The socio-political status of bishops in pre-Mongol Rus according to the chronicles

Understanding the place of the episcopate in the social structure of medieval Rus-sian society is important in order to fully comprehend the role of the Church and itsinstitutions in the political development of the East-Slavic state of the pre-Mongolperiod. Much information on this topic may be gleaned from Russian chronicles. Ananalysis of the events recorded by chroniclers allows one to conclude that the socialstatus of the bishop was unstable and directly dependent on his personal authorita-tiveness and his relationship with the local prince. However, by the end of the periodof study, the senior clergy begin to firmly take their place among the ruling elites ofRussian society.