Metropolitanate of Lithuania

The Metropolitanate of Lithuania was a short-lived metropolitanate of the Orthodox Church in the 14th century. Created between 1315 and 1317, it had only two metropolitans and was discontinued in 1371. Its establishment was part of the entry of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into the rivalry for the religious control of the Rus' principalities between Galicia–Volhynia, the Principality of Tver, and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The Byzantine Empire, seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, generally preferred a united Metropolitanate of Kiev and all Rus' and was reluctant to divide its authority. Therefore, whenever possible, the Byzantium would unite the metropolitanates. Facing opposition to actual physical division of the metropolitanates, the Lithuanians employed additional tactics: promotion of their own candidates to the seat of the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'. By the 1440s however, the final years of the Byzantine Empire, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had effectively won the dispute and became the new spiritual center of the Orthodox tradition in Eastern Europe.

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded east at the expense of Slavic Orthodox principalities of the former Kievan Rus'. While adhering to the pagan faith, Grand Dukes Vytenis and Gediminas understood the political importance of controlling the church. At the time, Peter, the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus', supported by Galicia–Volhynia, rivaled with Mikhail Yaroslavich, Prince of Tver, who wanted to replace Peter with his own candidate. As a result of this dispute, the seat of the metropolitanate was moved to Moscow. Lithuania had a rather friendly relationship with Tver and perhaps the new metropolitanate was a way to support Mikhail Yaroslavich in his struggle with Metropolitan Peter, whose income was cut and authority in all of Rus' challenged. The Byzantine Empire, afraid of the growing influence of local dukes, generally promoted church unity within the Rus', hoping that a strong united patriarch would be able to resist political intrigues. Therefore, it is unclear why it agreed to establish a new metropolitanate; later the Byzantine authorities regarded it as an "anomaly" or the "result of confusion." Possibly, Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, involved in wars with the Ottoman Empire over Asia Minor, needed military and financial assistance, both of which Lithuania could provide. The emperor established the metropolitanate while Patriarch John XIII ordained the prelate.

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