Kyiv Metropolia and Moscow Diplomacy: an Ottoman Viewpoint

Abstract

The Muscovite legation to the Ottoman Empire in 1686 enabled the final stage of annexation of the Kyiv Metropolia by the Patriarchate of Moscow at the end of the 17th century. However, previously ignored Ottoman sources (the official register of Ottoman affairs in 1686-1687, the History of Silahdar chronicle, and a fragment of the European chronicle Relazione di Constantinopoli) contradict the Russian narrative. This casts doubt on the veracity of the Muscovite diplomatic mission in 1686 and, therefore, the process of separation of the Kyiv Metropolia from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.