Was the unification of Russia inevitable briefly. How Lithuania missed the chance to unite Russian lands & nbsp. What is destiny? To whom were the destinies allocated

Local Cathedral of 1503 (Cathedral of the Widows)

About the Cathedral

Cathedral of 1503, also known as the "Cathedral of the Widow Priests" - the Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place in Moscow in August - September 1503. The task of the council was to resolve a number of disciplinary issues, in respect of which two decisions were made. However, more he remained in memory as a cathedral, at which the question of monastic land tenure was decided.

The conciliar decision on non-payment of bribes for consecration from clergy.

(Quoted from “Acts collected in the libraries of the archives of the Russian Empire by the archaeographic expedition of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Volume I "St. Petersburg. 1836 Pages 484-485)

We Іoan, by God's mercy, the Sovereign of All Russia and the Great Prince, and my son Prince the Great Vasily Ivanovich of all Russia, speaking with Simon Metropolitan of All Russia, and with the Archbishop Genadiem of the Great Novgorod and Pupovskov, and with Nifon Ryazan and Murom, and with Vasyan the Bishop of Tfer, and with Nikon the Bishop of Kolomensky, and with Tryphon the Bishop of Sarya and Poddonsky, and with Nikon the Bishop of Perm and Vologda, and the holy archimandrite Apostle and saints Father, which is written in the Rules of saints Apostle and saints Father, from ordination by saint, from Archimandrites and Bishops, and from archimandrites, and from abbots, and from nothing priests, and from all deacons, imaginistic and they laid you down and strengthened: that from this time ahead of us the saint, me the Metropolitan and us the Archbishop and Bishop, or kt about other Metropolitans and Archbishops and Bishops in all lands Ruskikh on these tables after us will be, from the appointment of the saint Archbishops and Bishops, archimandrites and abbots to us, and priests and from all the imperialists, putting nothing to anyone; also sent off the letters, to the printer from the press and the deyakom from the signature, do not have anything, and all our taxpayers, my metropolitan and our archiepiscopal and episcopal, taxed from the installation did not have anything; also to the saint, to me the Metropolitan and us the Archbishop and Bishop, among the archimandrites and the abbots, and among the priests, and among the deacons, from the sacred places and from the churches do not have anything, but one of the order of the priestly without any reward and supply let go; and according to the Rule of the Saints, the Apostle and the Saints, Father, we must set the priests and deacons as a saint, the deacon is 25 years old, and the priests must be 30 years old, and below tѣkh lѣt neither priest nor deacon should be placed by some deacons, but in the priests, put below 20 years do not put in podyaky; and which the saint from us and the last of us, Metropolitan, Archbishop, or Bishop, in all Russian lands, from this day ahead, who will not be happy to lay down and consolidate will be deprived of the priestly The rule of the saints is the Apostle and the saints Father, that he himself and the one set from him erupt, without any response.

And for the greater affirmation of this order and consolidation, we, Ioan, by God's mercy, the Sovereign of All Russia and the Great Prince, and my son Prince Great Vasily Ivanovich of All Russia, have brought our seal to this letter; and our father Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia, put his hand to this letter and brought his seal; and the Archbishop and Bishops put their hands to this letter. And pisan to Moscow, lta 7011 August on the sixth day.

The humble Yaz Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia, with the Archbishop and Bishop, and with the archimandrites, and with the hegumen, and with the entire sacred cathedral, having searched according to the Rule of the Saints, the Apostle and the Holy Fathers, it was impossible for us to send I put my hand to this letter and put my seal on.

Yaz humble Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov Gennadiy put his hand to this letter.

The humble Bishop Nifont of Suzdal and Torusky put his hand to this letter.

Yaz humble Bishop Protasey Rezan sky and Murom put his hand to this letter.

The humble Bishop Vasyan of Tver put his hand to this letter.

Iaz the humble Bishop Nikon Kolomenskiy put his hand to this letter.

The humble Bishop Trifon of Sarsk and Poddon put his hand to this letter.

The humble Bishop Nikon of Perm and Vologda put his hand to this letter.

From the modern Manuscript belonging to G. Stroyev.
This act is compared with two copies of the 17th century

Cathedral definition, about widow priests and deacons and about the prohibition of monks and nuns to live in the same monasteries

We are Ioan, by God's mercy, the Sovereign of All Russia and the Great Prince, and my son, Prince Great Vasily Ivapovich of All Russia. What did our father Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia say to us? Tferskiy, and with Nikon Bishop of Kolomna, and with Trifon Bishop of Sarsk and Poddonsky, and with Nikon Eniscop of Perm and Vologotsk, and with the archimandrites, and the abbess, and with all the sacred law of Christ in our Orthodox Church priests, priests and deacons, widowers, lost their way from the truth and forgetting the fear of God

their wives were kept by the concubines, and all the priestly monks were, and they didn’t deserve to be able to create them, for the sake of chaos and bad things: and they searched the cathedral according to the Rule of the Saints, the Apostle and Holy Father, and according to the teachings of the Great Holy Father and the Holy Father Russia, and according to the writing of the Metropolitan of All Russia, they laid down and reinforced about the priest and about the deacon about the widows, that, for the sake of the mischief, from this time ahead, I should not serve as a widower; but whom the priests and deacons were caught in the concubines and who said to themselves that they had concubines, and they brought their letters to the saint, otherwise they didn’t keep their concubines from their concubines, but they didn’t keep their concubines in the world except and to grow the top of their own power, and wear clothes of the world, and give them a tribute to the worldly people, but no priests to act or touch anyone; and who the priests and deacons of widows, not giving up theirs, may come down somewhere far away, taking himself a woman, but call himself a wife, but not happy to learn to serve in the metropolitan, in whose archbishops or bishops ino tѣkh about that betray gradtskym judіam. And who the priests and deacons are widowers, and the words on them are not about the fall of the prodigal, and they themselves said about themselves that after their lives they live cleanly, and they said that they would stand in the churches on the wings and take communion with them in they patrakhi, and even in the house they kept them at home, and as a deacon, take communion in oltaruh even in sticharkh with ularem, and not serve either as a priest or as a deacon as a widower; and which priests or deacons learn to serve in tkhѣ places and at tѣkh churches, and do not send im tѣkh priests and deacons widowers from churches, but give them a help to the service widows

tsom popom, and a deacon of an official deacon of a widower, the fourth hour in all church incomes; and those who do not learn the priests and deacons of widows in the church on a wing, but learn the worldly dalati, and do not give the fourth church part in all church incomes; and who are the priests and the deacons of widows, who, after their own lives, live purely, but want to dress themselves in monastic attire, and such, thanks to God's fate, they withdraw to the monasteries and from the spiritual abbot they are tonsured from the abbot and renew themselves for the time being about all the pure spiritual and in dignity, if the essence is worthy, and then such with the blessing of the hierarchs and priesthood in monasteries, and not in secular ones. And that in the monasteries the chernitsy and the chernitsy lived in the same place, and the abbots served with them, and they laid down that from this day ahead, the chernitsy and the chernitsy cannot live in the same monastery; and in which monasteries to teach the life of the cherntsi, it is different to serve the abbot, but the chernitsa cannot live in that monastery; and in which monasteries learn about the life of a blue-woman, otherwise they serve as a priest, but as a clergy in that monastery, not live. And whose priest and deacon will be drunk for days, and he will not serve him the next day.

And for the greater affirmation of this order and consolidation, we, Ioan, by God's mercy, the Sovereign of All Russia and the Great Prince, and my son Prince Great Vasily Ivanovich of All Russia, have brought our press to this letter; and our father Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia, put his hand to this letter and brought his seal; and the Archbishop and Bishops laid their hands to this letter. And pisan in Moscow, summer 7000 the second hope for September.

Yaz Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia, put his hand to this letter and attached his seal.

Yaz humble Genadiy, Archi e sishop B e face O go of Novgorod and Pskov, ks e th gra m I put my hand out.

Yaz humble Niphont, Bishop Suzh d Alskoy and Torussky, to this letter he put his hand.

The humble Yaz Protasey, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom, to this letter is the hand of St. O you attach.

The humble Yaz Vasian, Bishop of Tferskiy, put his hand to this letter.

The humble Yaz Nikon, Bishop of Kolomenskoy, put his hand to this letter.

The humble Yaz Tryphon, Bishop of Sarskaya and Poddonskaya, put his hand to this letter.

The humble Nikon, Bishop of Perm and Vologda, put his hand to this letter.

This Cathedral definition was copied from a modern manuscript belonging to G. Stroyev, and checked against two lists of the century.

Diploma of Metropolitan Simon in Pskov

Blessing of Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia, O holy Dusa of the lord and son of our humility, the noble and good-natured Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia, and his son, the noble and good-natured Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich of All Russia, to the Holy Prince of All Russia Trinity, and the Cathedral of St. Sophia, and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and all the priest and all Christ named by the Lord. I am writing to you, sons, about these, that here I am, speaking with my lord and son with the Great Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia and with his son with the Great Prince Vasily Ivanovich of All Russia and the Genesis of the Great Dusmius, eaten by his fathers Novgorod and Pskov and with all the Bishops of Russia, our metropolitanate, with the archimandrites and with the abbots and with all the holy cathedral, searched that in our Orthodox faith of the peasant Greek law there are many priests, priests and dyakons, , they committed mischief, after their wives they kept their concubines, and the whole priestly act, it is not worthy for them to do them, for the sake of mischief and bad things; and we searched the cathedral about that and, according to the teachings of the great holy Wonderworker Peter, the Metropolitan of All Russia and according to the writing of the Metropolitan of All Russia, we laid me down and made me feel about the priest and the deacon, about the widows of that time do not serve everyone as a widower; and whom the priests and the deacons were caught in the concubines and who themselves said that they had concubines, and they brought their letters to the saint, but they didn’t keep the concubines in front of them, but we live in the church in the world , and the top of them grows their hair, and they wear worldly clothes, and give them a tribute to the worldly people, and none of them are priests to neither act nor touch; and which tѣkh priest and diyakonov widows, not giving up theirs, but go somewhere far away, taking his own woman, but call her his wife, but not happy to learn the servants of the metropolitan, in which the archbishops or bishops tom uklyat, ino tѣkh about that betray to the gradskim judges; and who are priests: and deacons, widowers, and the words on them are not about the fall of the prodigal, and they themselves said about themselves that after they live cleanly, and we laid down the conciliar, that you should stand in the churches on krylos and take communion oltarѣkh v patrahili and keep patrahil in the houseѣkh im at soba; and diyakonom commune in oltarѣkh in surplice with ularem, and not serve either a priest, or a diakonom, a widower; and who the priests and deacons, on their own, will learn to serve at the churches, and do not send the widows away from the churches, but give the priest and the deacon a service widower on behalf of the entire church and the revenues of the church; and which in tѣhъ popѣh and dyakonѣh in the church on the krylosѣ you will not learn to stand, but will learn the worldly dalati, and you will not give the fourth part in the church income. And who are the priests and dyakonov, widows, who after their wives live purely, but want to dress for themselves in the monastic attire, and such, thanks to God's fate, they leave the monasteries and are tonsured from the abbot of the spiritual abbot, and, having renewed their honor about everything spiritual, and in dignity, if the essence is worthy, and then such, with the blessing of the saint, may he be priest in monasteries, and not in the world. And that in the monasteries in the same place the Cherni and the dudes lived, and the abbots served with them, and we laid down that from this day ahead the Chernets and the dudes in the same place in the monastery did not live; and in which the monasteryѣ will learn the life of the blue lady, otherwise they serve as a blcem, and the black in that monasteryѣ does not live; but which priest and deyakon whose days are drunk, otherwise he will not serve the next day. And so that all the priests, priests and deacons, widowers, would not serve from this time forward in Pskov and throughout the entire Pskov land; but it would have been about everything, about the priest and about the dyakonѣh, and about the widows, and about the monasterh, because it is written in this letter of mine; but I bless you.

Written 7012 July 15th day.

And this letter lay before the Pskov mayor and the priests at the lavitsa, August on the 11th day.

From the Pskov Chronicle (іn F, fol. 299-301), located
Arkhangelsk Governorate, in the archives of the Kholmogorovsk Cathedral under No. 33.

"The word is different"

(Quoted from - Begunov Yu. K. "The word is different" - a newly found work of Russian journalism of the 16th century about the struggle of Ivan III with the land tenure of the church // Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature. - M., L .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1964. - Volume XX. - S. 351-364.)

This word is different, not the true book.

At the same time, Prince Ivan Vasilyevich, the great prince, came to see the metropolitan and all the masters and all the monasteries of the village, and all to unite them. And the Metropolitan and the lords and all the monasteries from their treasury should be filled with money and with bread from their granaries.

He calls upon the metropolitan and all the rulers and archimandrites and abbots, and he reveals his thoughts to him and obeys all to him, fearing that his powers will not fall away.

The prince, the great hegumen Serapion of the Troitskago Sergius monastery, calls upon him, and even that he will give the village of the Sergius monastery. But Serapion, Abbot of Trinity, comes to the cathedral and says to the Grand Duke: "Az ubo came to the life-giving Trinity in the Sergius Monastery, the Monastery was not in vdah, having only a staff and a mantle."

But Nil comes to the Grand Duke, the black man from Belaozero, with the high life of the second word, and Denis, the black man of Kamensky, and says to the Grand Duke: "The black man must not deserve to have it." By the same priest and Vasily Borisov, the Tfersk land of the boyar, the same and the children of the great prince: and the great prince Vasily, prince Dmitry Ugletsky pristasha to the council of his father. And diyaks were introduced according to the grand duke verbs: "A black man is not worthy of a village to have it." Prince George is all-holy nothing about these non-verbs.

