Church-state policy of Peter the Great

Abstract

Aim. The purpose of this article is to show the complex and contradictory nature of the church and state reform of Peter I, which reflected the catastrophic time of Peter the Great’s shock modernization during the Northern War.

Methodology. The article analyzes cardinal structural changes in the church and state relations during the period of Peter the Great’s reformations. While conducting the research, system analysis, problem-historical and comparative-typological methods, were applied, determined by the research topic.

Results. The article provides well-grounded evidence of Peter the Great’s reconstruction of the transition from the Byzantine model of the “symphony” of spiritual and secular authorities as a centuriesold mechanism of state administration to Western European absolutism of government. The authors come to the conclusion that the authorities misunderstood the importance of strengthening the traditional non-forceful spiritual and religious bonds of the Russian statehood, which subsequently had an extremely negative impact on the fate of the Romanov empire. Author’s editions to the following concepts are introduced: “symphony” of priesthood and kingdom, church and state, as well as Western European absolutism.

Research implications. The theoretical and/or practical significance of the article is determined by the importance of strengthening church-state relations as the fundamental basis of the spiritual and moral values of the thousand-year Russian history. The results of the authors’ research make a significant contribution to the historiography of the issues under consideration.