The focus is on the analysis of the life of the Provansal knight Jean Paul Lascaris Castellar (1560-1657), who decided to take monastic vows at the age of twenty-three and dedicated the rest of his life to the knightly cause. His aristocratic origin, related to the Bulgarian King Ivan Assen II (1218-1241) and his daughter Elena (c.1224-c. 1254), is among the main reasons that sparked interest for a deeper study of Lascaris Castellar and the cause for publishing this work.
Among the other factors that influenced the choice of the topic are the incomplete Bulgarian publications, often inaccurate or not based on more specific sources. Bulgarian historiography lacks a complete study of the life of Jean Paul Lascaris Castellar, based on primary sources from the Archives of the Order of St John. The fact that Lascaris Castellar’s mature age as a knight was not well studied even in Malta, is likewise another reason that called for the present study.