He comes to the Metropolitan to Simon Serapion, Abbot of Trinity, and says to him: “O sacred chapter! Az ubo beggar against the grand duke verb. You don’t speak anything about them ”. Metropolitan Serapion answered the hegumen: "Get away from you Denis Chernets, I am one verb with you." Serapion to the metropolitan of the verb: "You are the head of all of us, are you this boy?"

The same metropolitan, together archbishops and bishops, and archimandrites, and abbots, came with all to say to the Grand Duke: “I don’t give up the purest churches, they were also owned by the former metropolitans and wonderworkers Peter and Alexey. Likewise, my brethren, archbishops and bishops, and archimandrites, and abbots, do not give up the church villages ”.

The same metropolitan Gennady, the Archbishop of Nougat, says: “Why can't you speak against the Grand Duke? With us you have many problems. Now you don't speak anything, do you? Gennady answered: "You say ubo, you have already been robbed before this."

Gennady began to speak against the Grand Duke about church lands. But the great prince, with the barking of his mouth, block him, because of his love of money. The great prince, leaving everything behind, and says: "All this creates Serapion, Abbot of Trinity."

After these there is a volost, the call of Ilemna, and some of these people, for the sake of evil, living near the volost of that, Navadish to the Grand Duke, saying: "Konan the black man has oozed the eaten boundary and yells your land, the Grand Duke." The great prince soon led the mob to present to his judgment. Little did he test the mob, sent him to bargaining and led him to beat him with a whip. And on the abbot, Serapion took 30 rubles a week. And he summons the cellarer Vasiyan and, with reproof, ordered all the villages of the monastery letters to be brought to him. Vasyan, the cellarer, summons the neshchik and says to them: "Take, brothers, the money, like the prince commands the great." And not a single hand from them was extended for money, saying: "Do not stretch our hands on the silver of the Sergius Monastery, but we will not take Ogzeev's leprosy." Serapion, the abbot, enters the church of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ and sends the cellarer Vasyan to the monastery and commanded him to be an old elder with letters, which do not emanate from the sources. But the priests and the remaining brethren from the church do not leave the church, the upcoming race of Sergius the wonderworker is day and night. The old elders are moving, the ovii are on horseback, the ovii are on chariots, and the ovii are on carriers. On the same night, in the same nyu, the elders were moving out of the monastery, but the visit from God came to the great prince the autocrat: it took away from “his arm and leg and eyes. At midnight he sends the hegumen Serapion and the elders, asking for forgiveness, and sends alms contentedly to the brethren. SerapioInd the abbot and his brothers return to his monastery, like the nѣkii warriors of the krѣptsy from the brayai, returning, giving glory to God, the great prince autocrat humbled him. "

Cathedral response 1503 g.

The collection was about the lands of church, saint, and monastery. Simon is the Metropolitan of All Russia, and with all the sacred gathering, he sent a message to the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia with Diyak and Levash.

Talk to Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia from Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia and from the entire consecrated cathedral to clerk Levash.

Thy father, lord, Simon, Metropolitan of All Russia and the archbishops and bishops and the entire consecrated cathedral say that from the first pious and holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and after him under the pious kings reigning in the Constantine city, the city of saints and monasteries and cities and earths jerked. And at all cathedrals of saints fathers are not forbidden by the saint and the monastery of the lands of dryzhati. And it was not ordered by all the saints to sell or pay off the immovable acquisitions of the church, and by great oaths it was confirmed by the saint and the monastery. It is the same in our Russian countries under your grandparents, the great princes, under the Grand Duke Vladimir and under his son, the Grand Duke Yaroslav, even to all these places the saints and monasteries kept cities and powers and villages and lands.

And after that, Metropolitan Simon himself, with the entire consecrated cathedral, was with the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Russia. And this list is in front of him.

From Being. And buy all the land of Egypt, Joseph, for their pleasure. And the whole land was fast to Pharaoh and people enslave him from the end of the Egyptian border to the end, unless the land of the priesthood, so do not buy Joseph. Tribute is given by the priests to Pharaoh himself and the people, and I will take tribute from the priests and yachyah, which Pharaoh gives them. And give all the people Joseph a commandment to the present day on the land of Egypt: the fifth part to Pharaoh, except for the priestly land, that is not better than Pharaoh.

From Levgitsky books. Speech of the Lord to Moses, verb: Speak to the sons of Israel as follows: if a man sanctifies his temple, the Lord is holy, so that the priest will appreciate the good and the bad. And as the priest will evaluate, so let it become. If he should consecrate and redeem his temple, let him add five parts of the price of its silver and let it be for him. If the Lord sanctifies him from the fields of his harvest, may there be a price for his sowing, he even sows a field, like fifty spuds of barley, thirty didragmas of silver. And if he redeems his field consecrated by the Lord, may he add five parts of the value of his silver, and may it be for him. If he does not redeem the fields, and give the field his friend, may he not redeem her, may there be a praiseworthy holy cornfield for the past abandonment of the Lord, as if the land was called a sacrificer, may their possession be for ever and ever.

[The same - on the field] Chapters f Levgity. And the authorities and villages of the city of their possessions and lessons, and tributes, and duties, let it be always Levit, like the court of the city of Levvite. Their possession among the children of Israel, and a village named in their city, may not be sold or given away, as their possession is forever.

From the life of the pious and equal to the apostles great Tsar Kostyantin and his Christ-loving and equal-to-the-apostles mother Helen. All this zealously, kindly and piously, having arranged the holy and blessed Queen Elena, mother of the blessed great Tsar Konstyantin, many acquisitions of cities and villages for churches dade and many other many acquisitions, countless, and with gold and silver, and stone, and beads of holy adorn icons and holy vessels , gold is many and innumerable to the churches and the poor distribution. Holy Patriarch Macarius, many gifts to the mail.

[The same] Speech of the blessed Konstyantin the king: Throughout the whole universe, the churches were kept for the sake of and for strength by the lordships of the acquisition of land, villages and grapes, and ezer, the duties were taken into account by dakhom. And by the divine and our command on the eastern and western and southern countries and throughout the universe, where the Orthodox tsar and princes, and the rulers under us, possess, possess the saint. And to no worldly rank, sweep aside to touch the church duties, by God we conjure and His divine command and by our command we affirm immutably and be observed to be even to the end of this age.

[The same] This, for all, even for the sake of the divine and many ordinances, both by the sacred and our scriptures were approved and commanded to be, even to the end of this world, even throughout the entire universe, the church duties given by the saint are not touched and we remain unshakable. By the same, before the living God, who commanded us to reign, and before His terrible judgment, let us bring to light for the sake of the Divine and ours for the sake of this royal ordinance with all our successors, who want to be a king for us, all the thieves, all the centurion and all the nobles, and the whole vast synclite of polat of our kingdom, and to everyone who is like a king in the universe, and a prince, and a ruler over us, and everyone, like people throughout the universe, like those who exist today and want to be in all the years for the sake of the image, even by the divine and our royal command of the most sacred holy Roman church and to everyone like her under her saint throughout the entire universe, it is given, but no one dares to destroy, or touch, or in which way to annoy.

Although you can learn more about these, let him read the spiritual of the pious Tsar Konstyantin and the great and praiseworthy word about him and another about him.

And even if there were cities and authorities, and villages, and grapes, and ezera, and the duties are not decent, and not useful to the Divine Churches, if the Holy Fathers of the first cathedral had not been silent, everyone would have instituted such a case against Tsar Konstantin. And not only did you not repudiate, but is holy to the Lord and praiseworthy and favorably disposed.

And from the first pious Tsar Kostyantin, and according to him, under the pious kings reigning in Konstyantin, the city, saints and monasteries, towns and villages, and lands were kept and are now kept in those like Orthodox where the reigning countries. And at all cathedrals of saints, the father is not forbidden by the saint and the monastery to keep villages and lands, and it is not ordered by all the cathedrals of saints by the saint and the monastery of villages and church lands to either sell or give away. And by great and terrible oaths that is affirmed.

Rule like in Carthage Cathedral 32, 33, fourth council rule 34, fifth council rule on those who offend the Holy Church of God, Justinian rule 14, 15, like rule 14 in Sardakia, Justinian rule 30, seventh council rule 12, 18. And in Spiridoniev Trimifinskogo the life is written and the life is written in Grigoriev the Theologian, and the life is written in the Zlatustago, and it is written in the Besedovnitsa; that the villages were ecclesiastical is revealed in the life of Saint Savin, the bishop and the wonderworker.

Monasteries also had villages in previous years after the great Anthony. The monk and great father Nash Gelasius, the creator of miracles, had villages, and Athanasius of Athos had villages, and Theodore the Studios had villages, and Saint Simion the New Theologian in his writing reveals that from villages and from grapes monasteries will also be laurels. And in Rustei, the land of miracle workers Anthony the Great and Theodosius of Pechersk and Varlam Novogradsky, and Dionysius and Dimitri of Vologda - all the villages had. So are the saints of Russia like those in Kiev, and according to them St. Peter the wonder-maker and Theognost, and Alexei the wonder-maker - all cities and powers, and villages had all. And Saint Alexei, the creator of miracles, the Metropolitan of All Russia, created many monasteries, and satisfied villages with lands and waters. And the blessed Grand Duke Vladimir and his son, Grand Duke Yaroslav, the saint, and the monastery gave towns and villages to the holy churches, even to all the places of piety and Christ-lovingness, the grand princes of Russia gave power and villages, land, and water, and fish catching. And this is holy to the Lord and favorable and praiseworthy. And this we please and praise and eat.

The answer of Macarius, Metropolitan of All Russia, from the divine rules of the holy apostles and holy fathers of the seventh councils, both local and individual holy fathers, and from the commandments of holy Orthodox tsars, to the pious and Christ-loving and divinely crowned Tsar, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich, all Russia, himself about immovable substances given by God as the inheritance of eternal blessings.

Hear and see, oh God-loving and wise king, and having judged the king's, the soulful and eternal choose, and the corruptible and fleeting world of this world is not in anything, the king, believe that the essence is not transient, but virtue is one and the truth remains for centuries.

From the great pious and equal to the apostles holy tsar Konstyantin of the Greek and all pious tsars of Greece, and to the last pious tsar of Greece, Konstyantin, not a single one of them dared to wander or move, or take from the holy churches and monasteries of the Gods the legacy of the blessings of the eternal church name of immovable things: curtains and loans, and books, and unsold things, rekshe village, fields, land, grapes, hay, forest, borti, water, ezero, springs, pasture and other, given to God as the inheritance of eternal blessings , fearing condemnation from God and from the holy apostles and holy fathers of the seventh gatherings and holy fathers of local and individual beings, terrible and terrible and great for the sake of the commandment. Tamo bo the Holy Spirit proclaimed the holy fathers: “If a king or a prince, or in whatever rank you wake up, will take or take away from holy churches or from holy monasteries put by God in the inheritance of eternal blessings from immovable things, such according to the divine rule from God like blasphemy is condemned, but from the saints fathers are under an eternal oath, yes. "

And for that sake, all the Orthodox kings, fearing God and the holy fathers of the commandment, did not dare to move from the holy churches and from the holy monasteries immovable things given by God as the inheritance of eternal blessings. And not only did not levy, but the pious kings themselves to the holy churches and monasteries villages and grapes and other immovable things to inherit eternal blessings, with scripture and with great approval, and with the golden seals of their kingdom, fearing God and the commandments of the holy and equal to the apostles. the pious great Tsar Konstyantin, tamo bo he was enlightened and instructed by the Holy Spirit, having signed the spiritual commandment with his royal hand and affirming with terrible and magnificent oaths, having put it in the shrine of the Holy Apostle Peter. And there, proclaim all that unshakable and immovable existence from all Orthodox tsars and from all princes and greats throughout the universe and until the end of the world.

And only to the post of the blessed Pope Celivestra, and according to him, to venerate all the saints throughout the entire universe, he commanded. Even more so, the blessed dad, on the crown of the main tonsure, create a sign, for the sake of blessed Peter he has his honor, not wearing a golden crown. We covered his chief about this with a white appearance, the bright resurrection of the Lord, inscribed on the most sacred head of his hand with our hands, the reins of his horse with our hands dangling, for the sake of honor of the blessed Peter, we gave him a horse stable. We command the same rite and custom to all, and according to it, the saint always works in his own way in the likeness of our kingdom with the same, for the sake of this, the tonsured banner of the bishop's head. Let no one think that this tonsure is evil and dishonorable, but more than the earthly kingdom with dignity and glory, and beautify it with power. But the city of Rome and all of Italy and the western power and place, and land, and the cities of this same, who have already been predicted many times to our blessed father Selivester, to the assembled pope, betrays and apostates him and everyone like him who is a saint and in the whole universe, where our Orthodox is faith will hold back, possession and judgment rises for the sake of the divine and ours eaten, we command to arrange the righteousness of this holy Roman church, which is subject to being served. By the same suitable judge of our kingdom, the call to the eastern countries of the city of the Byzantine and most red-stepping place, in its own name, the city of the Byzantine and the most reddened place, in its own name, the city of izzdat and tamo bring your kingdom, where the priestly principle and power, and Christian trust in the glory of the heavenly Tsar is established there is speed, unrighteousness earthly king.

Sia ubo all, even for the sake of the divine many regulations and our sacred scripture, was approved and commanded even to the end of this world, even throughout the entire universe, and the saint gave the church land and villages, and grapes, and ezera, and duties that were taken, dakhom.

And by the divine command and our royal command, the rules on the eastern and western, and at the midnight and southern countries, and in Eudeya, and in Asia, and in Thrace, in Elada, in Afracia and in Ittalia, and in the various islands of our to them we announce the command of freedom and throughout the whole universe, where Orthodoxy princes and rulers under us possess our freedom, and their will has been approved, dahm to rule by the saint, and to nikak's worldly dignity, dare to touch the church lands and duties, we conjure and our royal command has been approved by God to be, even to the end of this age, immutably and unshakably, abide and be commanded.

