The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire

Shortly after its completion, the Battle of Poltava became a key symbol of Russian imperial ideology. Yet the successful completion of the military campaign in Poltava acquired the status of a sacred event only in the last decades of the 18th century. In this article I investigate both the reasons...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Maksym Yaremenko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Firenze University Press 2022-02-01
Series:Studi Slavistici
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/11551
_version_ 1818976697882509312
author Maksym Yaremenko
author_facet Maksym Yaremenko
author_sort Maksym Yaremenko
collection DOAJ
description Shortly after its completion, the Battle of Poltava became a key symbol of Russian imperial ideology. Yet the successful completion of the military campaign in Poltava acquired the status of a sacred event only in the last decades of the 18th century. In this article I investigate both the reasons why during Catherine ii’s reign this military event was granted its own entry in the Church calendar and the internal and external affairs that encouraged the process of sacralisation of the victory over the Swedes by the synodal Church. I argue that the analysis of the Poltava victory as a sacred symbol, which has been largely disregarded by historians, allows us, inter alia, to better assess the mobilising role of the Church feasts in the 18th-century Russian imperial policy.  
first_indexed 2024-12-20T16:15:58Z
format Article
id doaj.art-88716c2ad9314bb2a2d52f91ab67729a
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1824-761X
1824-7601
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T16:15:58Z
publishDate 2022-02-01
publisher Firenze University Press
record_format Article
series Studi Slavistici
spelling doaj.art-88716c2ad9314bb2a2d52f91ab67729a2022-12-21T19:33:48ZengFirenze University PressStudi Slavistici1824-761X1824-76012022-02-0118210.36253/Studi_Slavis-11551The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian EmpireMaksym Yaremenko0National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy Shortly after its completion, the Battle of Poltava became a key symbol of Russian imperial ideology. Yet the successful completion of the military campaign in Poltava acquired the status of a sacred event only in the last decades of the 18th century. In this article I investigate both the reasons why during Catherine ii’s reign this military event was granted its own entry in the Church calendar and the internal and external affairs that encouraged the process of sacralisation of the victory over the Swedes by the synodal Church. I argue that the analysis of the Poltava victory as a sacred symbol, which has been largely disregarded by historians, allows us, inter alia, to better assess the mobilising role of the Church feasts in the 18th-century Russian imperial policy.   https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/11551Battle of PoltavaRussian Imperial IdeologyChurch Calendar (Menologion)Catherine II
spellingShingle Maksym Yaremenko
The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
Studi Slavistici
Battle of Poltava
Russian Imperial Ideology
Church Calendar (Menologion)
Catherine II
title The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
title_full The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
title_fullStr The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
title_full_unstemmed The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
title_short The Sacralisation of the Battle of Poltava in the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire
title_sort sacralisation of the battle of poltava in the eighteenth century russian empire
topic Battle of Poltava
Russian Imperial Ideology
Church Calendar (Menologion)
Catherine II
url https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ss/article/view/11551
work_keys_str_mv AT maksymyaremenko thesacralisationofthebattleofpoltavaintheeighteenthcenturyrussianempire
AT maksymyaremenko sacralisationofthebattleofpoltavaintheeighteenthcenturyrussianempire