Okolnichi

Okolnichy (russian: око́льничий, ) was an old Muscovite court official position. According to the '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'', directives on the position of ''okolnichy'' date back to the 14th century. Judging by the Muscovite records from the 16th and 17th centuries, ''okolnichy'' were entrusted with the same business in administration as boyars, with the only difference that they were placed second to boyars everywhere. While lower than boyars, it was one of the highest ranks (or positions) close to the tsar in the courts of the Moscow rulers until the government reform undertaken by Peter the Great.

The word is derived from the Russian word () meaning 'close, near', in this case 'sitting close to the Tsar'. In the mid-16th century the role became second (subordinate) to boyars.Чины в Московском государстве // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). — СПб., 1890—1907

Description

The duties of the first known ''okolnichies'' included arranging the travel and quarters of grand princes and tsars, as well as accommodating foreign ambassadors and presenting them to the court.

Okolnichies had a seat in ''prikaz''es, were appointed as ''namestnik''s (viceroys) and ''voivod''es (generals), served as diplomatic envoys and members of the tsar's council (duma).

Initially their number was very small, but it grew over time and they acquired more duties. An ''okolnichy'' could head a state office (''prikaz'') or a regiment, could be an ambassador or a member of the state duma.

Initially the rank of ''okolnichy'' was the second highest after that of ''boyar'', while often they performed similar duties. According to the system of ''mestnichestvo'', a person could not be made a ''boyar'' unless someone else in his family had recently held the ''boyar/okolnichy'' rank. Consequently, a position of ''okolnichy'' was a step towards granting the ''boyar'' rank to a non-noble. Even Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, though a Rurikid '' knyaz'' by birth and the "Saviour of the Motherland" by royal mercy, could not secure a position higher than ''okolnichy'', because neither his parents nor uncles had ever held a rank higher than ''stolnik''.

Under the Romanovs, the 18 noblest families of Muscovy were given the privilege of starting their official career from the rank of ''okolnichy'', skipping all the lower ranks, such as ''stolnik''. At the same period, the positions of ''okolnichy'' were differentiated and some of them (''quarters okolnichy'' or ''close okolnichy'') were of higher rank than that of non-close ''boyars''. The terms derive from a semi-formal ranking based on the proximity to the tsar at the tsar's table.

List of okolnichies

Ivan III of Russia

Vasiliy III of Russia

Ivan the Terrible

Feodor I of Russia, the Blessed

Boris Godunov

False Dmitry I

Vasili IV of Russia Shuiskiy

Michael of Russia

Alexis of Russia

Feodor III of Russia

Ivan V of Russia and Peter the Great

See also

* Voyevoda

References

*{{Efron

Court titles

Tsardom of Russia