Rus’–Byzantine Elite Contacts and the Arrival in Rus’ of Newly Elected Metropolitans of Kyiv in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

This paper analyzes the connections between the travels of the metropolitans of Kyiv and Rus’–Byzantine diplomatic contacts in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The study is based on Rus’ sources, namely the Primary Chronicle and the Kyivan Chronicle in Laurentian and Hypatian redactions. In some cases, the appointments of metropolitans coincided with the dispatch of Rus’ princesses to Constantinople or the exile of political opponents from Rus’ to Byzantium. The article highlights the interconnections between the dynastic, religious, and diplomatic policies of Kyian Rus’ and Byzantium.