INDRIĶA HRONIKA PAR LATĪŅU UN BIZANTIEŠU RITA BAZNĪCU LĪDZĀSPASTĀVĒŠANU AUSTRUMLATVIJĀ 13. GADSIMTA SĀKUMĀ: HISTORIOGRĀFIJA UN TURPMĀKĀS IZPĒTES PERSPEKTĪVAS
THE LIVONIAN CHRONICLE OF HENRY ABOUT THE COEXISTENCE OF LATIN AND BYZANTINE RITE CHURCHES IN EASTERN LATVIA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 13TH CENTURY: HISTORIOGRAPHY AND FUTURE RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES

Summary/Abstract: The Livonian Chronicle of Henry is one of the most important cornerstones of Latvian “historical memory”. One of the most ideologically problematic issues is the question of the relationship between invaders and local Orthodox rulers. This topic is closely related to the extent of the Christian faith among the local population before the German mission. Currently, most Latvian researchers literally take over the chronicle that the first missionaries to the Livs were Germans, but in Latgale lands Orthodoxy had spread only into the ruling circles. Archaeologists, on the other hand, lack a clear answer to the question: Why up to the 16th century cult items of the Byzantine rite survived to the inhabitants of today’s Eastern part of Latvia? Furthermore – Why was the creation of Latin dioceses and the dissemination of the Latin burial ritual in the area delayed? These phenomena are related to the continuity of the burial ritual from the 12th to the 14th century, which is usually associated with the supposedly formal Christianity of the natives in the 13th century and their subsequent double faith. As medieval chronicle research has reached a new level of understanding of the source in recent decades, it would also be time to look at the highlighted issues differently. The article addresses the local political events of interest to us in Livonia, based both on medieval theological postulates and in the context of global political developments of the time, which were of particular concern to the spiritual authorities. It is important to note that the establishment of Livonia took place at a time when the Roman Church was beginning active efforts to join the Byzantine rite Church. The Conquest of Constantinople in 1204 opened up unprecedented political opportunities that were realised in church unions in several countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Galicia). In both the conquered Greece and the lands of the union, the Latin did not require a change in the language or ritual of the liturgy. Subordination to Rome and administrative unity with the West were immediately demanded, but the changes were postponed. Thus, the lack of information on church construction, congregation formation, and tithe enforcement in both the Jersik Principality and eastern Tolova is logical: Latin practice in the newly joined Byzantine rite lands shows that in Livonia, in the Slavic language.

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