CHURCH POLICY OF PRINCE MIKHAIL ALEXANDROVICH OF TVER

The article considers the Church policy of Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver. Tver Prince managed to defend the independence of his Principality in the fight against the strengthened Moscow Principality, which claimed the role of the unifier of Russia. The Church had an important place in his affeirs. At the beginning of the XIV century the alliance of Moscow and Russian metropolitans formed. Metropolitan Alexius most actively used the opportunities of the Church to strengthen the positions of Moscow. Being the enemy of the Prince Dmitry Ivanovich of Moscow, Mikhail turned out to be an opponent of the Metropolitan Alexius. Based on the chronicle material and correspondence of the Patriarchate of Constantinople with the warring parties, the conflict between the Metropolitan and the Prince of Tver is traced. The opposite sides appealed to the Patriarch Philotheus to support their position. Initially, the Patriarch of Constantinople expressed support for Alexius, but under the influence of Mikhail Alexandrovich and his ally, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, he took a neutral conciliatory position. As a result, under the influence of Philotheus, the prince of Tver reconciled with Alexius. Mikhail developed excellent relations with the next Metropolitan Cyprian, who was hiding in Tver from the troops of Tokhtamysh. The position of Bishop of Tver had also great importance. Bishop Basil suffered from the Metropolitan for supporting Mikhail. However, in 1390 there was a conflict between the prince and the new Tver bishop Euthymius. Metropolitan Cyprian reconciled them by ordaining a new bishop Arsenius to Tver. Mikhail carried out active church construction, maintained contacts with Constantinople and Athos. The author attempted to analyze the relations of Mikhail of Tver with the Church and their influence on the political situation in North-Eastern Russia in the second half of the 14th century.