By the same before the living God, who will command us to reign, and before His terrible judgment let us testify for the sake of this king's ordinance with all our successors and those who want to be a king after us, all a thousand and all a centurion, and all Roman grandees, and to all the vast synclite of our kingdom, and to everyone who is like all over the people, who are now and who have been in all the years, and who are subject to our kingdom. And not one of these can be projected or transformed for the sake of the image, even to us by the royal command in the sacred holy Roman church and to everyone like under her saint throughout the whole universe is given, but no one dares to destroy or touch, or in which way to annoy.

If anyone is from these, a hedgehog does not believe in this being, without heavy and harsh, or the degrader will be overexposed about these eternal ones, but others will be condemnation and will be guilty of eternal torment. And then may he have an adversary of God's holy masters the apostles Peter and Paul, in this life and in the future, in hell, he will be tormented, may he disappear with the devil and with all the wicked.

Behold our command of the imperial writing with his own hands approved, the honest body of the ruler of the Apostolic Peter with his own hands in a reliquary, that the apostle of God is promised to be inviolable for us to watch and hedgehog for us who want to be here and in the whole universe. And the Orthodox tsar, and the prince, and the velmozam, and the ruler, we are obeyed to be for the sake of our commandments, and to the end of the world. And to our blessed father Selivester, the assembled pope and for his sake for all his viceroy, both here and in the whole universe, the holy hierarch of the Lord God and Savior of our Jesus Christ, having well-behaved, has eternally and safely these entry before, so also now is the four patriarchal throne, which is beyond the limit of the honest for the sake of the apostles and a disciple of Christ: to the Byzantine, in his own name preimony of Andrew for the sake of the apostle, as though having worked hard to bring God into the mind of those to lead the church into bringing the Orthodox; also to the Alexander, Markov's successor, and to the Antiochian, Luchin the tabletop, to Jerusalem, to Jacob, the brother of the Lord, for which, in our limit, we are giving our successors for centuries, as well as to all the churches of Christ and the most holy metropolitan, and the archbishops, and others like them we give the honor ourselves as a tabletop. And our receptionists and majesty sluts for us, as if a servant of God and a successor of Christ's apostles, create and observe, as if you will not fall under the predicted burden and you will be the glory of God's deprivation. But tell the tradition, as priest, fear God and His sacred church, and honor her, so that you will receive the mercy of God in this whole and in the future, and you will be the sons of light.

Royal signing sice: May the deity eat you in many years, holy and blessed fathers.

Gave to Rome, on the third day of the Aprilian calendar, of our ruler Flavia Augustus Konstyantin, Galican, the most honest husband of the most glorious Ipat.

And for that sake, all the Orthodox kings, fearing God and the holy fathers of the commandments, and the commandments of the great Tsar Konstyantin, did not dare to move from the holy churches and from the holy monasteries immovable things, given to God as the inheritance of eternal blessings. And not only do you not collect, but also the piety of the kings to the holy churches and monasteries of villages and grapes and other immovable things will be given to the inheritance of eternal blessings, with scripture and with great approval, and with the golden seals of their kingdom. And all those Orthodox tsars and to the end of their kingdom. And all those Orthodox tsars, until the end of the Greek kingdom, and with the most holy popes and with the most holy patriarchs, and with the most holy metropolitans, and with all the saints, and with the holy fathers, for all seven meetings, were themselves both divine rules and royal laws adopted and terrible and commanding with vows of the seventh gatherings, imprinted with the royal signature. And tired of all that from no one is immovable and to the end of the century. And on those who offend the holy churches and holy monasteries, and all Orthodox kings and saints, they stand firmly and bash the tsars and men. And let no one let the data of God and the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle worker from the sacred and inherited blessings of the eternal touch or shake immovable things and until the end of the world.

It is the same in your pious and Christ-loving Kingdom of Russia from your pious and equal-to-the-apostles holy great-grandfather, Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev and all Russia and his son, the pious Grand Duke Yaroslav, and all your holy ancestors, and to your Christ-loving kingdom. Not a single one from them dared to wander or move, or take from the holy churches and monasteries, given and embedded by God and the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle worker in the legacy of the eternal church name of immovable things for the same, as well as other Orthodox Greek kings, fearing from God of condemnation and from the saints apostles and holy fathers seven local meetings and individuals of the terrible and formidable and great foretold commandments and oaths, there they are, by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the holy fathers: If a king or a prince, or in, in whatever dignity you wake up, or it will be taken from holy churches or from holy monasteries invested by God in the inheritance of eternal blessings from immovable things, such are, according to the divine rule, from God aka sacrilege condemned, and from the saints the father is under an eternal oath, yes.

And for that sake, all the Orthodox tsars of Greece and Russian tsars, your ancestors, fearing from God and from the holy fathers of the commandments, did not dare to move from the holy churches and from the holy monasteries of immovable things, given by God as the inheritance of eternal blessings and until the present days are not only from the holy churches The Gods did not collect the data from the Gods, but they themselves did not levy immovable things to the holy churches and monasteries: villages and grapes and other immovable things I donated innumerable to their royal souls as a legacy of eternal blessings. Like your great-grandfather, the holy and equal-to-the-apostles prince the great Vladimir of Kiev and all of Russia, a bit of faith in showing God and the holy churches is great diligence: from all his kingdom throughout the Russian land, the tenth cent of the dada of the holy church was separated by the most holy Metropolitan of Kiev and all of Russia. Tamo bo wrote in her royal will and statute:

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Behold, Prince Volodymer, named in holy baptism Vasily, son of Svyatoslavl, grandson of Igor, blessed princess Olga, received holy baptism from the Greek king Constantin and from Photia the patriarch of the king of the city. And priach from him, Metropolitan Mikhail of Kiev, whoever baptized the entire Russian land with holy baptism.

Over the many years that passed that summer, the Church of the Holy Mother of God of the Tithes was created and gave her tithes from all of his princess, as well as throughout the Russian land. And from the princess to the cathedral church from the whole prince of the court for the tenth century, and I am going to trade for the tenth week. And from the houses for every summer from every herd and from every belly to the wonderful Savior and the wonderful Mother of God.

By that look at the Greek Nomokanon and found in it, it is written that these judgments are not proper and that the prince will judge, neither by his boyar, nor by his tyun.

And yaz, having guessed with his children and with all the princes, and with his boyars, gave those judgments to the churches of God and to his father, the Metropolitan, and to all the bishops throughout the Russian land.

And for this reason, there is no need to enter neither my child, nor my grandchild, nor my great-grandchild, nor my whole family until the eternity, nor into the people of the Church, nor into all their judgments.

Then you gave everything to the church of God in all the cities and in the churchyard, and in the settlements and throughout the earth, wherever there are Christians.

And I order my boyar and tiun: do not judge church courts and do not judge our courts without metropolitan judges for tithes.

And all the courts of the church: letting go and sweetness, catching, banging, snares, between husband and wife about stomachs, in the nephew or in matchmaking, witchcraft, indulgence, sorcery, witchcraft, greenery, three urekania: whore and cheat and zeal or the son of the father beats, or the mother is beating, or the daughter-in-law is the mother-in-law, or whoever uses bad words and uses the father and mother, or sisters, or children, or the tribe is struggling with the backs, the church thug, the dead bastard, the cross, or crackles on the walls are eaten from cross, cattle or dogs, or birds without a great need to enter the church, and otherwise what is not like eating the church, or two friends are beaten, one wife and another bears by the bosom and crush, or someone is caught with a quadruped, or who is praying under a barn, or in the rye, or under the grove, or by the water, or the girl will hurt the child.

Those all judgments were given to the churches of God, the essence earlier than us by the law and by the rule of the holy fathers by Christian kings and princes in all Christian people.

And the king, and the prince, and the boyar, and the judges cannot enter into those courts.

And in the same way, you gave everything according to the first kings of the harness and according to the universal saints, the fathers of the seventh gatherings of the great saints of the universal.

The prince and the boyar and the judges are not forgiven to eat from the law of God to intervene in those courts.

If anyone prevails over this statute, such an unforgiven being from the law of God will inherit sin and grief.

And with my tiun I order the church courts not to offend and from the Gorodtsk courts give nine parts to the prince, and a tenth to the holy church and our father, the Metropolitan.

Behold, from time immemorial it has been entrusted by God to the saint and their bishops - city and trade every kind and measure, and spud, information, set. From God, it’s set to eat tacos. And it is fitting for the Metropolitan to watch over everything without filth, for everything else, give him a word on the day of the great judgment, as well as about human souls.

And all the people of the Church, betray the Metropolitan according to the rule: hegumen, abbess, priest, deacon, priest, deaconess and their children. And who is in the Kryrozha: Chernets, Blinnik, Smakinnik, Ponmarar, Legal, Fares, Baba Widrock, Standing Man, Application, Supporter, Slepets, Chrome, Monastery, Bihanni, Pustinians, Strong Recipe, and who ports Chernechy will check.

Those people of the church almshouse metropolitan knows between them the courts, or which offense, or the ass.

If another person will have a judgment with them or an offense, then a common judgment, and judgments and condemnations on the floor.

If anyone transgresses sia rules, as if I ruled according to the holy fathers the rule and the first Orthodox kings of government, who would transgress the rules of sia - either my children, or my grandson, or great-grandchildren, or princes, or boyars, or in which the city is governor or judge, or tiun, and have to offend those church judgments or take away, may they be damned in this age and in the future, and from the seven gatherings of the holy fathers of all.

And behold about tithes. From the whole prince of the court the tenth century, and the tenth week from the bargaining, and from the tributes, from the faith, and from all the gatherings and profits, and from the prince's catch and from every flock, and from every living tenth to the cathedral church to the bishop. The king or prince in nine parts, and the cathedral church in the tenth part.

The foundation of another, however, no one can lay more than this lying, and yes, everyone shrinks on this foundation. Whoever scatters the temple of God, scatters that God, the church is more holy. And if anyone changes this holy ordinance of fatherhood, he will inherit sin and grief for himself.

If he offends the courts of the church, pay him with yourself. And before God, the answer is to enter at the Last Judgment before an angel, where when things are revealed, good or bad, where no one will help anyone, but only truth and good deeds, by this will get rid of the second death, reksche eternal torment and baptism of the unsaved geon fire, eating truth in untruth. The Lord says about those: Their fire will not go out, and their worm will not die. For those who have created good - eternal life and unspeakable joy. And to those who have done evil, to those who have judged unrighteously and cunningly - it is inexorable to find judgment.

If anyone destroys my burden, or my sons, or my grandchildren, or my great-grandchildren, or from my family, or from a prince, or from boyars, if they destroy my row or intervene in the courts of the metropolitan, which I gave to the metropolitan, my father, and a bishop according to the rule of the holy fathers and according to the first Orthodox tsars the administration was judged, that one should be executed according to the law.

If anyone has to judge, having listened to us, the church courts that are delivered to the Metropolitan, our father, he will stand with me before God at the Last Judgment, and let the oath of the holy fathers be on him.

Likewise, your progenitor, the pious and Christ-loving prince, the great Andrei Yurievich Bogolyubsky, laid the foundation for Volodymeri and erected the Church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos about one time. And in the dad of the Most Holy Theotokos and his father Konstyantin to the Metropolitan of All Russia and where he metropolitan for centuries, there are many names and settlements, and build, and the best villages, and tributes, and tithes in everything. And in his flocks, and the tenth bargaining in his entire kingdom for the same, as your great-grandfather, the holy and equal to the apostles prince the great Vladimir of Kiev and all Russia. And by God's mercy and the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle-workers with prayers, and the holy Russian kings, your ancestors and your royal parents, your holy prayers and delirium and your royal salary and recklessness, those all villages and settlements, and lands with all the lands of the old days in the house of the Most Pure Mother of God great miracle workers in the most holy metropolitanate of Russia and until these days are not moving or harmful to anyone. Even for a while, people are scorned from evil, but by God's mercy, the Most Pure Mother of God, and the great miracle workers by prayers and your royal salary and intercession through the holy churches, the packs are filled and nicholas are worn out, after all, the whole sia of God is consecrated to the church, and no one can be sanctified. insult or shake, or move immovable from the church of God, before the church of God is higher and firmer, and the earth is wider, and the sea is deepest, and the sun is brightest, and no one can shake it, it is based on stone, that is, on the faith of Christ's law ...

If even many unbelievers have bitten to shake them, then all are lost, and in no way. And from the other countries, and from the wicked kings in their kingdoms, I took nothing from the holy churches and holy monasteries, and they did not dare to move or shake immovable things, fearing God and the commandments of the holy fathers and the royal statutes of the ancient law-giving ones, but it was too bad for the holy churches to bang, not only in their countries, but also in your Russian kingdom. There was once a sia, in the years of the great miracle-makers Peter and Alexei, and in the years of Michael, and Ivan, Theognost of the Russian metropolitans, but also the names of those holy metropolitan will be given to the approval of the holy churches and the holy monastery with a great prohibition, so that they will not be offended by anyone and they were immovable even to the end of their kingdom.

And to this day, in the Russian Metropolitanate of those saints, the Metropolitan of the Seven Labels have been written, and from them is only one writing now, the great wonderworker, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Peter, who has a copy:

Label of the Tsar Azbek, a tribute in the Horde to the great miracle worker Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia.

