Rastislav of Moravia

Saint Rastislav was prince of Moravia from 846 to 870, the one who called Saints Cyril and Methodius to preach in the Slavic language. He was numbered among the saints by the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in 1994.

Rise to power

Rastislav was the nephew of Mojmir I, the first known ruler of Moravia. Nothing is known for certain of his life before 846; it is thought he lived at the court of King Louis the German, as a hostage for his uncle. In 846 the Frankish king entered Moravia, overthrew Mojmir and installed Rastislav as duke. He was probably already a Christian, but was baptized at the latest then, as part of the conditions of the support he received.

Towards independence

In the first eight years of his reign no rebellion by the Moravians is known. Rastislav seems in this time to have gained new lands in the east and to have reached the border with Bulgaria. Then he felt strong enough not to accept Frankish overlordship any longer. In 855 Louis gathered a large army, but it stopped before the walls of one of Rastislav’s strongholds and the king was forced to withdraw. The Moravians pursued the Frankish army and plundered many estates on the Danube. A new attack, in 858, was again without success, and the king’s son, Carloman, even allied with Rastislav against his father.

The mission of Cyril and Methodius

Around 862 Rastislav tried to curb the work of the Frankish missionaries in his land. He turned first to Rome, without result, then asked for “teachers” at Constantinople, to raise priests from among the local people, teachers who could work in the Slavic language. Cyril and Methodius, two brothers who knew the Slavic speech of Thessalonica, arrived with a few disciples in Moravia in 863, sent by the emperor Michael III. According to the account, Rastislav asked the emperor to give him a bishop and teacher who would explain the true faith to them in their own language, so that other peoples might follow their example. The brothers began the work, using the Slavic language for teaching and for worship, and Cyril devised a script for the Slavs. The Frankish clergy soon understood that their work threatened their influence. Louis the German sent Bishop Solomon of Constance to Rome, who complained that the diocese of Passau had been “fragmented and brought to ruin” by the Moravians’ defection.

His end

In August 864 Louis invaded Moravia and besieged the stronghold of Dowina, taking Rastislav by surprise and forcing him to renew his submission. In 870 Rastislav was overthrown by his nephew Svatopluk I, who seized him and handed him over to King Louis. According to tradition he was confined in a monastery in Bavaria, where he died, on an unknown date. His name remains linked to the beginning of writing and church worship in the Slavic language.