Who are the boyars? This is the upper class that existed in Russia from the 10th to the 17th century. The privileged class also included the great and specific princes.
The emergence of the boyars
In the hierarchical ladder, the boyars occupied a leading role immediately after the Grand Duke, participated along with him in government.
This estate emerged in the 9th century, when the formation of the Old Russian state began. Among them, during the 10-11 centuries, princely and zemstvo boyars separately existed. The first were also called princely men, and the second - city elders. It was the latter who were the descendants of the tribal nobility. When princes were given land in the 11th century, they merged with the zemstvo boyars, becoming a single estate.
Princes and boyars in state affairs in the 12th-15th centuries
Since the boyars were vassals of the prince, their duties included serving in his army. But they also had many privileges: they had the right to leave for another prince; absolute power and dominance on the territory of their fiefdoms; his vassals.
The fragmentation of Russia, which took place in the 12-15 centuries, led to the weakening of princely power. At the same time, there was an increase in the economic power of the boyar class, the growth of its politicalinfluence.
For example, on the territory of the Galicia-Volyn principality and the Novgorod lands in the 13th century, the boyars took over the decision of state affairs, which was carried out at the so-called councils. Due to the strong influence of this estate, the Chernigov, Polotsk-Minsk, Muromo-Ryazan principalities did not have powerful princely power.
Rivalry between princes and patrimonial boyars
To weaken the influence of the patrimonial boyars, the princes resorted to the help of service boyars and nobles.
When, starting from the second half of the 14th century, the grand ducal power began to increase again, the so-called worthy boyars appeared. Their powers included managing the branches of the palace economy.
Who are the good boyars? This is a horseman, falconer, bowler, etc. They also included governors, who managed separate territories that were given to them for feeding.
The formation of a centralized state entailed a restriction of the rights of the boyars, which consisted in narrowing the scope of immunity, constraint and cancellation by the end of the 15th century of the right to leave for another prince. The social status of the class has changed.
The distribution of power in the 15th-17th centuries
Who are the boyars since the 15th century? Now this is the highest rank among service people in the fatherland. The presence of such a title meant that a person could participate in the activities of the Boyar Duma, this gave the right to be considered the highest duma rank. The boyars, as a rule, were now in the main administrative, judicial and military positions, were at the headorders.
The patrimonial boyars, who continued to resist the regime of the newly formed centralized state, lost many socio-economic and political privileges. All protests and speeches were immediately suppressed. The boyar aristocracy suffered greatly from the oprichnina of Ivan IV.
With the coming to the throne of the Romanovs, the distribution of influence among the estates has changed dramatically. Now the service boyars and nobles of the 17th century have become economically stronger, while many noble dynasties have been cut short. It was for these reasons that the class differences between the boyars and the nobility gradually began to disappear. And when the local and patrimonial landownership, according to the order of 1714, united, they were tacitly united into the concept of "landlords". Later, this term was modified into the word "bare", or "master".
In 1682 localism was abolished, and now the boyars were less and less involved in public affairs. And at the beginning of the 18th century, Peter I completely abolished the title of boyar.
Life of boyars and nobles
Nobles and boyars of the 17th century in Russia, as mentioned earlier, began to unite into one class.
If we talk about everyday life, then according to the remaining artifacts of those times, we can conclude that in the noble and boyar estates there were a lot of weapons and silver items, expensive jewelry and interior items. By the 17th century, many estates turned into feudal castles, in which 60 to 80 people could live.
The appearance of the first truly chicAt that time, the estates date back to the 10th-11th centuries. Gradually, some of them went bankrupt in the process of various reforms. The owners started their estates. But representatives of enterprising families, who managed to preserve their we alth and territories, by the 16-17 centuries surrounded their estates with high walls, turning them into real castles.
Life of boyars and nobles in the 17th century
The gradual penetration of the European model of life into the materially secure classes has led to increased concern for the comfort of life. How else to understand who the boyars and nobles are? The upper financially secure classes showed this as soon as they could: a variety of cutlery and napkins, individual dishes and tablecloths began to appear on the tables. Now each member of the family had a separate room. Particularly we althy dynasties used faience, tin and copper utensils.
Representatives of famous families of that time (Golitsyn, Naryshkin, Odoevsky, Morozov, etc.) decorated their large stone houses according to the latest European fashion: expensive wallpaper, carpets and leather on the walls; mirrors and paintings; a large number of light sources, in particular chandeliers and decorative candles.
Both masters and servants began to dress in the European manner: light expensive fabrics, free cut, jewelry made of gold and silver embroidery and precious stones. Despite the fact that European dresses were the exception rather than a constant in 17th century Russia, the privileged classes began to follow the trends of Western fashion in many ways.
Another new elementthe lives of we althy boyars and nobles became a hobby. Playing chess, attending concerts and other entertainments have become an integral part of the life of the rich. They traveled in light carriages with springs and servants at the back, wore wigs, and men began to shave their faces.
Posad elite lived more modestly. Its representatives dressed in a cloth dress, furniture and utensils were not so expensive. But in their lives there was also a desire for comfort. In the rooms one could see paintings, clocks, mirrors. Reception of guests was carried out in special ceremonial halls.
The nobles tried to copy the royal chambers, of course, not with royal gloss, but still. Their mansions have windows with mica, furniture made of carved wood, carpets on the floors.
Who are the boyars in Wallachia and Moldavia?
On the territory of Wallachia and Moldavia, this feudal class developed in the 14th century. Within it, a certain classification was observed. The clan boyars were the owners of bashtins (estates), and the local boyars were the owners of the granted estates. Over time, the differences between them began to blur. The boyars of independent Romania in the 19th century included people from large merchants and officials. In these territories, the liquidation of the boyars as a class took place only on March 22, 1945, in the process of implementing the law on agrarian reform.
The terms "boyars" and "nobles" in the history textbook
Who are the boyars and nobles? The historical definition provides a clear and concise answer to this question.
Nobles - representativesprivileged class that arose in a feudal society.
Boyars are representatives of the upper layer of the feudal society that existed from the 10th to the 17th centuries on the territory of Kievan Rus, the Moscow principality, Bulgaria, the Moldavian principality, Wallachia, from the XIV century in Romania.
