Aspects of the ambiguous image of Latin Christendom in Rus' (from the mid-eleventh to the mid-twelfth century)

This paper analyzes some aspects of reception of Latin Christendom in Kyivan Rus' according to the East Slavic narrative sources written from the mid-eleventh to the mid-twelfth century, i.e., at the time of rising doctrinal and cultural differences between Constantinople and Rome (including the "Great Schism"). Special consideration is given to the travel diary on the Holy Land titled Life and Pilgrimage of Daniel, Hegumen of the Land of Rus’ serving as an example of encountering confessional differences. Daniel’s thematization of his confessional "other" in the Holy Land is complemented by examples of a similar ambiguity in the case of Rus’ as a whole. On a declarative level, the polemical writings of the Kyivan metropolitan bishops testify about a refutation of the "Latin heresies". On the other hand, decisions of the East Slavic princes confirm the willingness to cooperate with the neighboring Latin polities (Sweden, Poland, Hungary, etc.) in forming dynastic marriages and military alliances.