Comment les rois moraves ont-ils changé leur religion et pourquoi ça a marché pour certains et pas pour d'autres
Development of Moravia (c. 800–846)

Moravia, the first Western Slavic polity, arose through the unification of the Slavic tribes settled north of the Danube. However, its formation is scarcely described by contemporaneous sources. The archaeologist Barford writes that the first report of the emerging Moravian state was recorded in 811. In the autumn of this year, according to the Royal Frankish Annals, Avar rulers and the duces or "leaders of the Slavs who live along the Danube" visited the court of Emperor Louis the Pious (r. 814–840) in Aachen. The earliest certain reference to Moravians or Maravani is dated to 822 when the emperor "received embassies and presents from all the East Slavs, that is, Obodrites, Sorbs, Wilzi, Bohemians, Moravians and Praedenecenti, and from the Avars living in Pannonia " at an assembly held at Frankfurt.

The late-9th-century Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum ("The Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians") makes the first reference to a Moravian ruler. Carantanians (ancestors of present-day Slovenians) were the first Slavic people to accept Christianity from the West. They were mostly Christianized by Irish missionaries sent by the Archdiocese of Salzburg, among them Modestus, known as the "Apostle of Carantanians". This process was later described in the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, which states that Mojmír, "duke of the Moravians", expelled "one Pribina " across the Danube. Pribina fled to Ratpot who administered the March of Pannonia from around 833. Whether Pribina had up to that time been an independent ruler or one of Mojmir's officials is a matter of scholarly discussion. For instance, Urbańczyk writes that Mojmir and Pribina were two of the many Moravian princes in the early 9th century, while according to Havlík, Třeštík and Vlasto, Pribina was Mojmír's lieutenant in Nitra. Historians who identify Pribina as the ruler of an autonomous state, the Principality of Nitra —for instance, Bartl, Kirschbaum and Urbańczyk —add that "Great Moravia" emerged through the enforced integration of his principality into Moravia under Mojmír.

The 9th-century Catalogue of Fortresses and Regions to the North of the Danube —which lists the peoples along the borders of East Francia in a north-to-south order—mentions that the Moravians or Marharii had 11 fortresses or civitates. The document locates the Marhari between the Bohemians and the Bulgars, and also makes mention of the Merehani and their 30 fortresses. According to Havlík, who writes that Conversion is a consolidated version of notes made by several authors in different years, the Moravians are twice mentioned in the text: first as Marhari, and next as Merehani. He says, that the reference to the Marhari and their 11 fortresses was made between 817 and 843, and the note of the Merehani shows the actual state under Svatopluk I. In contrast with Havlík, Steinhübel together with Třeštík and Vlasto identify the Merehani with the inhabitants of the Principality of Nitra. A third view is presented by Püspöki-Nagy and Senga, who write that the reference to the Merehanii —who obviously inhabited the southern regions of the Great Hungarian Plains to the north of the Danube, but south of the territories dominated by the Bulgars—and their 30 fortresses shows the existence of another Moravia in Central Europe.

Among the Bohemians are 15 fortresses. The have 11 fortresses. The region of the Bulgars is immense. That numerous people has five fortresses, since their great multitude does not require fortresses. The people called have 30 fortresses.

According to a 13th-century source, the History of the Bishops of Passau and the Dukes of Bavaria, Bishop Reginhar of Passau (r. 818–838) baptized "all of the Moravians" in 831. There is no other information on the circumstances of this mass conversion. Vlasto writes that Mojmír had by that time been converted to Christianity; according to Petr Sommer and other historians, he was also baptized on this occasion. All the same, the Life of Methodius narrates that Christian missionaries had by the 860s arrived in Moravia "from among the Italians, Greeks and Germans " who taught them " in various ways ". The Life of Constantine adds that missionaries from East Francia did not forbid "the offering of sacrifices according to the ancient customs", which shows that pagan rites were continued for decades even after 831.

