“Chosen by God”

Novgorod was one of medieval Russia's key political, cultural, economic, and commercial centers. The archbishop of Novgorod was a key figure not only in the church, the preeminent institution in medieval Europe, but also in the political, judicial, social, and economic life of the city and of medieval Russia more broadly. This book provides a historical development not only of the office of archbishop, but through a discussion of that office, presents a fuller history of Novgorod and medieval Russia. By understanding how Novgorod and the church in Novgorod developed, it is possible to gain a fuller understanding of medieval Russia outside of Moscow, and gain a better appreciate how Novgorod declined while Moscow grew.