISTORICAL SOURCES

is preliminary study of the only extant manuscript of the historical tractate, written by the catholic arcbishop Petar Bogdan Baksič (1601–1674) in Latin and rediscovered in 2017, aims to reveal the methodological principlesof the author, the structure and the historical sources of the text. In the treatise there is evidence about the date of its creation (1666) as well as about the main historical sources used by the author. These sources include some well known historical works written by Caesar Baronius, Antonio Bonfini, Martin Cromer, Mauro Orbini, the popular Luca Wadding’s Annales Minorum,dogmatical works and hagiographical accounts of authors such as Charles Vialart, Sixtus of Siena, Pietro de’ Natali, Ivan Tomko Marnavič, Latin translations of medieval ecclesiastical histories, etc. The article claims that the main goal of the author was to offer a historical account of the catholicism in the Bulgarian lands, mainly in the region around Chiprovez, called "fatherland" by Petar Bogdan. Beginning with a preface, the tractate is divided into seventy chapters with separate titles. The tractate is much more than a work of a scholar: it is a confession of faith by one of the leading Bulgarian intellectuals and spiritual figures of the 17th century. Driven by love for his fellow citizens, Petar Bogdan was committed to leave a meaningful and powerful message for the future generations. This is evidenced for instance by the following words in the preface, quotation from Cicero: Parents are dear; dear are children, relatives, friends; one native land embraces all our loves; and who that is true would hesitate to give his life for her, if by his death he could render her a service (Cic. Off. 1. 57.)?