According to the Annals of Fulda, around August 15, 846, Louis the German, King of East Francia (r. 843–876) launched a campaign "against the Moravian Slavs, who were planning to defect". The exact circumstances of his expedition are unclear. For instance, Vlasto writes that the Frankish monarch took advantage of the internal strife which followed Mojmír's death, while according to Kirschbaum, Mojmír was captured and dethroned during the campaign. However, it is without doubt that Louis the German appointed Mojmír's nephew, Rastislav, as the new duke of Moravia during this campaign.
Les raisons des souverains pour et contre la conversion

De plus, de nombreux premiers rois chrétiens ont été suivis par des fils qui n'étaient pas baptisés ou qui sont retournés au paganisme à la mort de leurs pères. Il a été avancé que l'équilibre entre les deux idéologies était très fluctuant et que la décision était étroitement liée à l'équilibre des pouvoirs des élites locales. Affirmer son adhésion à la religion traditionnelle pouvait servir à obtenir le soutien des élites locales, comme dans le cas de l'Essex, où le christianisme avait été imposé par le Kent, et après la mort de Sæberht, ses fils Sexræd et Sæward ont rejeté le christianisme et ont embrassé le paganisme anglo-saxon à la place. Cela pouvait être perçu comme un acte d'affirmation de l'indépendance qui aurait séduit ceux qui s'opposaient à l'hégémonie kentish. Par la suite, il a été suggéré que les rois établis étaient plus susceptibles d'être baptisés afin d'accéder aux avantages du christianisme, tandis que ceux qui aspiraient au trône étaient plus enclins à conserver la religion traditionnelle. C'est peut-être pour cela que des rois comme Eadbald et Cenwalh ont adopté le christianisme une fois assurés dans leur règne.
### Query ###
Comment les rois moraves ont-ils changé leur religion et pourquoi ça a marché pour certains et pas pour d'autres

### Main Text ###
Development of Moravia (c. 800–846)

Moravia, the first Western Slavic polity, arose through the unification of the Slavic tribes settled north of the Danube. However, its formation is scarcely described by contemporaneous sources. The archaeologist Barford writes that the first report of the emerging Moravian state was recorded in 811. In the autumn of this year, according to the Royal Frankish Annals, Avar rulers and the duces or "leaders of the Slavs who live along the Danube" visited the court of Emperor Louis the Pious (r. 814–840) in Aachen. The earliest certain reference to Moravians or Maravani is dated to 822 when the emperor "received embassies and presents from all the East Slavs, that is, Obodrites, Sorbs, Wilzi, Bohemians, Moravians and Praedenecenti, and from the Avars living in Pannonia " at an assembly held at Frankfurt.

The late-9th-century Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum ("The Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians") makes the first reference to a Moravian ruler. Carantanians (ancestors of present-day Slovenians) were the first Slavic people to accept Christianity from the West. They were mostly Christianized by Irish missionaries sent by the Archdiocese of Salzburg, among them Modestus, known as the "Apostle of Carantanians". This process was later described in the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, which states that Mojmír, "duke of the Moravians", expelled "one Pribina " across the Danube. Pribina fled to Ratpot who administered the March of Pannonia from around 833. Whether Pribina had up to that time been an independent ruler or one of Mojmir's officials is a matter of scholarly discussion. For instance, Urbańczyk writes that Mojmir and Pribina were two of the many Moravian princes in the early 9th century, while according to Havlík, Třeštík and Vlasto, Pribina was Mojmír's lieutenant in Nitra. Historians who identify Pribina as the ruler of an autonomous state, the Principality of Nitra —for instance, Bartl, Kirschbaum and Urbańczyk —add that "Great Moravia" emerged through the enforced integration of his principality into Moravia under Mojmír.

The 9th-century Catalogue of Fortresses and Regions to the North of the Danube —which lists the peoples along the borders of East Francia in a north-to-south order—mentions that the Moravians or Marharii had 11 fortresses or civitates. The document locates the Marhari between the Bohemians and the Bulgars, and also makes mention of the Merehani and their 30 fortresses. According to Havlík, who writes that Conversion is a consolidated version of notes made by several authors in different years, the Moravians are twice mentioned in the text: first as Marhari, and next as Merehani. He says, that the reference to the Marhari and their 11 fortresses was made between 817 and 843, and the note of the Merehani shows the actual state under Svatopluk I. In contrast with Havlík, Steinhübel together with Třeštík and Vlasto identify the Merehani with the inhabitants of the Principality of Nitra. A third view is presented by Püspöki-Nagy and Senga, who write that the reference to the Merehanii —who obviously inhabited the southern regions of the Great Hungarian Plains to the north of the Danube, but south of the territories dominated by the Bulgars—and their 30 fortresses shows the existence of another Moravia in Central Europe.

