Political and Cultural Relations between Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi and the Muscovite Tsardom

Abstract

The article examines the political, military, and cultural-religious relations of Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozky with the Moscow Tsardom. The purpose of the article is to analyze the nature of the relations of Prince V.-K. Ostrozky with the Moscow Tsardom. The methodological basis of the study rests on the principles of historicism, scholarly rigor, and objectivity, which make it possible to trace the interaction of the structural components of the historiographical process and to consider historical events and facts in their internal coherence. The novelty of the research lies in a comprehensive analysis of the relations of Prince V.-K. Ostrozky with the Muscovite Tsardom as a multidimensional phenomenon that combined political, military, religious-cultural, and informational aspects. It is shown that the image of a «co-religionist ally», formed in Russian historiography of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, significantly simplified the prince’s actual political conduct, which was far more complex and dependent on a broader geopolitical context. It is emphasized that the religious-cultural dimension of V.-K. Ostrozky’s relations with Muscovy consisted in establishing contacts with Mount Athos, Constantinople, and the Orthodox centres of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The cultural-educational dimension of V.-K. Ostrozky’s contacts with Muscovy is outlined in a systematic way through the analysis of book exchange, translation initiatives, and the transfer of intellectual resources. A new reading of V.-K. Ostrozky’s position is proposed as a strategy of defensive regional leadership. It is shown that his restrained yet consistent policy of defending the Kyiv and Volhynian lands often came into tension with the expectations of the Crown regarding participation in wars on the eastern front. The late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries were marked by the intensification of contacts with Muscovy, yet even in this period the prince remained an advocate of a policy of cautious peace, viewing the main danger in the Tatar hordes. The conclusions state that the activity of V.-K. Ostrozky cannot be reduced to one-dimensional schemes of «friendship» or «hostility». It represented the strategy of a leader of a frontier region who combined military, political, and spiritual arguments in order to preserve the security of the land and the autonomy of the Orthodox tradition. The obtained results allow a renewed assessment of the prince’s place in the system of interstate relations of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and outline prospects for further research on cultural and religious networks.