The highest and immortal God by power and majesty, and by his many mercy, Azbyak's word to all our prince, the great and middle, and lower, and powerful governors, and nobles, and our own prince, and glorious roads, and the pitying prince, high and lower, and the scribe and the charter as a drzhalnik, and a teacher, and a human conscript, and a gatherer, and a baskak, and a passing ambassador, and our loner, and a falconer, and a pardue, and all people high and low, small and great of our kingdom in all our countries, according to all our uluses, where our God is immortal by power, the power dzhzhit, and our word owns. Yes, no one in Russia to offend the zborny church and Metropolitan Peter and his people, and his church, do not charge anything, neither acquisitions, nor estates, nor people.

And Metropolitan Peter knows the truth and judges the right, and manages his people in truth in whatever way. And in rozboy and red-handed, and in a thief, and in all affairs, Peter knows the metropolitan alone, or to whom he will order. Yes, all repent and obey the metropolitan, all his clergy clergy, according to the first from the beginning by their law and according to the first letters of our first tsars, great letters and deeds, but no one will enter into the church and the metropolitan, after all God's essence.

And whoever steps in, but our label, hears our word, he is guilty of God, and will take anger on himself from him, and from us he will be punished to death. And the Metropolitan to walk the right way, and stay on the right way, and amuse himself, but with a right heart and right thought, all his Church rules and judges, and knows, or who will command this to do and manage, and we will not enter into anything, not our children. , not to all our prince of our entire kingdom and all our countries, all our uluses, but no one of the church, the metropolitan, neither in their cities, nor in their volosts, nor in their villages, nor in any catching them, nor in them, neither in their lands, nor in their meadows, nor in their forests, nor in their fences, nor in their places of salt, nor in their grapes, nor in their mines, nor in their winter quarters, nor in their horse herds, nor into all their cattle herds. But all the acquisitions and church names, and people, and all their clergy, and all their laws are old from their beginning, then everything is known to the Metropolitan, or to whom he will order.

Let nothing be overthrown or destroyed, or offended by anyone. May the Metropolitan abide in a quiet and meek life without any golkas, yes, with a right heart and right thought, he prays to God for us and for our wives, and for our children, and for our tribe. We also bore and favor, as our former kings gave them labels and favored them. And we are on the same path, we favor them with the same labels, but God grant us, to intercede.

And we are raving about God, but we do not charge God given. And whoever levies God will be guilty to God, and God's wrath on him will be. And from us he will be executed by death, but seeing that, others will be in fear.

And our Baskaks, customs officers, tributaries, champions, scribes will go according to these letters of ours, as our word said and ordered, so that all the zboric churches of the Metropolitan will be safe, all his people and all his acquisitions will not be offended by anyone, as they have a label. And the archimandrites and abbots, and priests, and all his clergy clergy, let no one be offended by anything. Whether it’s a tribute to us, or something else, whatever, whether it’s tamga, whether it’s pushover, whether it’s a hole, whether it’s washed, whether it’s bridging, whether it’s a war, whether we’re catching it or not, or when we’ll order our service from our uluses to dismantle where we want to fight , but we do not charge anything from the Zborn church and from the Metropolitan Peter, both from their people and from all his clergy: they pray to God for us and to watch over us and strengthen our army.

Whoever does not even know before us that God is immortal by strength and will all live and fight, then all know. And we, praying to God for our first tsars, gave letters and letters to them in nothing, as it was before us.

So say, our word has set on the first path, which will be our tribute, or we will throw our requests, or our requests, or our ambassadors will be, or our sterns and our horses, or carts, or the fodder of our ambassadors, or our queens, or our children, and whoever is, and whoever wakes up, let them not take and ask for nothing. And what they take in, give back the third. If they will be taken for a great need, but from us it will not be meek, and our eye does not quietly look at them. And what will be the church people of handicrafts, koi or scribes, or stone builders, or wood, or other masters, whatever, or falconry, or whatever the catch, but let no one interfere with our business and do not eat them up ... And our pardues and our traders, and our sokolnitsi, and our coastal men, do not interfere with them and do not collect them, nor do they take away from them their tools, nor collect from them. And what is their law, and in their law their churches, their monasteries, their chapels, do not harm them in any way, do not blaspheme.

And whoever learns the faith of oozing and blasphemy, that person will not apologize for anything, and will die an evil death. And that priests and deacons eat one bread and live in one house with whom - whether brother or son, and so along the same path our salary. Anyone who will not come out of them, if there will be someone from them, and the Metropolitan does not serve, but lives for himself, then the name of the priest is not taken away, but gives tribute.

And the priests and deacons and clergymen of the church were granted from us according to our first letter. And they stand praying for us to God with a right heart and right thought.

And whoever teaches us to pray to God with an unjust heart for us, that sin will be on him.

And who is a priest, a deacon, a clerk, a clergyman, or other people who do not wake up, from wherever they are, want to serve the metropolitan and pray for us, what the metropolitan will think about them, then the metropolitan knows.

So our word made, and gave me Peter the Metropolitan a letter of this fortress for him, but this letter can be seen and heard, all people and all churches and all monasteries, and all the clergy clergy may not listen to him in anything, but obey him and be by according to their law and according to antiquity, as it is from old times. May the Metropolitan remain with a righteous heart, without sorrow and without any sorrow, praying to God for us and for our kingdom. And whoever joins the church and the metropolitan, and on that will be the wrath of God. And according to our great torture, he will not apologize for anything and will die an evil execution.

So the label is given, so saying, our word has made, with such strength it has approved the summer, asenago of the first month 4, old, written and given in tolih.

If it is more fitting for you, pious and divinely crowned king, show your royal faith to God and great zeal for the holy churches and holy monasteries, not only immovable, but also for yourself it should be given, like all your saints your royal ancestors and parents give God as an inheritance of eternal blessings. Sitsa and you, tsar, befitting to create kingdoms for the sake of the heavenly, I am a pious and Christ-loving and noble tsar, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of all Russia, an autocrat, more than all the kings in your Russian kingdom to you, tsar, from God now in the only sovereign and venerable tsar to the great Russian kingdom, to the autocrat, and to the end of the knowledgeable of Christ, the law of the evangelical disciple and the holy apostle and holy fathers of the commandment, and all the divine scriptures to you I end up and carry on the tongue not with human teaching, but with the wisdom given from God. And for this, for the sake of the pious king, it befits you, having judged, look and do useful and godly, like other godly kings, watch over and guard your royal soul and your Christ-loving kingdom from all enemies visible and invisible.

And the mercy of God and the Most Pure Mother of God, and prayer and blessing of the great miracle-workers, and blessing of our humility may be with your Christ-loving kingdom for centuries. Amen.

Likewise, all the holy pope and the most holy omnipotence of the patriarchate and the most holy metropolitan, and the love of the archbishops and bishops, the equipment and the enthronement of the saints, the apostles and honest archimarites and fear of God from the same obedience of the abbess and the humility of the obsequious let the Gods and the holy churches and the holy monasteries put in the inheritance of the blessings of eternal immovable things to give or sell. And on all the saints of the sevens, both local and individual saints, the Fathers, by the Holy Spirit, instruct the Holy Fathers, confirming and commanding them, both formidable and terrible, and with great oaths about this, having shattered and sealed the seventh cathedrals according to the grace given to us from the Holy, life-giving and thundering Spirit like saying:

If anyone is from the church name of holy veils or holy loans, or holy books, or from other things, it is not proper to sell or give them away, inserted by God into the inheritance of the blessings of eternal immovable things, rekshe villages, fields, grapes, hay, forest, borti, water, ezer, spring, pasture and other, given to God as the inheritance of eternal blessings.

If a bishop or abbot from church immovable property is sold or given to the prince of the land or other greats, it is not firm to be sold, but the packs sold or given to the holy church in the bishopric or monastery may return. But the bishop of this or the abbot, while doing this, may be expelled from the bishopric, and the abbot from the monastery, as if squandering evil, will not pick them up. If anyone is different from the priestly rank being, such a creature, they will vyvrytsya. Mnisi or the world of mankind exist, let them be absent. If you are condemned by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let it be arranged, where the worm does not die and the fire does not go out, as if they oppose the voice of the Lord, saying: Do not create (to the house) of my Father to the house of my bought one.

The same and all the blessings of the Metropolitan of Russia, from the Holy Blessed Metropolitan Leon of Kiev and All Russia, and to the great miracle workers Peter and Alexei and Jonah, and the rest of the holy Metropolitan of Russia, and to your Archbishop's love of Christ and to all our God-dignity. and honest archimarites and God-fearing abbots of great miracles: Sergius and Cyril, and Barlaam, and Paphnutius, and other saints of Russia, miracles and humility of the holy monasteries. And no one from those create or let go of those laid down by God and given to the holy churches and holy monasteries in the inheritance of the blessings of eternal immovable things to give or sell, according to the same divine holy rule and according to the commandment of all the saints, the fathers of the seven meetings and local and individual holy fathers.

If it is more unbecoming for me, humble, if I am both a sinner and I am worthy of teaching the word, such is the hierarchical dignity, but according to the grace given to us from the Holy and life-giving Spirit, the Metropolitan is denied, then like me, humble and unworthy, an all-generous and philanthropic God with his usual, philanthropy by their own destiny, the message itself, gift, and hand over the true word to rule me for the sake of my Most Pure Mother, my Mother of God. And for this, for the sake of this, I can’t think of such a terrible thing: from the imbedded Gods and the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle-maker of the immovable things given into the inheritance of the eternal blessings from the House of the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle-makers, such should be given or sold, do not wake it up. And until our last breath, save all of us, the omnipotent God, and save us from such a crime and do not allow it to be not only with us, but also for us until the end of the century, for the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother, our Mother of God and the great wonderworkers and all saints. Amen.

And for this, for the sake of this, do not be astonished that, oh God-loving king, below the caress is a thing of thought, as if you have tired and commanded the Holy Father by the Holy Spirit, and you have imprinted on us the seventh gatherings, and we are philosophizing and preserving, and until our last breath. Human boes, we swim in the many-leveled sem mori. What will happen to us, we do not know. Zane who does not want to be not manifested by the whole person, but only to be afraid of us befits the heavenly sickle, his form is Zachariah the prophet, descending from heaven: twenty fathoms long, and ten fathoms wide, on those who offend and unrighteously judge and bow down in the name of God in a lie.

And for this for the sake of fear, when you were ordained, that is to say, you were ordained to the rank of hierarch, and then in the midst of the sacred gathering in the holy gatherings of the apostles of the church before God and before all heavenly powers, and before all the saints, and before you, the pious king, and before all the synclitis, and swear fate and laws before all the people, and preserve our justification, since ours is our strength. And before the tsar, you should not be ashamed of the truth, if you need it from the king himself or from his command that you command me to speak, besides the divine rules, do not listen to them, but if you oppose death, then in no way listen to them. And for this, for the sake of fear, I say, O pious tsar, and I pray your royal majesty: stay, sir, and do not do such an undertaking, his God did not command you, an Orthodox tsar, to do such. But you, the Orthodox tsar, have chosen all of His sanctity to you, the Orthodox tsar, to us, the bishop, by forbidding sacred rules and capturing the seventh gatherings according to the grace given to them from the Holy and life-giving Spirit.

And for that sake, we pray your royal majesty, and a lot with tears in your brow, so that you, tsar and sovereign, the great prince Ivan Vasilyevich of all Russia will be the autocrat, according to that divine rule from the Most Pure Theotokos and from the great miracle workers from the house of those immovable things given to God as a legacy eternal blessings, he did not order to take.

And the mercy of God and the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle-workers, prayer and blessing and blessing of our humility, may there always be with your Christ-loving kingdom for many generations and for centuries. Amen.

compiled by: Anatoly Badanov
missionary administrator
the project "Breathe Orthodoxy"

The armistice of 1503 is the largest success in the foreign policy of the Russian state. For the first time, a start was made on the large-scale liberation of the Russian lands. The principle of the unity of Russia, continuity from the Kiev princes began to take on its material embodiment. For the first time, a real, great victory was won in the West - over a strong enemy, over a major European power, which until recently had seized Russian lands with impunity and threatened Moscow itself.

The dawn of the new, sixteenth century illuminated the glory of Russian arms and the successes of the renewed state. The triumph at Vedrosha, the victory at Mstislavl, the liberation of the Seversk land ... The triumph of strategy and diplomacy, military and state building of Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich is the result of his policy for many decades.

The summer of 1503 came. A church council took place in Moscow. His decrees on non-collection of payments ("bribes") for ordination to the priesthood and on depriving widowed priests of the right to church service have survived. It was also decided to prohibit the residence of monks and nuns in the same monastery. The Council of 1503 undoubtedly dealt with very important issues related to the internal structure of the Russian Church. But even more important was the question of church lands. The "Council Report" on this issue, sent to the Grand Duke by Metropolitan Simon (according to the researchers, an extract from the original minutes of the Council), has survived, and several publicistic works of contemporaries on this topic have survived. Of particular importance is the "Other Word" - a monument that was recently introduced into scientific circulation by the Soviet researcher Yu. K. Begunov. These sources in their totality allow us to reconstruct in general terms the events associated with the discussion at the council of the issue of church land ownership.

For consideration by the cathedral, the grand duke proposed a draft of a radical reform: "The metropolitan and all the lords and all the monasteries have villages and all to their own." This meant the secularization of the main categories of church lands - the transfer of them to the jurisdiction of state power. In return, the Grand Duke proposed "... to fill the metropolitan and the lords and all monasteries from their treasury and draw bread from their granaries". Deprived of their own lands, hierarchs and monasteries were to receive a rugu - a kind of state salary. The feudal church was deprived of all economic independence and was placed under the complete control of state power.