Among the Bohemians are 15 fortresses. The have 11 fortresses. The region of the Bulgars is immense. That numerous people has five fortresses, since their great multitude does not require fortresses. The people called have 30 fortresses.

According to a 13th-century source, the History of the Bishops of Passau and the Dukes of Bavaria, Bishop Reginhar of Passau (r. 818–838) baptized "all of the Moravians" in 831. There is no other information on the circumstances of this mass conversion. Vlasto writes that Mojmír had by that time been converted to Christianity; according to Petr Sommer and other historians, he was also baptized on this occasion. All the same, the Life of Methodius narrates that Christian missionaries had by the 860s arrived in Moravia "from among the Italians, Greeks and Germans " who taught them " in various ways ". The Life of Constantine adds that missionaries from East Francia did not forbid "the offering of sacrifices according to the ancient customs", which shows that pagan rites were continued for decades even after 831.

According to the Annals of Fulda, around August 15, 846, Louis the German, King of East Francia (r. 843–876) launched a campaign "against the Moravian Slavs, who were planning to defect". The exact circumstances of his expedition are unclear. For instance, Vlasto writes that the Frankish monarch took advantage of the internal strife which followed Mojmír's death, while according to Kirschbaum, Mojmír was captured and dethroned during the campaign. However, it is without doubt that Louis the German appointed Mojmír's nephew, Rastislav, as the new duke of Moravia during this campaign.

### Supplementary Text ###
Les raisons des souverains pour et contre la conversion

De plus, de nombreux premiers rois chrétiens ont été suivis par des fils qui n'étaient pas baptisés ou qui sont retournés au paganisme à la mort de leurs pères. Il a été avancé que l'équilibre entre les deux idéologies était très fluctuant et que la décision était étroitement liée à l'équilibre des pouvoirs des élites locales. Affirmer son adhésion à la religion traditionnelle pouvait servir à obtenir le soutien des élites locales, comme dans le cas de l'Essex, où le christianisme avait été imposé par le Kent, et après la mort de Sæberht, ses fils Sexræd et Sæward ont rejeté le christianisme et ont embrassé le paganisme anglo-saxon à la place. Cela pouvait être perçu comme un acte d'affirmation de l'indépendance qui aurait séduit ceux qui s'opposaient à l'hégémonie kentish. Par la suite, il a été suggéré que les rois établis étaient plus susceptibles d'être baptisés afin d'accéder aux avantages du christianisme, tandis que ceux qui aspiraient au trône étaient plus enclins à conserver la religion traditionnelle. C'est peut-être pour cela que des rois comme Eadbald et Cenwalh ont adopté le christianisme une fois assurés dans leur règne.

### Draft ###

### 1. Query Decomposition

"Comment les rois moraves ont-ils changé leur religion" → How did Moravian kings change their religion
"pourquoi ça a marché pour certains et pas pour d'autres" → why did it work for some but not others

Key semantic issue: "rois moraves" - Moravian kings. Which period? Which sources?

● Translation challenge: "marché" = worked/succeeded. Success metrics undefined.

Task type: Historical causation analysis. Not simple retrieval.

### 2. Historical Contextualization

Moravia → Bohemia region. Slavic kingdom. 
Timeframe: 8th-9th centuries CE. Critical period 830s-860s.

⟨H≈0.8⟩ 
Christianization waves... Frankish expansion eastward... missionary networks... Irish vs German vs Byzantine influences... cultural translation zones... pagan strongholds in mountain fortresses... tribal loyalties vs royal conversions... 

Key actors:
- Mojmír I (r. ~830s)
- Rastislav (r. 846-870) 
- Svatopluk I (r. 870s-894)
- Methodius/Cyril missions (863+)

### 3. Information State Assessment

◐ Partial records. Frankish chronicles (Annales Fuldenses) vs Byzantine sources vs Czech chronicles (later medieval).

