Conflflicts in the Families of Parish Priests in 18th Century Ukraine

Abstract

The study demonstrates how the religious worldview of early modern humans influenced the formation of family values and relationships in the clergy families and the church. The paper is based on the analysis of religious texts that were the basis of the contemporary Orthodox idea of the ideal family, comparing them with notes on the daily life of religious figures of the early modern period, with archival sources. The thesis analyses the conflicts in priests’ families in Ukraine in the early modern society which was lenient concerning “dosed” violence by the father in the family. In this time period, the priest decided what the “normal” patterns of behavior were, ignoring or interpreting in his own way the instructions of the bishop and the canonical precepts. More than 7% of the priests were unable to resolve family quarrels on their own, and they moved to the public sphere for conflict resolution. The majority of these conflicts were between the son-in-law and mother-in-law of the priest. The least frequently reported conflicts were between the priest and his wife. The archival sources contained reports of conflicts involving every family member role. The disputes took place over material values and personal animosity, and within the context of “professional” activities, as family members often held all positions in the parish.