RELG 330 - History of Christianity
Course Notes
Time-Line for Christianity in Russia
Russia and the East were isolated from many of the events which took place in medieval Europe.
Feudalism ran its course in Europe. Factors leading to the break-down of the feudal system were the Black Death, the discovery of America, and the Reformation and Renaissance - these had less impact on the East.
Russia remained largely feudal until the beginning of the twentieth century.
The time line below is intended to help clarify the time periods, events, and geographic areas covered by the Church in Russia.
- 954
- Princess Olga of Kiev was baptized, started to bring in Christian missionaries
- 966
- Prince Miesko (Mieczyslaw) I of Poland was baptized, and made Poland a vassal state of the Pope of Rome. This set the scene for future Russian Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic confrontations
- 969
- Death of Olga
Prince Svyatoslav, son of Olga, took the people back to paganism - 972
- Death of Svyatoslav. Iaropolk became Prince of Kiev, and his younger brother Vladimir moved to Novgorod
- 978
- Vladimir became Prince of Kiev
- 988
- Vladimir was baptized, and established Christianity as the official religion of his kingdom. He brought in Greek Orthodox priests, and established relations with Constantinople, but the Liturgy was in Slavic rather than Greek
- 1015
- Death of Vladimir. Boris and Gleb, Christian sons of Prince Vladimir, martyred
- 1016-1054
- Reign of Yaroslav the Wise, son of Vladimir
- 1051
- The monk Antony came from the monastery at Mount Athos in Greece, founded the Monastery of the Caves near Kiev
- 1054
- The Great Schism between Eastern and Western Churches - Russia chose to remain part of the Eastern Church
- 1210
- Teutonic Knights and Swedes invaded the Baltic lands
- 1218-1263
- Alexander Nevski
- 1237
- The Tartars (Mongols) started to move in from the East
- 1240
- The Battle at the Neva. Alexander Nevski defeated the Teutonic Knights
- 1242
- The Battle on Lake Chud. The battle took place ON the lake - it was frozen. Alexander Nevski drove the Teutonic Knights out of the region
- 1243
- Batu Khan became over-lord of the Russian princes
- 1329
- The monks Sergius and Germanus founded the monastery of Valamo
- 1314-1392
- Sergius of Radonezh, founded monasteries and started to reform monastic life
- 1439
- The Council of Florence attempted to heal the Eastern Orthodox/Roman Catholic schism. The Greek, Armenian, Coptic, Syrian, and some other smaller Churches accepted the decisions, but most of these Churches were soon over-run by the Turkish invasions and the agreements lapsed. In the Russian church, only the Church in Kiev accepted the measures. The Metropolitan of Kiev was in communion with both the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople, though the Pope and the Patriarch had excommunicated each other
- 1453
- Byzantium (Constantinople) fell to the Turks. Ivan the Great claimed that Russia was now the leader of the Orthodox Church
- 1461
- The Russian Church was divided into two administrative regions centered on Kiev and Moscow, each with a Metropolitan (equivalent to an Archbishop)
- 1470-1490
- A secret society of Judaizers tried to take over the Church
- 1480
- Ivan III (the Great) broke free of the Tartar yoke
- 1533
- Ivan IV (the Terrible) became "Grand Prince" at the age of 3. He was Ivan the Great's grandson
- 1542-1563
- Makary (Macarius), Metropolitan of Moscow
- 1547
- Ivan the Terrible (aged 16) was crowned by Metropolitan Makary as "Tsar" (Caesar), claiming that Russia was the successor of the Roman Empire
- 1549
- The Hundred Chapters Council, led by Metropolitan Makary, set out rules for the organization of the Church and people of Russia
- 1580
- Ivan the Terrible killed his oldest son and heir with his own hands in one of his rages.
- 1584
- Death of Ivan the Terrible. His son Feodor became Tsar, but had no political power.
- 1584-1598
- Feodor, son of Ivan the Terrible ruled as Tsar, but his brother-in-law Boris Godunov wielded political power
- 1589
- Moscow was allowed to have a Patriarch, making it equal to Constantinople and Jerusalem
- 1591
- Boris Godunov had Dimitri, a son of Ivan the Terrible, assassinated.
- 1998
- Tsar Feodor I died. Boris Godunov seized the throne and had himself elected Tsar by the Russian Assembly
- 1598-1613
- "The Time of Troubles" : dynastic wars for the throne, famine, Poles invaded and took Moscow, peasants fled to the east and set up Cossack communities
- 1601
- The False Dimitri appeared in Poland, claiming to be the son of Ivan the Terrible, and inciting the Poles to invade Russia
- 1604
- Boris Godunov defeated the False Dimitri
- 1605
- Boris Godunov died and was succeeded by his son Feodor II. The False Dimitri entered Moscow, Feodor II was assassinated. The False Dimitri was crowned as Tsar.
- 1606
- The False Dimitri was assassinated by the boyar Vasili Shuiski, who was then elected as the next Tsar
- 1608
- The Second False Dimitri appeared, defeated Tsar Vasili Shuiski, and advanced on Moscow
- 1610
- Tsar Vasili Shuiski was deposed, and the Russian throne was offered to Vladislav, son of Sigismond III of Poland
- 1596-1676
- Michael Romanov
- 1613
- Michael Romanov was elected Tsar
- 1652
- Tsar Alexis I appointed Nikon as patriarch of Moscow. Nikon started to reform the Church, trying to bring it into line with the Greek Orthodox Church
- 1658
- Tsar Alexis I deposed the Patriarch Nikon
- 1667
- The "Old Believers" who had not accepted Nikon's reforms, were excommunicated, and called "Raskolniki" (schismatics)
- 1672-1725
- Tsar Peter I (The Great), son of Alexis I
- 1689
- Peter the Great became Tsar, started to modernize Russia, built a Russian fleet and founded St. Petersburg (Petrograd) as a port on the Baltic
- 1721
- Peter the Great abolished the Patriarchate, and set up a "Holy Synod" of ten Church leaders, who were under the control of the government
- 1729-1796
- Catherine II (The Great), a German princess who was married to Tsar Peter III
- 1762
- Peter III was insane, so a party of nobles led a palace revolution which deposed Peter and made Catherine sole ruler
- 1786
- The "Decree for Public Schools" promulgated by Catherine the Great to make public education available for all free children (serfs were not included), and to teach the basics of the Orthodox faith
- 1794
- Russian Missionaries arrived at the Kodiak islands of Alaska
- 1812
- Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia, captured Moscow, but was defeated by the Russian winter. He returned to France, and lost most of his army on the way. It is estimated that 380,000 of his soldiers died, 100,000 were taken prisoner, and only 27,000 made it back to France. Napoleon himself abandoned his army and returned to France to try to protect his Empire.
- 1905
- Tsar Nicholas II issued the "Edict of the Toleration of all Faiths"
- 1917-1918
- Council of clergy and laity met in Moscow to start reorganizing the Church. The Patriarchate was restored, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow was elected Patriarch
- 1917
- Start of the Communist Revolution. Persecution of Christians began
- 1988
- The Russian Orthodox Church celebrated 1000 years of Orthodoxy in Russia
Copyright © 2005 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
