Ivan IV soon after ascending the throne began to carry out state reforms, relying on the Chosen Council. It was a circle of like-minded people gathered around the first Russian Tsar. What were the activities of Rada and what role did it play in the history of the Russian state? To answer these questions, it is necessary to consider the situation in which Russia found itself in the middle of the 16th century.
Boyar feuds
In 1553, Vasily the Third died, and his young son Ivan formally inherited the throne. Before reaching adulthood, a board of trustees was appointed, consisting of influential boyars. However, soon Ivan’s mother - Elena Vasilyevna Glinskaya - took power into her own hands. She did not rule for long, for about 5 years, nevertheless she managed to carry out two reforms that contributed to the future centralization of the country:
- the Moscow ruble has become a single monetary unit;
- For the first time in Russia, a state mint was founded.
After the death of Glinsky in 1558, a fierce struggle for power broke out between the noble nobles in the state. As a result, in the Principality of Moscow, local decentralized sentiments intensified. In addition, in such an unstable environment, the contradictions between the boyars, servants and commoners were compounded.
Growing up among endless feuds among the nobility, Ivan IV, reaching his 17th birthday, told Metropolitan Macarius that he wanted to marry not to a great reign, as his ancestors did, but to the kingdom. The church hierarch supported the young sovereign, as this promised the strengthening of the supreme power.
The beginning of the reign of the Chosen Rada
In the winter of 1547, Ivan the Fourth became the first king in Russia. This act distinguished him from the midst of the boyars as a successor to the Byzantine emperors, and also marked the beginning of independent rule. In the summer of that year, terrible fires destroyed most of wooden Moscow, provoking popular uprisings.
These riots, which spread to other cities, clearly showed that the country urgently needed reforms. By this time (the end of the 40s of the XVI century) under Ivan IV, a circle of talented statesmen close to him had formed, not connected with the boyar clans that were in conflict with each other. Prince Kurbsky later called him the Chosen Rada. This, in fact, was a backstage government under the king. The most prominent members of it were:
- the noble nobleman Adashev Alexey ;
- Prince Kurbsky Andrey;
- Priest Sylvester;
- clerk Whiskey Ivan ;
- Metropolitan Macarius.
Activities of the elected
The essence of the reforms conceived by the king and his comrades-in-arms was to limit boyar arbitrariness and create a centralized state. Already in 1549 the sovereign convened representatives of noble families, service people and clergy from all Russian lands to the first Zemsky Sobor in Russia.
In 1550, the Elected Council under Ivan the Terrible carried out the first military reform in Russia. As a result, the Streletsky regiment was formed - an army consisting of free people who were in the tsarist service and who received weapons, uniforms and monetary rewards from the treasury. In addition, the royal decree announced that in wartime high command posts may be held by people of noble descent, if they are endowed with military talent. This, of course, dealt a blow to the boyar localism.
Centralization of management
In 1550, the Elected Council under Ivan the Terrible developed a new lawyer, which provided for severe punishment for bribe takers and robbers, as well as limited the rights of governors.
In addition, he established orders - the new central government:
- Petition;
- Ambassadorial;
- Robbery;
- Local;
- Bit.
Centralization was sought not only by state power, but also by spiritual one. So, in 1551, at the Stoglava Church Council, led by Metropolitan Makarii, religious rituals were brought to unity, and all local saints (Vladimir, Suzdal, etc.) were declared all-Russian.
Another important transformation affected local government. Launched in 1556 by the Elected Council, this reform was aimed at eradicating boyar power in specific lands. For example, the system of vicariousness and feeding was eliminated. Since that time, the court and the collection of taxes were in the hands of elected city clerks.
Role in history
Assessing the reforms of Ivan IV and his associates, historians did not come to a consensus. However, it is impossible to dispute the fact that the legislative activity of the Elected Council was a big step in the development of the country. He contributed to the centralization of the Russian state and the strengthening of the power of the monarch.