ABSTRACT
The Medieval World Political System refers to the political interactions, inter- and intra-civilizational relations, and competition for system-wide hegemonic status between political units/entities/actors within the global region that this world system encompasses. The Medieval System primarily encompasses inter-hegemonic relations, both at the sub-system and at the system-wide levels, from the Iberian Peninsula at its westernmost periphery to the border of the Indic World Political System at its eastern periphery. Data collection for the Medieval Political Systems begins approximately in the early 500s, following the nonpolar structure of the Mediterranean System after the fall of the Roman Empire. Consolidation during the early 500s by the Byzantine Empire in the west and the Persian Sasanian Empire in the east allowed for consolidation of power within the system. The growing power of the Bulgars, under the First Bulgarian Empire, required Byzantine to strategically neutralize the sub-system actor.
