Welcome to Russian History Retold. Episode 317, the Patriarchs and Metropolitans of the Russian Orthodox Church, part one.

Last time, we covered the history of the Cossacks.

Today, we will begin to cover the list of Russian Orthodox's most influential leaders

over the centuries, the patriarchs, and metropolitan's.

As most of you were well aware, the Russian Orthodox Church has a deep connection with the Russian state today and in the past.

It began with the likely forced baptism of the Rus in 988 under the rule of Vladimir the Great.

Before the conversion, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople mentioned the supposed mass baptism of the Rus in 860,

but there is no evidence that this actually happened.

While never the patriarch of the Rus, he is worth a mention.

Depending on a few factors, the number of Russian patriarchs is between 16 and 18.

They're split into two eras.

The first, starting with the ascension of St. Job on January 23, 1589, ending with Patriarch Adrian after his death on October 16,700.

Peter I stopped allowing the election of patriarchs and replaced them with the most wholly governing synod.

Surprisingly, the next Patriarchs election would begin again after the overthrow of the provisional government and the rise of the Bolsheviks.

The first of this line was St. Ticone, with his election by the 1917-1918 local council of the Orthodox Church of Russia on December 4, 1917.

Prior to St. Job becoming the first Russian patriarch, we had 10 metropolitans of Kiev and

Orrhus between 1325 and 1441. In 1448, the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church landed in Moscow with the election

of St. Jonah. 17 metropolitan served the church until 1589 when, as I mentioned, we had our first

Russian patriarch. Some of these church leaders made significant

differences in Russian history, while others left nothing but a name in the record books. I picked

those who are influential in one way or another, or stoked controversy, or just had an

interesting story to tell.

...