The place and role of religion and the church in the formation and development of Ancient Russian society and the state and the centralized Moscow state in the period from the 9th to the 17th centuries

the presented scientific article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the place and role of religion and the church in the formation and development of Ancient Russian society and the state, as well as the centralized Moscow state in the period from the 9th to the 17th centuries. The relevance of the work is due to the fundamental influence of the religious factor on the formation of Russian statehood, the legal system and cultural identity. The methodological basis was made up of historical-legal, comparative-historical and systematic methods, which allowed for a multidimensional analysis of the stated topic. In the course of the research, it was established that already at the early stages pagan beliefs determined the "spirit" and "letter" of Slavic sacred law. The key milestone was the adoption of Christianity in 988, which contributed to the consolidation of society, the penetration of writing, the codification of law (Russian Truth) and the reception of advanced Byzantine legal norms. The author notes that the Orthodox Church played a decisive role in the unification of the Russian lands, overcoming feudal fragmentation and the Mongol-Tatar yoke, as well as in legitimizing autocratic power. It is noted that during the era of the Muscovite Empire, the church actively participated in public administration and the ideological justification of centralization, which was reflected in such documents as the Stoglav and the Conciliar Code of 1649. The article draws attention to the fact that by the end of the period under review, there was a tendency towards the gradual subordination of the church to secular authority, and the restriction of its economic and political rights. Based on the conducted research, the author introduces the fact that during the 9th–17th centuries, religion and the church (Orthodox religious beliefs) were a key integration factor that had a fundamental impact on all spheres of life of Russian society and the state.

ancient Russian society and state, centralized Moscow state, religion and church, Orthodoxy, statehood