It is not surprising that the reform project provoked fierce controversy, into which the sons of the Grand Duke were drawn. According to the testimony of the "Other Word", the process of secularization was supported by the heir Vasily and the third son of the Grand Duke Dmitry. The second son, Yuri Ivanovich, apparently did not approve of the reform. The clerks introduced - the heads of state departments - spoke in favor of secularization. Among the church leaders on the side of the reform were Nil Sorsky and the bishops - Vassian of Tver and Nikon of Kolomna. Metropolitan Simon (despite his constant fear of the Grand Duke), Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod, Bishop Nifont of Suzdal, and Abbot of the Trinity Sergius Monastery Serapion spoke out against secularization. The ideological inspirer of the opposition to the reform was Joseph, abbot of the Volokolamsk monastery 17.

The controversy at the council ended with the victory of Joseph and his supporters, that is, the majority of the hierarchs. Referring to church decrees and historical precedents, the council, in its response to the Grand Duke, resolutely emphasized the inviolability of the provision on the inviolability of church property: "... it is not sold, not given away, nor is it eternal for nyakim for ever and ever, and life is indestructible."

It is possible that the outcome of the debate was ultimately linked to a purely accidental, but fundamentally important fact. According to the Nikon Chronicle (later, but well-informed), “the same summer (1503 - Yu. A.) the month of July on the 28th day ... the great prince Ivan Vasilyevich of all Russia began to faint. " The disease, apparently, was sudden (as evidenced by the exact date) and very serious (otherwise the chronicler would not have written about it). The Book of Degrees clarifies: the Grand Duke "and his legs can barely walk, and if we can, we will hold them from some." This means that Ivan Vasilyevich lost the ability to move independently - most likely, he suffered a blow (in the current terminology - a stroke) 18.

The author of the "Other Word" directly connects the sudden illness of the Grand Duke with the struggle for the monastic lands. According to him, in another conflict between monks and black peasants over land in the village of Ilemne, the Grand Duke sided with the peasants and ordered the Trinity elders to be fined. Moreover, Ivan Vasilyevich ordered the authorities of the Trinity Monastery to present all the certificates for the monastic estates. Undoubtedly, it was a question of revising the ownership rights of the largest church landowner in Russia. In response to this, Abbot Serapion prepared a spectacular spectacle - he ordered the Grand Duke "to be an old elder with letters, which do not come from cells either." The decrepit hermits set off in chariots, and some on a stretcher ... But that very night the Grand Duke lost an arm, a leg and an eye. He was punished for his "sacrilege" ...

Legend is one of the forms of reflection of reality. Despite the legendary coloring, the story of "The Other Word" is believable.

Ivan Vasilyevich's sudden illness and the heated debate about church lands coincided in time. The illness of the head of state could have contributed to the victory of the clerical opposition at the council.

Only two hundred years later, under Peter the Great, a similar reform was carried out, but only in the 60s. XVIII century the secularization project was actually carried out.

It is difficult to say how things would have developed in Russia if secularization had been possible at the beginning of the 16th century. In Western Europe, the secularization of the first half of the 16th century. was closely associated with the Reformation and was objectively progressive in nature - it contributed to the development of bourgeois relations. In any case, it can be assumed that in Russia secularization would lead to the strengthening of state power and secular trends in culture and ideology. But the secularization project was not accepted by the council. This meant the victory of the conservative clerical opposition and had far-reaching consequences.

Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich suffered a political defeat - for the first and last time in his life. Defeat at the council and at least partial loss of legal capacity due to a serious, incurable disease marked the end of the real reign of the first sovereign of all Russia.

“The path is more short, and it flows through it. Smoke is this life, "taught the wise Nil Sorsky. Life was coming to an end.

On September 21, Ivan Vasilyevich "with his son, Grand Duke Vasily and other children" left Moscow on a long journey. They toured monasteries. They also visited the Trinity in the Sergiev Monastery, and in Pereyaslavl, and in Rostov, and in Yaroslavl, "extending prayers everywhere." Only on November 9 did the grand ducal train return to Moscow. Ivan Vasilievich was never distinguished by demonstrative, ostentatious piety, and he definitely disliked the monastery elders. A drastic change in mood and behavior is indirect evidence of a serious illness 19.

Like his once blind father, Ivan Vasilievich now needed a real co-ruler. Power was slipping out of hand. At times the Grand Duke was still involved in business. On April 18, 1505 "according to his word" the scribe from Belozersk V. G. Naumov tried the court on the local lands. This is the last mention of the name of Ivan III in judicial acts 20. The Grand Duke continued to be interested in stone construction, especially in his beloved Moscow Kremlin. The chronicler reports on his orders on this matter. The last - May 21, 1505. On this day, Ivan Vasilyevich ordered to dismantle the old Cathedral of the Archangel and the Church of John Climacus "under the bells" and to lay new churches.

As far as possible, he did not lose sight of his other favorite brainchild - the ambassadorial service. On February 27, 1505, the last words of Ivan Vasilyevich known to you are dated. Addressing the ambassadors of Mengli-Girey, the "great prince" ordered to convey to the khan: "... so that he would do this for me too, with me he would have made my son Vasily a direct friend and brother, and he would have given him his letter, and my eyes would see. Zane the king himself knows that every father lives for his son ... "21

In December 1504, bonfires flared up: "they burned the deacon Wolf Kuritsyn, yes Mitya Konoplev, yes Ivashka Maksimov, December 27. And Nekras Rukov was ordered to cut his tongue and burned it in Novgorod the Great." Archimandrite Cassian and his brother were burnt, and "he burned many other heretics." For the first time (and almost the last) in Russia, an auto-da-fe was performed, a bloodless and radical method of struggle against heretics, beloved by the Catholic Church.

Who was the initiator of this "humane" order? According to the chronicler, this is "the great prince Ivan Vasilyevich and the great prince Vasily Ivanovich of all Russia with his father, with his metropolitan and with Simon, and with the bishops, and with the whole cathedral of deceiving heretics, commanding their dashing executions to death." There are now two great princes in Russia. Which of them said the final word? One way or another, the December bonfires are a direct, inevitable consequence of the victory of the clerical opposition at the council of 1503, of those shifts in the country's political climate that were caused by the failure of the secularization project and the grave illness of Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich.

The new council has gone far from the soft policy of 1490 .... The power that then saved the lives of heretics has now disappeared. Burned Ivan Volk Kuritsyn - an employee of the embassy department, brother of Fedor Kuritsyn, the actual head of this department for many years (the last time was mentioned in 1500). In the ominous flames of winter bonfires, the outlines of a new era shone through. The time of Ivan Vasilyevich was over, the time of Vasily Ivanovich began.

"Every father lives for his son ...". The spiritual letter of the first sovereign of all Russia was preserved only in the list, although it was close in time to the original. The spiritual one was drawn up in the first months of the Grand Duke's illness - in June 1504 it was already a valid document, marking the departure from the affairs of its compiler 23.

As a father and grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, Ivan Vasilievich "with his belly, in his own sense" gives "a row to his son." Yuri, Dmitry, Semyon, Andrey order their "elder brother" - they must keep him "instead of their father" and listen to him "in everything." True, and Vasily must keep "his brothers young ... in honor, without offense." Vasily is the Grand Duke. For the first time in the history of the Kalitich house, he receives Moscow as a whole, without any division into thirds, “with volosts, and with roads, and from camps, and from villages, and from gorodtsy courtyards with everyone, and with settlements, and with tamgoi ... ". He is the sole ruler of the capital. Only he keeps permanent governors here - a large one and in the former "third" of the Serpukhov princes.

Almost all the cities and lands of the Grand Duke of Moscow were transferred to the direct management of the new Grand Duke. He receives the great reign of Tver and the great reign of Novgorod, to the very ocean, "the whole Vyatka land" and "all the Pskov land", part of the Ryazan land - a lot in Pereyaslavl Ryazan, in the city and on the posad, and Old Ryazan, and Perevitsk.

What do the other brothers get? Once every few years - the right to a part of the Moscow income. The new Grand Duke pays each of them one hundred rubles annually. Each of them has several courtyards in the Kremlin and a couple of villages near Moscow. They also receive lands in other places. Yuri - Dmitrov, Zvenigorod, Kashin, Ruzu, Bryansk and Serpeisk. Dmitry - Uglich, Khlepen, Zubtsov, Mezetsk and Opakov. Semyon - Bezhetskoy Verkh, Kaluga, Kozelsk. Andrey - Vereya, Vyshgorod, Lyubutsk and Staritsa.

So the principalities reappeared. But how different they are from the old destinies ...

The lots of the new formation are scattered across the face of the entire Russian land. They consist of cities, towns, volosts and villages, here and there interspersed into the state territory at a great distance from each other. They do not form anywhere close, in any way interconnected territorial complexes.

The new princes "will not interfere with that ..." - the idea of the possibility of any "redistribution" is rejected from the very beginning. The princes "according to their lot ... do not order money to be made, but my son Vasily orders to do money ... as it was with me," the testator establishes.

In their city courtyards in Moscow and the villages near Moscow, the princes "do not hold trades, they do not order the sale of livestock, they do not set up shops, nor guests with foreigners' goods, and from the Moscow lands, and from their estates, they do not order to set up in their yards": all trade in Moscow is conducted only in the drawing-rooms, as it was under Ivan Vasilievich himself, and all trade duties go to the treasury of the Grand Duke. The princes can only trade in small "edible goods" - subject to the payment of a half duty.

P. 27

When was the unification of the northeastern and northwestern Russian lands around Moscow completed? What task did the Grand Dukes face after the completion of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow?

Under Vasily III (by 1533) with the annexation of Pskov, Smolensk, Ryazan, the unification of the lands of North-Eastern and North-Western Russia around Moscow was completed. The main task of the sovereign was the transformation of independent lands into a single Russian state. The first state institutions were created, a unified army and a communications system appeared. The country was divided into districts, headed by Moscow governors.

P. 28

What is destiny? To whom were the inheritances allocated?

LAND - an appanage principality in Russia, that is, the territory formed after the division of large principalities in the period from the 12th to the 16th century. The lot was under the control of the appanage prince, and formally - in the possession of the grand duke. Often inheritances were formed as a result of inheritance, donation, land redistributions and even violent seizures. In connection with the formation of the Russian state, the formation of appanage principalities ceased in the 16th century: the last, Uglich, was abolished in 1591. Also, the lot was called the share of a representative of the princely family in the clan domain.

Page 33. questions and tasks for working with the text of the paragraph

1. Explain the economic and political meaning of securing the exclusive right to mint coins for the Grand Duke.

Economic meaning: filling the treasury, the formation of a single internal market for the development of trade, crafts, the economy as a whole

Political meaning: strengthening the state, autocratic power.

2. Was the unification of Russia inevitable?

The unification of Russia was inevitable, as there was a liberation from the Horde, the strengthening of the central government, economic growth.

3. Describe the role of the sovereign's court in governing the country.

The role of the sovereign's court in governing the country was great. These are the ruling elite of Moscow society, associates and associates of the Grand Duke, who were appointed governors, governors, butlers, ambassadors, i.e. were the conductors of his policy.

4. What was the source of income for the sovereign governors? Why was this form of receiving funds called "feeding"?

The source of income for the sovereign governors was the maintenance of the local population with money and products of this governor and his court.

This form of receiving funds was called "feeding" because the charter of the Grand Duke determined the amount of the governor's maintenance - "feed".

5. From whom in the first third of the 16th century a single army was formed? Explain the origin of the names of these classes.

A single army in the first third of the 16th century was formed from local nobles. The origin of the name "local" from the word "house", an estate - a plot of state land with peasants, given to a specific person on the condition that they perform military service. These faces were palace servants, and even slaves, younger members of noble families.

P. 33. Working with the map

Show on the map the territorial acquisitions of Vasily III, listed in the paragraph.

Territorial acquisitions of Vasily III: Pskov land, Chernigov-Seversky lands, Smolensk, Ryazan principality, Belgorod.

P. 33. Examining documents

What qualities of character of Vasily III can be judged from this fragment of the letter?

This fragment of the letter allows us to judge such qualities of the character of Vasily III as caring, loyalty, responsibility.

P. 34. Examining documents

2. Why was the veche bell removed from the city?

The Veche bell was removed from the city because it summoned the inhabitants of Pskov to the Veche, symbolizing the independence of the Pskovites.

P. 34. Thinking, comparing, reflecting

2. Explain the meaning of the phrase: "At the church council, Ivan III proposed" to the metropolitan, and to all the rulers, and all the monasteries of the village to poimati ", and in return to provide them" from their treasury with money ... and bread. "

The meaning of the phrase is that in this way the sovereign limited the influence and power of the church, subordinating it to his power, at the same time replenishing the treasury.

4. Give examples showing the importance of uniting the Russian lands around Moscow.

Examples showing the importance of the unification of Russian lands around Moscow: strengthening of the central government, economic development, the end of internecine wars, the security of the inhabitants of the state, the development of the lands that became part of the Russian state.

When the Russian Church began to gather councils, what problems did they solve, in what relations with the authorities did they find themselves? Fyodor GAIDA, Candidate of Historical Sciences, talks about the history of the conciliar movement in Russia.

In the picture: S. Ivanov. "Zemsky Sobor"

Under the wing of Byzantium

Until the middle of the 15th century, the Russian Church was an integral part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and therefore Russian metropolitans took part in its councils. The history of Byzantine church councils is by no means limited to the famous seven Ecumenical Councils. And after the VIII century, at the councils, questions of dogma and ecclesiastical law were resolved. Soon after the first Baptism of Rus under Patriarch Photius, a Council (879-880) was held, at which the Filioque was condemned - a Latin insert in the Creed, according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father (as in the original text of the symbol), but also from the Son. In Byzantium, he was always revered as the Eighth Ecumenical Council. In the XI-XIII centuries, questions of Orthodox liturgy were developed at the Councils of Constantinople. The councils of 1341-1351 were marked by the victory of hesychast teaching (theology and asceticism aimed at the knowledge of God and deification), with which the spiritual revival of Russia in the XIV century was also associated.

