- Prikaz
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A prikaz in Moscow. Painting by Alexander Yanov
Prikaz (Russian: прика́з, IPA: [prʲɪˈkas] (
listen)) was an administrative (palace, civil, military, or church) or judicial office in Muscovy and Russia of 15th-18th centuries. The term is usually translated as "ministry", "office" or "department". In modern Russian "prikaz" means administrative or military order (to do something). Plurally form is 'prikazy' (Russian: Приказы)."Prikaz" was also the name of streltsy regiments in 16th-17th centuries.
Most of prikazes were subordinated to Boyar Duma. Some of them (Palace Prikazes (Дворцовые приказы)) were subordinated to the Tayny Prikaz, or Prikaz of Secret Affairs (приказ тайных дел) that answered directly to Tsar. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia had his own prikazes.
There was a large number (up to 60) of specialized prikazes. Their set varied over time.
Contents
Approximate list of prikazy
- Foreign affairs
- Posolsky Prikaz (literally: "Ambassadorial office") was in charge of international affairs, a kind of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Polonyanichy Prikaz (from archaic Russian: Полон, Плен 'polon', 'plen' means captive) : redemption of Russian captives, prisoners of war
- Panskiy Prikaz (Prikas of Pans) - office of Poland affairs
- Administrative
- Pechatny Prikaz (Prikaz of the Seal, Stamp Prikaz) was an office that placed the Tsar's seal on various documents that granted various things to private persons, and collected the corresponding duties.
- Stone Prikaz
- Yamskoy Prikaz (mail)
- Prikaz of book-printing affairs
- Prikaz of hospices constructing
- Aptekarskiy (Drugstore) prikaz
- Monastery Prikaz (was not subordinated to the Russian Orhodox Church)
- Judicial
- Military Prikazes
- Streletsky Prikaz
- Pushkarsky Prikaz, in charge of artillery
- Admiralteysky Prikaz, in charge of Navy.
- Cossak Prikaz
- Bronniy (Armor) Prikaz
- Prikaz sbora ratnyh i datochnyh lydei (Russian: сбора ратных и даточных людей) (Prikaz of gathering of military and conscripted men)
- Foreigners Prikaz (foreign mercenaries)
- Oruzheiniy (Weaponry) Prikaz
- Prikaz of German feeds: probably, paid a salary to foreigners ('Germans') at Russian military or state service
- Ritter prikaz
- Financial Prikazes
- Pomestny Prikaz (Estate Prikaz) was in charge of personal estate ('pomestye') and ancestral estate ('votchina') lands in . Collected fees for land transfers.
- Prikaz of counting affairs
- Prikaz of Big treasury
- Prikaz of Big income
- Security
- Chelobitny Prikaz : considered complaints at the name of Tzar; word chelobitnaya Russian: челобитная translated as beating by a forehead, that means to bow low. Standard form of such complaint included words "Slave of God ... (or : 'Your holop (slave)') is beating by a forehead", or "Slaves and orphans are beating by a foreheads".
- Prikaz tainyh del (Prikaz of secret affairs)
- Razboiniy Prikas (Robbers prikaz) : criminal police
- Sysknoy prikaz (searching of fugitives)
- Regional Prikazes
- Malorossiya Prikaz, Ministry of the Ukrainian (Malorossiya) Affairs
- Kazan Prikaz (Казанский приказ, Приказ Казанского дворца, Kazan Palace Prikaz), Volga Region (Поволжье) Affairs (South-West of Russia, territories of Kazan Khanate)
- Siberian Prikaz
- Great Russia Prikaz
- Grand Duchy of Lithuania Prikaz
- Smolensk Prikaz (was disbanded due to Poland's conquest of Smolensk. With returning to Russia this prikas was restored)
- Prikaz of Livonia Affairs
- Prikaz of Novgorod quarter
- Prikaz of Vladimir quarter
- Prikaz of Ustug quarter
- Prikaz of Kostroma quarter
- Prikaz of Galich quarter
- Prikaz of Smolensk quarter
- Palace Prikazes
- Konyushenny Prikaz
- Palace Prikaz
- Stone palace Prikaz
- Prikaz of gold and silver affairs
- Panihydniy prikaz (Requiem prikaz) : requiems at members of tzar family
- Patriarch Prikazes
- Patriarch Rank Prikaz
- Patriarch Treasury Prikaz
- Patriarch Palace Prikaz
- Other
- Razryadny Prikaz (Rank Prikaz) was in charge of military and civil administration higher personnel.
- Holop's Prikaz - considered affairs of slaves(holops)
Origin
Prikazy appeared from some private orders (Russian: приказ, prikaz) to do something, given by tzar to some persons. At some cases new prikaz have a name of this person (Prikaz of dyak Vahromeev, where 'Vahromeev' is a last name).
From 1512 word 'prikaz' is starting to be used as a name of some constant office.
Differences from modern ministry system
- Moskow tzardom didn't know separation of powers, so some prykazy were judicial. In fact, this system was a mix of all three branches of the state;
- Some prikazy were regional, performing tasks of local authorities. Territorial administrative division of Moskow tzardom at this epoch was developed weakly. In fact, large territory was divided at only 4 quarters (Russian: чети), later 5 1/5 parts (Russian: пятины), their territories were mixed, and part of one of such divisions could be enclave at another one;
- Later Russian historians are describing separation of responsibilities between different prikazy as chaotic; some problem can be at responsibility of several different prikasy at one time. Quantity of prikazy was very big; their total number during all time of their existence is unknown;
- Making of decisions was concentrated at the head of each prikaz;
- Some prikazy was established to perform some order ("prikaz") of tzar and, when this order was done, they were disbanded. So, some prikazy were rather short-living;
- One prikaz can be subordinated to another one.
Classification
Classification of prikaz system is very difficult task. In fact, each major historian try to build his own classification. Major variants can be: prikazy of some territory, of some class of population, of some kind of affairs. Other way of classificaion - to rank prikazy by subordination.
Abolished
The prikazy were abolished by Peter the Great and replaced, beginning in 1717, with administrative organs known as collegia. This process took a rather long time; Siberian prikaz, for example, was restored at 1730 and existed till 1755. At the beginning of 18th century Peter the Great even established some new prikazy. This system was eliminated finally only at Catherine the Great at 1755. Later Russian historians are describing this, as replacing complicated and chaotic system of several dozens prikases to clear and simple system of 12 collegias.
See also
External links
Categories:- Government institutions
- Muscovite Russia
- Foreign affairs
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