⚠ Potential bias: Christian sources overemphasize "conversion" narrative.

? Missing: local Moravian perspectives, resistance movements, women's roles in religious change.

### 4. Success Factors Analysis

**Case A: Mojmír I**
- Mass baptism 831? (Reginhar of Passau)
- ◐ "Success": Rapid initial adoption
- ○ Reasons: Political alliance with Franks? Internal pressure?

**Case B: Partial Resistance**
- 863+ missions faced "obstacles"
- ● Evidence: Christian practices continued
- → Why persistent?

Hypothesis testing:
1. Elite conversion ≠ popular adoption
2. Geographic variation in acceptance
3. Economic incentives vs spiritual conviction
4. Frankish military pressure vs voluntary adoption

### 5. Synthesis Challenges

Multi-hop reasoning required:
- Frankish politics → Moravian foreign policy
- Missionary strategy → local adaptation
- Economic changes → religious practice shifts

⟨H≈1.2⟩
The sacred and the secular... borders between church and state blurring in conversion narratives... what constitutes "success"? Institutional change vs behavioral change... archaeological evidence of pagan practice persistence... silver amulets buried in churchyards... double-faith strategies... 

! Key insight: "Worked" depends on measurement criteria.

### 6. Logical Constraints

Physical realism check:
- Population size Moravia ≈ 500k-1M?
- Missionary capacity limited
- Communication networks: months between regions
- Geographic barriers: mountains, forests

∴ Gradual, uneven process inevitable.

### 7. Answer Construction

**Structure approach:**
1. Chronological progression
2. Success metrics definition  
3. Factor analysis per case
4. Synthesis of variation sources

**Uncertainty markers:**
- Dates: ±5-10 years typical
- Attribution: "according to sources" vs "historians debate"
- Causes: "likely" vs "well-documented"

**Key limitations:**
- Source bias toward elite male perspectives
- Retroactive historical narratives
- Measurement challenges across centuries

### 8. Final Assessment

This historical query requires:
- Dense chronological knowledge ◐
- Source criticism skills ◐  
- Comparative methodology ●
- Ability to synthesize partial evidence ●

Answer must acknowledge: **Complex uneven process with multiple success metrics, limited sources, and significant regional/temporal variation.**

≈ 80% confidence on major trends
≈ 50% confidence on specific attributions
≈ 30% confidence on motivational factors

### Answer###
La christianisation de la Moravie a été un processus complexe et graduel qui s'est déroulé sur plusieurs décennies, avec des résultats variés selon les périodes et les régions.

Sous le règne de Mojmír, le premier christianisme arriva vers 831 lorsque l'évêque Reginhar de Passau baptisa "tous les Moravians". Cependant, ce fut une conversion de masse dont les circonstances exactes restent floues. Les sources indiquent que les missionnaires chrétiens arrivèrent "d'entre les Italiens, Grecs et Allemands" et enseignèrent "de diverses manières".

Les raisons qui poussèrent certains rois moraves à adopter le christianisme étaient probablement multiples. Le roi pouvait percevoir l'alliance avec l'Église comme un moyen de renforcer son pouvoir politique et son indépendance face aux influences étrangères, notamment franques. La conversion pouvait également s'accompagner d'avantages économiques et politiques significatifs.

Cependant, la christianisation ne fut pas un processus uniforme. Même après les baptêmes massifs de 831, les pratiques païennes se poursuivirent pendant des décennies. Les missionnaires d'Empire germanique n'interdisaient pas l'offrande de sacrifices selon les coutumes anciennes, ce qui suggère que les rites traditionnels continuaient d'être pratiqués parallèlement au christianisme.

La conversion de Rastislav, qui succéda à Mojmír en 846, représente un autre tournant, notamment avec l'arrivée des missions de Constantin-Cyrille et Méthode dans les années 860.

Les facteurs qui expliquent cette évolution graduelle et non uniforme incluent probablement les différences régionales, les intérêts politiques des élites locales, et l'équilibre délicat entre adoption des nouvelles pratiques religieuses et préservation des identités culturelles traditionnelles.