Moldova între Vilnius şi Moscova. Anii trecerii de la Roma la Constantinopol (1386-1388)
Moldavia Between Wilno and Moscow. Trading Rome For Constantinople (1386-1388)

Summary/Abstract: Moldavia between Wilno and Moscow. Trading Rome for Constantinople (1386-1388). At the end of the XIVth century Moldavia and Lithuania changed their political and confessional lanes. East-Central Europe received its final trademarks, but still deceived part of the expectations of its medieval time. Despite all Byzantine efforts and the orthodox majority in Lithuanian lands, the medieval power connecting North and South at Europe’s boarders became catholic and, as a duchy, formed a union with the Polish Kingdom. Meanwhile, Moldavia, a catholic duchy, entered the orthodox world and established relations of vassalage with Poland, Lithuania’s new partner. Linked with Moscow, who, at the time, seemed to have lost the battle for eastern hegemony, Moldavia, unwilling to remain a simple part of the Byzantine Commonwealth, battled for its orthodox liberty and world, while trying also to re-establish the bases of polish-moldavian relations. Although separated by a considerable geographical distance and connected by only one known political episode, until the end of the XVth, Moldavia and Moscow are united by similar reactions towards Byzantium and difficulties after Lithuania’s catholic choice. The present study tries to find and depict the path followed by Moldavia from Rome to Constantinople, a political and also confessional journey which really ended only in the second half of the XVth century, after the eastern failure of the religious union decided at the Council of Florence (1439). While focussing on only three years, from the official catholic baptism of Lithuanian leaders to the time Moldavia’s former bishop, became Lithuania’s first shepherd, this paper tries to capture the consequences of these major European events: Lithuania’s entry into Catholic Christendom and Moldavia turn to Byzantine faith and political legitimacy.

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