The case of the suspected archbishop

9th part of the series Crimes in Great Moravia. Triumph in Rome, the shadow of betrayal in Moravia. In the autumn of 880, an important envoy led by Archbishop Methodius and Prince Slavomir returned from Rome. Their journey was of crucial importance - Methodius successfully defended his missionary and ecclesiastical activities before the Pope and thus confirmed the legitimacy of his work in Great Moravia. Moreover, the Pope accepted Prince Svatopluk together with the whole Moravian land and its people under the protection and patronage of the Roman See. This symbolically placed Great Moravia under the direct protection of the Pope and Rome. The Moravian mission thus achieved almost all its goals in Rome. Yet one major complication has emerged. At the same time, the Pope consecrated Wiching, who had been Methodius' main opponent and long-time rival, as bishop of Nitrava.