In Russia, councils were also convened - to resolve local judicial and disciplinary issues. In a number of cases, when the issue could not be resolved in Constantinople, the Metropolitan of Kiev was elected at a council of local bishops. Thus, at the first council of the Russian Church, of which there is evidence, in 1051, Metropolitan Hilarion, the author of the famous "Word of Law and Grace", was elected to the All-Russian See. In 1147, Metropolitan Kliment Smolyatich, who was distinguished by his education, was also elected at the council. In 1273 or 1274, on the initiative of Metropolitan Kirill III of Kiev, a council of Russian bishops was held, at which, after the Batu pogrom, it was decided to strengthen church discipline and eradicate pagan customs.

Russian symphony

Constantinople's acceptance of union with papal Rome led to the proclamation of autocephaly of the Russian Church. In 1448, at a cathedral in Moscow, the Ryazan bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan. From that time on, Moscow metropolitans were elected by the council of the Russian Church, which met at the initiative of the grand duke or the tsar, who also approved the council's decision. A similar tradition existed in Byzantium since the time of Emperor Constantine the Great. However, the great influence of state power on the decisions of councils did not mean that it was always decisive. In 1490, church hierarchs secured a council, at which they condemned the heretics - "Jews" who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and the holiness of icons, but strengthened at court and had indirect support from the Grand Duke Ivan III. The Sovereign of All Russia did not go against the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady and Hegumen Joseph Volotsky. At the council of 1503, the grand duke tried to raise the issue of secularization of church lands and was again forced to give in to the conciliar opinion of the Church.

The cathedral of 1551, nicknamed Stoglav for its collection of decisions of 100 chapters, was of great importance for the whole of Russian history. The true initiator of the council was Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow (1542-1563). It was he who crowned the first Russian Tsar - Ivan IV. Following the example of church councils in 1549, the "Council of Reconciliation" was convened - the first Zemsky Council, a government body designed to correct the disorder of the Russian state. The clergy, along with representatives of different groups of the population, took part in the zemstvo councils that made national decisions. The reforms of the Chosen Rada, carried out at the beginning of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, were blessed by Metropolitan Macarius. It was under him that, at the councils of 1547 and 1549, the All-Russian Cathedral of Saints was approved, Alexander Nevsky, Metropolitan Jonah, Paphnutiy Borovsky, Alexander Svirsky, Zosima and Savvaty Solovetsky, Peter and Fevronia of Murom were canonized. At Stoglava, ecclesiastical law was also unified, clergymen were removed from the jurisdiction of the secular court. The canons of church architecture and icon painting were determined. Drunkenness, gambling, buffoonery were condemned. The growth of ecclesiastical land tenure was placed under state control: land was the main source of income for servicemen, and the reduction in the land fund undermined the combat capability of the troops. The decision was made in the interests of the state - and the Church agreed with this. Subsequently, the cathedrals of 1573, 1580 and 1584 continued this policy.

After the death of Metropolitan Macarius, the time of the oprichnina came. Violence also affected the Church, the grandson of Ivan III did not stop even before that. In 1568, at the behest of the tsar, the cathedral illegally removed from the All-Russian see Metropolitan Philip, who publicly condemned the oprichnina terror (however, at the end of the 16th century, veneration of the saint began, crowned with official glorification in 1652, which actually canceled the decision of the cathedral in 1568). In 1572, the council allowed the tsar to enter into a fourth marriage (the next four marriages were already left without a wedding - even the formidable tsar could not have obtained a blessing here).

After the death of Ivan the Terrible, both the state and the Church needed mutual support. In 1589, the "Council of the Russian and Greek Kingdoms" consisting of Russian bishops with the participation of Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople (the status of the Russian primate could only be changed with the consent of Ecumenical Orthodoxy) established a patriarchate in Russia and elevated Metropolitan Job of Moscow to the throne. In the speech of Patriarch Jeremiah, who blessed the creation of a new patriarchal see, at a Moscow council it was said about "the great Russian kingdom, the Third Rome." The Councils of Constantinople in 1590 and 1593 approved this decision. The Patriarchs of Moscow and All Russia Job and Hermogenes became a real stronghold of statehood during the Time of Troubles, especially the interregnum of 1598 and 1610-1613, when the convocation of councils was impossible due to circumstances.

In the 17th century, church councils were convened most often - at that time there were more than three dozen of them. The clergy also played an active role at Zemsky Councils. The main issue was church reforms, which were designed to raise the morality and piety of the people, to prevent spiritual impoverishment. Councils became the most important instrument of reforms for Patriarch Nikon (1652-1666). However, the court case of the Patriarch himself and the Great Emperor Nikon (the official title of Nikon is approx. ed. ) was considered collectively. In the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667, along with 17 Russian bishops, the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch, representatives of the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Jerusalem, a total of 12 Eastern hierarchs, as well as archimandrites, abbots, priests and monks took part. Nikon was removed from the patriarchate for interfering in state affairs and unauthorized abandonment of the cathedral city, after which the council nominated three candidates for the patriarchal throne, leaving the final choice to the tsar. The Great Moscow Cathedral confirmed the theory of a symphony of spiritual and secular authorities, according to which they combined their efforts, but did not interfere in each other's sphere of conduct. The council confirmed the correctness of Nikon's reforms, condemned the "old rites", introduced regular diocesan councils of the clergy, and also banned the provision of illiterate priests.

Substitution

After 1698, church councils in Russia ceased to meet: this was due both to the desire of Tsar Peter Alekseevich to strengthen his sole power, and to the course of cultural Westernization he was pursuing, which often met with the discontent of the clergy. On January 25, 1721, a Manifesto was issued on the establishment of the Most Holy Governing Synod (from the Greek - "cathedral"), headed by the Chief Prosecutor, which included bishops, abbots of monasteries and representatives of the white clergy (originally it was determined that their number should correspond to 12). The Manifesto said that the Synod "is the Spiritual Council Government, which, according to the following Regulations, has all kinds of Spiritual affairs in the All-Russian Church to govern ...". The Synod was recognized by the Eastern patriarchs as an equal. Thus, the Synod had patriarchal status and therefore was called the Most Holy, at the same time replacing the church council. In 1722, the position of chief prosecutor was introduced in the Synod - "the eye of the sovereign and solicitor about state affairs in the Synod." The chief prosecutor, being a secular official, heading the Synod's office and following its rules, was not part of it. However, the importance of the chief prosecutor gradually grew and especially intensified in the 19th century, as the Russian Church turned into a "department of the Orthodox confession," when the chief prosecutor actually became the head of the Synod.

Cathedral of 1917-1918 - an example of Russian sobornost

Already at this time, voices were heard about the need to resume the living conciliar practice of the Church. At the beginning of the twentieth century, in the circumstances of growing anti-clericalism and religious tolerance proclaimed in 1905, the question of convening a Local Council became most urgent. The "dominant Church" in the new situation turned out to be the only confession subordinate to the state. In 1906, the Pre-Council Presence was opened, which consisted of bishops, priests and professors of theological academies and was supposed to prepare materials for the upcoming council within a few months. The presence spoke in favor of the regular convening of councils and the election of members of the Synod by them. However, the council was never convened due to fear of political criticism of the authorities. In 1912, a Pre-Council Meeting was created in his place, which lasted until the revolution.

It was only after the February Revolution of 1917 that the real possibility of convening a Local Council appeared. It opened on the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (August 15, old style) in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. The distinctive feature of this council was that laymen took an active part in its work, accounting for more than half of its members. The Council restored the Patriarchate and elected by lot to the patriarchal throne its chairman, Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow. Decisions were adopted on the powers and procedure for the formation of higher church bodies, diocesan administration, parishes, monasteries and monastics. The need to establish a new legal status of the Church in the state was determined: she called for recognizing freedom in the internal order and, at the same time, a leading position among other confessions; the head of state had to be Orthodox. It was decided to involve women in church ministry as elders, missionaries, psalmists. The Council of 1917-1918 strengthened the Church at the beginning of the era of persecution and became a real model for the conciliar structure of the Church. The next council was decided to convene in 1921, but under the Soviet regime this turned out to be impossible.

Meeting of the Local Council of 917-1918, at which, after more than two hundred years of interruption in the Russian Church, the patriarch was elected. Metropolitan Tikhon (Bellavin) of Moscow became him.- in the photo in the center

There were also robber cathedrals in Russia

On the contrary, with the active support of the Bolsheviks, schismatics-renovationists held their "local councils" in 1923 and 1925, trying to bring the Church under their control. Not receiving the support of the church people and most of the episcopate, the Renovationists ultimately lost the help of the authorities. The attempt to fabricate the "Soviet heresy" failed ingloriously.

Only in September 1943, at the height of the Great Patriotic War, when the ideology of the regime rapidly evolved in a patriotic direction, for the first time after 1918 it became possible to convene a council, which was attended by 19 bishops (some of them had recently left the camps). The Holy Synod was restored and Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) of Moscow was elected patriarch on an uncontested basis (after a break of 18 years). In the future, an alternative election was introduced only at the council of 1990, and the candidacies of the patriarchs, like all decisions made at the councils, were coordinated with the Soviet leadership. However, having tested the strength of the faith of the Church during the years of bloody persecution, the communist state has never tried to break its core - the doctrine.

Supervised by the councils

In January - February 1945, after the death of Patriarch Sergius, a Local Council was convened. It was attended by priests and laity, but only bishops were given the right to vote. Delegations from many local Orthodox churches also attended the cathedral. Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) of Leningrad was elected patriarch.

The Bishops' Council of 1961 took place amid Khrushchev's persecutions, when the Church, under pressure from the authorities, was forced to make a decision to remove the priests from administrative and economic duties in the parish and entrust them to a special parish "executive body" (the government thus counted on weakening the influence of the clergy; decision this was abolished by the 1988 cathedral). The Council also passed a decision on the entry of the Russian Church into the "World Council of Churches", which was explained by the task of preaching Orthodoxy in the Protestant world. The authorities considered the Church as one of the possible levers of their "peace-loving" foreign policy, but did not take into account the opposite effect: the international position of the Church itself was strengthened, which often made it possible to defend their truth in front of an atheistic state.

The local council of 1971 elected Metropolitan Pimen (Izvekov) of Krutitskiy as patriarch. This council also canceled the oaths of the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667 on the "old rites", recognizing the possibility of their use (but the condemnation for participation in the schism was not removed from the Old Believers).

Freedom again

The local council of 1988, timed to coincide with the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, marked the spiritual revival of the country, where the Church ceased to be persecuted, and atheistic control was sharply weakened. The council canonized many saints: Dmitry Donskoy, Andrei Rublev, Maxim the Greek, Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, Xenia of Petersburg, Ambrose of Optina, Theophan the Recluse, Ignatius Brianchaninov.

The Council of Bishops in 1989 glorified Patriarch Tikhon as a saint. Convened after the death of Patriarch Pimen, in 1990, the Local Council for the first time since 1918 was able to make a decision, free from state interference, on a new primate of the Russian Church. By secret ballot, the council elected the patriarch from three candidates nominated by the Bishops' Council: Metropolitans of Leningrad Alexy (Ridiger), Kiev Philaret (Denisenko) and Rostov Vladimir (Sabodan). The then government preferred to see the most loyal figure of Metropolitan Philaret on the patriarchal throne, but did not insist. Another sign of the end of the communist era was the canonization of righteous John of Kronstadt at the cathedral.

Under Patriarch Alexy II (1990-2008), bishops' councils met in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2008. In the 1990s, the main problem was the Ukrainian church schism led by Filaret, who did not become patriarch in Moscow. The Council of 2000 canonized 1,071 saints in the host of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia, including Emperor Nicholas II and his family. The Foundations of the Social Concept of the Russian Church were adopted, which clearly defined the principles of church-state relations and, in particular, the duty of a Christian to peacefully resist any theomachist policy.
On January 27, 2009, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia at the Local Council.

The more significant the event is in the eyes of contemporaries, the more likely it will be reflected in historical sources. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. Moscow plunged into controversy about the way of monastic life.

Ivan III not only took part in the dispute, but also found himself in the center of it. Thanks to the abundance of sources, we have a rare opportunity to penetrate into his mental laboratory, to catch moods, and to explore in detail the relationship between secular and spiritual power. The materials of the cathedral of 1503 are especially important.

The Council began its activity with the fact that on September 1, 1503, two sentences were approved. After the report to the sovereign, the hierarchs, “having searched for themselves” (having studied the case), “laid down” the widow priests not to serve. The verdict did not go beyond the church routine. For the sake of maintaining morality, widow priests were forbidden to serve. At the same time, the council referred to the atrocities of widowers who held concubines. The verdict forbade the residence of monks and nuns in the same monastery, etc. The initiative of the first verdict came from the metropolitan and hierarchs, the second verdict, apparently, from Ivan III.

The sovereign and his son, "having spoken" with the metropolitan and the cathedral, "laid down and strengthened" the sentence on duties. The importance the authorities attached to the verdict is evident from the fact that Ivan III sealed it with his seal, the Metropolitan and the bishops put their hands on it.

Simonia has long been a true plague in the church. At times, Russian metropolitans tried to limit the evil that flowed from the sale of church offices. Following Byzantine laws, they limited the supply fees. But these measures did not reach the goal. The hierarchs tenaciously adhered to the order, consecrated by the Byzantine church and brought them a solid income. Freethinkers like the Pskov abbot Zakhariy sharply criticized simony. Zechariah was punished as a heretic. Nevertheless, Ivan III, undertaking the cleansing of the church, took the path indicated by the "heretics". The law imposed on the hierarchs by the secular authorities was one of the most radical laws in the history of the Russian Church. The Council solemnly proclaimed the immediate abolition of all and all kinds of duties for the appointment to any church office. Officials were not supposed to take duties and commemorations, the printer and clerk were forbidden to take bribes "from the seal and from the signature" of the letter put. Both bribes and "all sorts of gifts" were abolished. For violation of the law, not only the bishop, but also the one who had given the bribe was "ejected" from dignity.

