Daniel (; before 1492 – May 22, 1547) was Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus', the

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

, from 1522 to 1539. He was the eighth metropolitan in Moscow to be appointed without the approval of the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

as had been the norm. He represented the belligerent ecclesiastic circle that was interested in alliance with the princely authority.

Biography

Daniel was a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery (Иосифо-Волоколамский монастырь, Волоцкий Успенский Иосифов монастырь in Russian language, Russian) is a monastery for men, located 17 km northeast of V ...

and a student of

Joseph Volotsky Joseph Volotsky — also known as Joseph of Volotsk or Joseph of Volokolamsk (); secular name Ivan Sanin () (1439 or 1440 – September 9, 1515) — was a prominent Russian theologian and early proponent of tsarist autocracy, who led the par ...

. In 1515, he was elected

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

of the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, which had been under the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

Vasili III Vasili III Ivanovich (; 25 March 14793 December 1533) was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1505 until his death in 1533. He was the son of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil (). Following on th ...

. When Daniel became

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

, he assisted Vasili III in summoning the Vasili Shemyachich, the prince of

Seversk Seversk (, ) is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom River. The population was 108,590 at the 2010 census and 109,106 at the 2002 census. It was previously known as ''Pyaty Pochtovy' ...

, to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and imprisoning him. In 1525, bypassing the ecclesiastic

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

s, Daniel sanctioned the divorce between Vasili III and his childless wife

Solomonia Saburova Solomonia Yuryevna Saburova (; – 18 December 1542) was the grand princess of Moscow as the wife of Vasili III of Russia. She was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as ''Saint Sofia of Suzdal''. Life Her father was Yury Konstantinovic ...

, which caused general discontent in

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

. Daniel was the initiator of a number of church councils (''sobory'') between 1525 and 1531, which condemned the opponents of the Josephinians -

Maximus the Greek Maximus the Greek, also known as Maximos the Greek or Maksim Grek (; ; ), was a Greek monk, publicist, writer, scholar, and translator active in Russia. He is also called Maximos the Hagiorite (), as well as Maximus the Philosopher.. His signat ...

and

Vassian Patrikeyev Vassian Patrikeyev (; – between 1531 and 1545), also known as Vassian Kosoy (; real name Prince Vasily Ivanovich Patrikeyev), was a bishop of Rostov and confidant of Ivan III of Moscow. Vassian was an ecclesiastic and political figure and wr ...

. While on his deathbed, Vasili III asked Daniel to take care of his wife and son. The metropolitan solemnly blessed

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. ...

in the

Cathedral of the Dormition The Cathedral of the Dormition (), also known as the Assumption Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is located on the north side of Cathedral Square of the Mosco ...

. During the struggle between the

Shuisky The House of Shuysky (Shuisky; ) was a Russian family of boyars and tsars, a cadet branch of the Rurikids. The surname is derived from the town of Shuya, of which the Shuiskys gained ownership in 1403. From 1606 to 1610, Vasili Shuisky ...

family and prince Ivan Belsky in 1538, Daniel supported the latter, for which he would be

defrock Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...

ed a year later by the Shuiskys. He died on May 22, 1547, in the

, where he was incarcerated.E.E. Golubinskii, Istoriia russkoi tserkvi, vol. 2, pt. 1 (Moscow: University Press, 1900), p. 736. Daniel was the author of a number of works, condemning

heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

s in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Some historians believe that he was one of the compilers of the ''

Nikon Chronicle The ''Nikon Chronicle'' () is a compilation of Russian chronicles undertaken at the court of Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century. The compilation was named after Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, who owned a copy. In the 18th century, it was publi ...

''.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Metropolitans of Moscow and all Rus' 1547 deaths Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain 16th-century Russian clergy