Union of Brest (1596)

Timeline

1. 1595–1596Brest · Brest RegionUnder the impetus of King Sigismund III of Poland and the Jesuits, some bishops of the Kyiv Metropolitanate negotiated with representatives of the Holy See over retention of the rite and papal authority; opposing bishops refused to participate, deepening the internal rift within the church.
2. 1596Brest Cathedral · Brest RegionUnionist bishops signed the Articles of Union at Brest, declaring communion with the Holy See and establishing the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, retaining Orthodox rites and canon law while recognizing papal primacy.
3. 1596–1599Kyiv Metropolitanate · KyivOrthodox bishops who rejected the union convened rival synods and condemned the Union of Brest; both sides contested churches and congregations, and the religious schism became one of the long-term sources of social unrest in eastern Poland.