The law on duties was impeccable from a moral point of view, but it came into conflict with the centuries-old practice of the universal Orthodox Church. The verdict symbolized the rejection of the traditional orientation towards Byzantine rules and laws, from the point of view of which the abolition of duties was illegal. The council decree opened the door for the secular authorities to intervene in the internal affairs of the church. The procedure for removing hierarchs was extremely simplified. The dependence of the clergy on the monarch increased.

After the approval of the verdict on fees, the activities of the cathedral turned into a new channel. Elder Nil Sorsky, with the blessing of Ivan III, raised the question of whether monasteries are worthy to own "villages" (estates). Neal's performance was seen as a kind of manifesto of non-acquisitiveness. A few years before the cathedral, Ivan III took away a significant part of its estates from the Novgorod Sophia house. This fact is briefly mentioned in the unofficial Pskov chronicle. But neither the Moscow nor the Novgorod chronicles said a word about him. In the eyes of the Novgorod archbishop and Moscow's higher hierarchs, an attempt on church property was sacrilege, and they did not want to touch upon a topic that was painful for them. The Pskov chronicle says that Ivan III undertook secularization "with the blessing of Metropolitan Simon." There can hardly be any doubt that the consent of the head of the church was forced.

The observations made explain why Moscow sources are silent about the projects of secularization at the cathedral. In fact, in 1503 the authorities tried to extend the Novgorod experience to the Moscow lands, which entailed an acute conflict between the monarch and the clergy.

Discussion of plans to alienate church lands in 1503 did not lead to concrete results. The members of the cathedral departed without making any decision. The topic of secularization was consigned to oblivion for several decades. The secular authorities did not want to remember their failure, and the clergy, outraged by the criminal encroachment on their property, were interested in consigning the incident to oblivion. Only after the death of Vasily III the previously forbidden topic began to be widely discussed by publicists. Monuments about the cathedral appeared during the lifetime of a generation that did not know Nil Sorsky and Joseph Sanin and drew information about them from the lips of their closest disciples.

Inaccuracies and contradictions in memories are quite natural. Neither in the chronicle reports about the cathedral, nor in the conciliar judgments, there is even a hint of a discussion about church lands. All data on Neil Sorsky's speech and secularization projects are contained in later publicistic works. Explaining this paradox, a number of researchers began to consider the news of the appearance of non-possessors in 1503 as completely unreliable. It is believed that the publicists of the middle of the XVI century. constructed information about the clash between the non-possessors and the Osiphlians at the council of 1503.

The scribes did not have to construct the events of the past. It was enough for them to remember them.

The weakness of the hypothesis about the falsification of the conciliar materials lies in the fact that it does not at all explain the motives of the hoax, in which not one, but many scribes and theologians who worked at different times and belonged to different directions of church thought, participated. Either side would hasten to expose the other if it had made a gross falsification.

In 1408, two centers for the unification of Russian lands - Moscow and Lithuania for the first time received a common border, but clashes were avoided and the principality lived peacefully for almost a century. But from the beginning of the 16th century, a series of conflicts began, most of which ended in favor of the eastern state. Although there were occasional defeats, and the Troubles after the death of the last Rurikovichs briefly reversed the process of reconquest, Ancient Russia was gradually reviving under the hand of the Moscow ruler. Why did Moscow become the capital of Russia and not Vilna?

Lithuania took full advantage of the Mongol invasion of the Russian lands and began annexing the ruined principalities

Lithuanians were the first to start gathering Russian lands. In the period after the Mongol invasion until the early 1250s, Prince Mindovg occupied the western regions of the future Belarus. He and his descendants successfully defended the integrity of their new possessions from the Russian princes and their Horde overlords. And after the beginning of civil strife in the Golden Horde, or the "great hush", Olgerd defeated three Tatar commanders on Blue Waters and annexed Kiev. The ancient capital of Prince Vladimir became a secondary city for the new rulers. Lithuania joined the race to annex the ownerless Russian lands.

At the time of the beginning of the Lithuanian conquests, Moscow was not even independent yet. In 1266, the young son of Alexander Nevsky, Daniel, received this city as his inheritance, which became the center of the new principality. His possessions were poor and small. But the prince was very lucky: in 1300, the Golden Horde Khan Tokhta defeated his rebellious commander Nogai. His Russian vassals went into the service of Daniel and were used by him in the wars to increase his principality.

In 1339, on a libel by Ivan Kalita, the Khan of the Golden Horde killed the Tver prince Alexander. After that, the only rival of Moscow was the Lithuanian state.

The liar, renegade and collaborator Ivan Kalita, the son of Daniel, really strengthened the power of Moscow. He achieved the right to collect tribute for the khan from the Russian principalities, and repeatedly directed the Tatar armies to all his enemies. But he kept his own lands intact. The children and grandchildren of Kalita only increased the army and the size of the state, until they equalized it in power with Lithuania, despite the late start.

However, the resources were incomparable. The Northern Moscow principality was locked in forests, poorly populated and had not very fertile soils, barely allowing them to feed themselves. And Lithuania owned rich Ukrainian lands with a high population density. And the adoption of Catholicism and the alliance with Poland strengthened it even more.

The Lithuanian princes did everything to ensure that the Western Russia subordinate to them received all the attributes of an "independent" state. With their submission in 1317, Constantinople created a separate metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Church, not associated with Moscow. That time was troubled for world Orthodoxy. The Turks drove the Greeks out of Asia and began territorial conquests in the Balkan Peninsula. Among the Greek church, talk began about submission to the Roman pope in order to receive military assistance from Europe. Church hierarchs of Western Russia were also not opposed to recognizing the authority of Rome.

A ferment began among them, which ended in 1596 with the announcement by the Kiev metropolitan of the transition to submission to the Roman throne.

But this did not interfere with the rise of Moscow. What is the reason for the victory of the economically and militarily weaker Moscow principality? Its rulers did not stop paying tribute to the Golden Horde to the last, in order to be able to use the Tatar troops in their wars.

But this is just one reason for further victories. In 1385, the Lithuanian Grand Duke Jagiello was elected king of Poland. A gradual merger of the two states began. The subsequent Gorodelskaya union equalized the rights of the Polish and Lithuanian Catholic nobility. But the Orthodox boyars were excluded from this privileged group. They were no longer allowed into the princely council. "A difference in faith produces a difference in opinion," the union explained. The restriction of the rights of Russian subjects on their own lands began. Instead of a previously loyal vassal, the rulers of Lithuania received the eternally dissatisfied Western Russia - the "fifth column", always ready to stick a knife in the back.

Many Orthodox princes, according to the ancient Russian law, went over to the service of the Moscow ruler. And that was not the end. Noble autocracy in Poland and Lithuania led to the destruction of a strong central government. And in Moscow the autocracy was only getting stronger. The first major military clash of 1500-1503 led to the loss of a third of its possessions by Lithuania and recognition of Ivan III's title of "Sovereign of All Russia", ie. his rights to the historical lands of the Eastern Slavs.

Three great deeds of Ivan III - the overthrow of the Tatar yoke, the adoption of the Byzantine heritage and the victory over Lithuania

The strong power and desire of Western Russia to unite with co-religionists led to the slow fall of the Commonwealth, which after the Pereyaslav Rada in 1654 became irreversible.

The unification of Rus is a process of political unification of disparate Russian lands into a single state.

Prerequisites for the unification of Kievan Rus

The beginning of the unification of Russia dates back to the 13th century. Until that moment, Kievan Rus was not a single state, but consisted of scattered principalities that were subordinate to Kiev, but nevertheless remained largely independent territories. Moreover, in the principalities, smaller appanages and territories arose, which also lived an autonomous life. The principalities constantly fought with each other and with Kiev for the right to independence and independence, and the princes killed each other, wishing to claim the Kiev throne. All this weakened Russia, both politically and economically. As a result of constant civil strife and enmity, Russia could not gather a single strong army in order to resist the raids of the nomads and overthrow the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Against this background, the power of Kiev weakened and the need arose for the emergence of a new center.

Reasons for the unification of Russian lands around Moscow

After the weakening of Kiev's power and constant internecine wars, Russia desperately needed unification. Only an integral state could resist the invaders and finally throw off the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The peculiarity of the unification of Rus was that there was no one clear center of power, political forces were scattered throughout the territory of Rus.

At the beginning of the 13th century, there were several cities that could become the new capital. The centers of the unification of Russia could be Moscow, Tver and Pereyaslavl. These cities had all the necessary qualities for a new capital:

They had an advantageous geographical position and were removed from the borders on which the invaders ruled;
Have the opportunity to actively engage in trade due to the intersection of several trade routes;
The princes ruling in the cities belonged to the Vladimir princely dynasty, which had great power.

In general, all three cities had approximately equal chances, but the skilful rule of the Moscow princes led to the fact that it was Moscow that seized power and gradually began to strengthen its political influence. As a result, it was around the Moscow principality that a new centralized state began to form.

The main stages of the unification of Russia

In the second half of the 13th century, the state was in a state of strong fragmentation, new autonomous territories were constantly being separated. The Tatar-Mongol yoke interrupted the process of natural unification of lands, and the power of Kiev by this period was greatly weakened. Russia was in decline and needed a completely new policy.

In the 14th century, many territories of Russia united around the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the 14-15th centuries, the great Lithuanian princes owned Gorodensk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Kiev and other principalities, under their rule was Chernigov, Volyn, Smolensk and a number of other lands. The reign of the Rurikovichs ended. By the end of the 15th century, the Lithuanian principality had grown so much that it came close to the borders of the Moscow principality. Northeast Russia all this time remained under the rule of a descendant of Vladimir Monomakh, and the Vladimir princes wore the prefix "All Russia", but their real power did not extend beyond Vladimir and Novgorod. In the 14th century, power over Vladimir passed to Moscow.

At the end of the 14th century, Lithuania joined the Kingdom of Poland, followed by a series of Russian-Lithuanian wars, in which Lithuania lost many territories. New Russia began to gradually unite around the strengthened Moscow principality.

In 1389 Moscow became the new capital.

The final unification of Russia as a new centralized and unified state ended at the turn of the 15-16th centuries during the reign of Ivan 3 and his son Vasily 3.

Since then, Russia has periodically annexed some new territories, but the basis of a single state has already been created.

Completion of the political unification of Russia

In order to keep the new state together and avoid its possible collapse, it was necessary to change the management principle. Under Vasily III, fiefdoms appeared - feudal possessions. Fiefdoms were often fragmented and smaller, as a result, the princes, who received their new possessions, no longer had power over vast territories.

As a result of the unification of the Russian lands, all power was gradually concentrated in the hands of the Grand Duke.

In the XIII-XV centuries. most of the lands of the former Kievan Rus were united under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). At one time Lithuania was stronger than any Russian principality. At the beginning of the 15th century, under Prince Vitovt (1392-1430), Lithuania reached such power that the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark (1425-1462), his grandson, was considered his vassal, and at one time a Lithuanian prince ruled in Veliky Novgorod. It seemed that nothing could stop Lithuania from uniting all Russian lands, including North-Eastern, Suzdal Russia. But it happened differently. The reign of Vitovt was the peak of Lithuanian power. Already with him, her sunset began.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania-Russian

The rise of Lithuania was facilitated by the Mongol invasion of Russia. Lithuania and many western Russian principalities found themselves on the sidelines and began to rally to repel the threat. Western Russian princes sometimes willingly became vassals of Lithuania, other times Lithuania conquered the principalities by force. But unification with Lithuania meant freedom from paying tribute to the Golden Horde.

Under the Grand Duke Gediminas (1316-1341), Lithuania included the entire present territory of Belarus. The Polotsk and Turovo-Pinsk princedoms and part of the Volyn principality have long been located here. Under his son Olgerd (1345-1377), Lithuania spread to the Kiev, Volyn, Pereyaslavl, Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversk principalities. In the east, its borders included the entire Central Russian Upland and the ancient lands of the Vyatichi. In the 70s of the XIV century, Lithuanian squads more than once came to Moscow. At the very end of the XIV and in the first years of the XV century, under Vitovt, Lithuania annexed the Smolensk principality, in the south it reached the Black Sea.

Lithuanian princes were pagans. At the same time, they have long been influenced by Russian culture, and some of them converted to Orthodoxy. The written language of the ON was Old Russian. The Gediminovich dynasty gradually replaced almost all the princes from the Rurik dynasty in the subject principalities. But the Gediminovichs were rutted, called in the Russian manner with a "-vich" - for example, Dmitry Olgerdovich - and often led a policy independent of the Grand Duke, especially on the outskirts of the Grand Duke. The religious tolerance of the Lithuanian princes and the wide spread of Russian culture contributed to the fact that the state itself increasingly became the successor of Kievan Rus in every sense.

Union with Catholic Poland

However, one circumstance seriously complicated the situation in Lithuania. Settled in the XII-XIII centuries. in the Baltic States, the German Teutonic Order launched an offensive against Lithuania, forcibly converting the population to Catholicism, taking land for their knights and turning the Baltic inhabitants into serfs.

Poland, neighboring with Lithuania, was also Catholic, but it also experienced the onslaught of the Germans, and besides, it did not encroach on Lithuanian territories. The common danger brought Lithuania closer to Poland. Only Poland at that time could help Lithuania in its opposition to the Teutonic Order. But the Polish aristocracy was ready to provide this assistance only on condition of the conversion of Lithuania to Catholicism.

The turning point came in 1385. At this time, Jagailo Olgerdovich reigned in Lithuania, who came to power as a result of an internecine war. Yagailo did not understand the means and was distinguished by extreme cruelty. It was no secret to anyone that he treacherously captured his uncle Keistut Gediminovich and then ordered him to be killed.

At the same time, the Polish throne was vacant. King Louis I of Luxembourg, who also occupied the throne of Hungary, died in 1382. Poland was formally ruled by his youngest daughter Jadwiga. The Polish nobility did not want to unite with Hungary and prevented the accession to the throne of the eldest daughter of Louis Maria. A funny detail: Jadwiga was crowned formally as a man, with the title of king, not queen, since the basic laws of Poland forbade only a woman to occupy the throne.

At the same time, the plan of a dynastic union with Lithuania was ripe for the Polish nobility. It was decided to marry 12-year-old Jadwiga to Jagailo, who was already over thirty years old. The only obstacle was the mutual love of Jadwiga and the fifteen-year-old Austrian Duke Wilhelm, who were engaged in childhood. Wilhelm arrived in Krakow, and the young lovers even met in secret, until, finally, one day the guard of the Krakow archbishop closed the gates of the castle where the duke lived in front of the powerless queen, and he himself was not escorted out of Poland. After much persuasion, especially from the clergy, who promised the queen the highest reward in heaven for converting the pagans, Jadwiga agreed to marry Jagiello, who thus became the Polish king.

Vitovt Keistutovich, Jagailo's cousin, in 1386 also agreed to convert to Catholicism and plant it in Lithuania. It is curious that before that Vitovt in 1382 was also baptized according to the Catholic rite, but in 1384 he converted to Orthodoxy. Despite further wars with Jagiello, Vitovt, having defended his right to the Lithuanian throne, recognized his vassalage to the Polish crown and continued to impose Catholicism.

The union of Lithuania with Poland, accompanied by a defeat in the rights of the Orthodox nobility, dealt the first serious blow to Lithuania's attempts to stand at the head of all of Russia.

Defeat from the Golden Horde

The Golden Horde was the main enemy of Lithuania in the east. In 1399, Vitovt set out on a campaign with a powerful army that included Lithuanians, Russians, Poles, Teutons and Tatars - opponents of Khan Timur-Kutlug. The parties met on the Vorskla River. The Khan gained time by negotiations in anticipation of the troops of the Temnik Edigei, and on August 12 the Horde completely defeated Lithuania. So Lithuania received a second serious blow. Eastern Russia remained in the sphere of influence of the Golden Horde.

Svidrigailova Troubles

Orthodoxy in Lithuania has long and stubbornly resisted the imposition of Catholicism. The most powerful reaction of the Orthodox population was the war for the Lithuanian throne, unleashed by Prince Svidrigail Olgerdovich. He himself was not Orthodox, but patronized the Orthodox population and tried to rely on his support, as well as Moscow, in the struggle for power.

Wars of Svidrigailo, interspersed with truces, his captures, false oaths and renunciation of them, went from 1408 to 1440. In 1430-1432, after the death of Vitovt, Svidrigailu managed to seize the throne of the Grand Duchy for a short time. But his cruel, violent temper turned against him the entire population of the principality, including the Orthodox, who made the fatal mistake of betting on such a person, and not even a co-religionist.

Trouble Svidrigailo turned out to be the last, third decisive blow to the alternative that Orthodox Lithuania could play in history as a unifier of all Russian lands.

THE RUSSIAN STATE IN THE FIRST THIRD OF THE XVI CENTURY

Questions in the text of the paragraph

Under Vasily III, with the annexation of Pskov (1510), Smolensk (1514), Ryazan (1521), Belgorod (1523), the unification of the lands of North-Eastern and North-Western Russia around Moscow was completed. The main task of the sovereign was the transformation of the once independent lands into a single Russian state. The first state institutions were created, a single army appeared - the noble local militia, a communications system. The country was divided into districts, headed by Moscow governors.

What is destiny? To whom were the inheritances allocated?

A lot is a part of a grand duchy that was owned and ruled by a member of the grand ducal family. Also, the lot was called the share of a representative of the princely family in the clan domain. Despite the fact that the inheritance was under the control of the appanage prince, it belonged to the grand duke. Often inheritances were formed as a result of inheritance, donation, land redistributions and even violent seizures. In connection with the creation of the Russian state, the formation of appanage principalities ceased: the last, Uglich, was abolished in 1591.

Questions and tasks for working with the text of the paragraph

1. Explain the economic and political meaning of securing the exclusive right to mint coins for the Grand Duke.

The grand-ducal monopoly on the right to minting coins made it possible to streamline the commodity-money turnover, which positively influenced the development of trade. Accordingly, trade brought income to the state treasury. In addition, at that time there were no paper substitutes for money, and therefore, it was not required to have security for the money supply in circulation - the coins themselves were minted from precious metals and were of independent value. This means that the sovereign's ability to implement his own plans requiring funding was limited only by the amount of precious metals mined. At any time, the sovereign could give an order to release as many coins into circulation as needed. This gave the sovereign a certain freedom in making decisions. The right to minting coins also had a political meaning. Thus, the sovereign demonstrated the supremacy of the supreme power and acted in the international political arena as an equal ruler.

2. Was the unification of Russia inevitable?

Of course, the unification of Rus was not inevitable. It cannot be said that the unification took place without wars, blood, and betrayal. Their outcome is impossible to predict. And only the desire of the rulers of the state and the people to unite made it possible to overcome all difficulties and create a single Russian state.

3. Describe the role of the sovereign's court in governing the country.

The sovereign court is the ruling elite of Moscow society. It included representatives of the old boyar families, as well as princes and their boyars who had switched to the Moscow service. From the members of the sovereign's court were appointed governors, governors, butlers, ambassadors, their assistants and subordinates; they also served in the court positions of kravch, bed-bed, sleeping bags. The less noble servants of the great sovereign carried the guard of the palace, participated in court ceremonies, formed the entourage of the ruler when he left, were part of the sovereign's regiment - the main part of the Moscow army. In fact, the sovereign's court included the sovereign's closest associates and assistants, who carried out his will and decisions in all Russian lands and represented the interests of the sovereign abroad.

4. What was the source of income for the sovereign governors? Why was this form of receiving funds called "feeding"?

The source of income for the sovereign governors and their servants was money and food provided by the population of the territory ruled by the governor. This system was called "feeding", because, in fact, the governor lived on the funds that people brought him. Moreover, the size of the content - "feed" - was determined and regulated by charter letters.

5. From whom in the first third of the XVI century. formed a single army? Explain the origin of the names of these classes.

A single army at the beginning of the 16th century consisted of a mounted aristocratic local militia, "city regiments" and "pososnoy army". The local army was the basis of the Russian army and constituted the main branch of the army - the cavalry. The local army consisted of noble landowners, people in the service of the sovereign. For the service the landowner was given a land allotment and a monetary allowance. For this, the landowner had to appear at the call of the sovereign himself, and also bring his people - from every 100 cheets (about 50 dessiatines) of the land one soldier had to go on a campaign "on horseback and in full armor", and on a long campaign - "oh two horse". "City regiments" were recruited from the townspeople, and the "squadron" - from the rural population. Mercenary detachments were also an integral part of the army - at that time, on a contractual basis, "serving Tatar princes", "Horde princes", Lithuanian princes with their warriors carried out military service.

By the second half of the 16th century, foot and horse city Cossacks, rifle regiments and an artillery "outfit" began to appear in the Russian army. Sagittarius were recruited from free people. For the service they received a salary (irregularly) and plots of land near the cities, for which they were obliged to serve for life and hereditary. Streltsy lived in special settlements, were engaged in trade and craft. The archers were trained in formation and shooting from the squeak. The Streltsy were the first permanent, but not yet regular army in Russia. The rifle army was the core of the infantry in the wars.

The artillery "outfit" in the 16th century was already allocated as an independent branch of the army. The government encouraged service in the attire of gunners and punchers with the necessary knowledge and skill. Artillery was divided into a fortress, designed to protect cities, siege - battering and field artillery with medium and light cannons.

We work with the map

Show on the map the territorial acquisitions of Vasily III, listed in the paragraph.

Consider the map on page 29 of the tutorial

The capitals of the lands annexed to Russia during the reign of Vasily III are underlined on the map with blue lines. It:

Pskov land in 1510
Smolensk land in 1514
Pereyaslavl-Ryazan in 1521
Belgorod land in 1523.

Examining documents

What are the character traits of VasilyIII can be judged by this fragment of the letter?

From this fragment of the letter, we can conclude that Vasily III was a loving and caring husband and father.

2. Why was the veche bell removed from the city?

Vasily III, in bringing Pskov to obedience, followed the example of Ivan III in his struggle with Novgorod. In the same way as in Novgorod, as a sign that there will never be veche traditions in Pskov again, the veche bell was taken out of the city.

Thinking, comparing, reflecting

1. Using the text of the paragraph and the Internet, draw up in electronic form (or in a notebook) a scheme of government of the Russian state in the first third of the 16th century.

2. Explain the meaning of the phrase: "At the church council, Ivan III proposed" to the metropolitan, and from all the rulers, and all the monasteries of the village to poimati ", and in return provide them" from their treasury with money ... and bread. "

The phrase means that Ivan III proposed to withdraw from the Church her property and land and transfer them to the government. To which he received the answer that the Russian Orthodox Church was given lands by the ancestors of Ivan III, and all the acquisitions and accumulations of the church are God's accumulations.

3. Compare the Russian estate and the European feud by the following characteristics: a) who endowed; b) for what they were endowed; c) the right of disposal (inheritance, sale, exchange, etc.); d) the right of withdrawal. Present the results in a notebook in the form of a table.

Characteristic	Russian estate	European feud
Who endowed	Sovereign	Senor
For what was endowed	For military, and later any government service.	Was allocated only to the nobles on the terms of the vassal of military, administrative or court service in favor of the lord
Disposition right	The landowner has the right to transfer the estate by inheritance if the son comes to the service instead of the father. Sale and exchange of the estate is not allowed.	The right of the vassal to use the feud remained with him only on condition that the vassal served in favor of the lord. A feudal lord could be the property of a feudal lord, but could only be in use. The feud could be inherited.
Right of withdrawal	It is withdrawn if the landowner stops serving and does not transfer the service to his son. Partially confiscated if the landowner dies in the service - a part of the estate remains for the widow.	If the vassal ceased to fulfill his obligations, the lord had the right to take away the fief.

4. Give examples showing the importance of uniting the Russian lands around Moscow.

A single Russian state was formed, strife practically stopped, the economy and commodity-money relations began to develop, laws common to all lands were adopted, a single army was created, and a centralized management system was formed. The formation of a unified Russian state was of great positive importance both for the economic development of the lands included in it, and for their protection from the attack of neighbors.

Possible questions in the lesson

What are the prerequisites for the formation of a unified Russian state

Spiritual

Common historical roots of peoples, ancient Russian statehood.
The spiritual and cultural unity of the people in conditions of fragmentation was preserved on the basis of a single faith - Orthodoxy.
One Church supported the unification of the country.
Growth of national self-awareness of the Russian people, awareness of the importance of spiritual and cultural unity.

Socio-economic

Revival and development of the country's economic life (increasing the productivity of agriculture, strengthening the commodity character of handicrafts, the growth of cities and trade).
Stability and order, strong power were necessary to strengthen the economic and commercial foundations of the country, its development, which was supported by almost all social groups.
The growing dependence of the peasants on the large landowners caused resistance, which could be contained by the centralized government. At the same time, a strong government could also protect the peasants from the tyranny of the Horde and landowners.
Boyars and nobles were interested in preserving their possessions and strengthening the dependence of the peasants.

Political (internal and external)

The need to eliminate the consequences of the Horde yoke.
Strengthening and expanding the power of the Moscow principality.
Union of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Western Church, signed by the Byzantine-Constantinople Patriarch (Russia is the only Orthodox state).
An external threat to the borders of Russian lands (Lithuania, Livonian Order, Rzeczpospolita, Sweden, etc.) forced to look for ways to unite all forces and resources.

What did the rulers need to do to centralize the state?

In order to centralize the state, the rulers had to bring the state to submission to the land, appoint their governors, create a system of centralized government, create uniform laws, form a strong army, ensure order and obedience of the population, and regulate commodity-money relations.

We memorize new words

Boyar Duma- the supreme advisory body under the sovereign, which included "Duma officials" - boyars, okolnichy, Duma nobles. Volost is the lowest administrative-territorial unit in Russia. Gosudarev Dvor is an institution for the social organization of landowners in Russia. It arose at the end of the XII century. on the basis of the princely squad.

Nobles- in the specific period - servicemen of the prince and boyars, who replaced the warriors; in the conditions of a single Russian state - a privileged service class, who received an estate from the sovereign for the period of service.

"Boyar children"- provincial noblemen who performed obligatory service and received estates from the Grand Duke for it.

Feeding- the system of keeping officials at the expense of the local population, who provided them with "food" during the service in cash or in kind (bread, meat, fish, oats, etc.).

Viceroy- an official who was appointed by the Grand Duke at the head of the district; was in charge of the court, collected fines and court fees in favor of the state.

Orders- central government bodies in Russia in the 16th - early 18th centuries. (Ambassadorial, Local, Zemsky, Chelobitny, Kazenny, etc.). They mainly had a judicial function. Some of them controlled specific territories (the order of the Kazan Palace, the Siberian order, the Novgorod couple, etc.).

Mill- an administrative-territorial unit that occupied an intermediate position between the county and the parish; two or three camps made up the county.

County- the largest territorial unit in the united Russian state, created under Vasily III; in turn, was divided into camps and volosts