The 13th century in Russia was marked by the unification of the northeastern principalities. Moscow was chosen as the capital city in which the prince sat. In the service he had many boyars, some of whom were engaged in servicing and providing everything necessary directly to the prince and his palace (butlers), monitored the filling of the treasury (treasurers), for the maintenance of combat-ready military units, and many others. However, the prince was no less interested in living in the capital than the well-being of the people in volosts, or, more simply, on the periphery of the state. It was then that the prince decided to create such posts as governors and volostel. This decision was intended not only to strictly observe the order in the state, but also to monitor the borders of Russia. To whom did the sovereign entrust these positions? What responsibilities did he entrust to governors and volosts? What was their main role? This article and more will be covered in this article.
The meaning of the word "viceroy"
Speaking in a scientific language, the number of governors includes people who, by order of the prince, went to the large city of Russia to represent his interests there. Viceroyalty was first tested in Novgorod, and initially the person acting as sovereign "on the spot" was called the "princely husband." Only by the end of the 13th century, occupying people began to be called ubiquitous. This phenomenon contributed to the strengthening of the prince’s power on the one hand, but at the same time untied the hands of some unscrupulous officials, who sometimes could compromise the rule of law in their own interests. However, governorship lasted until the accession to the throne of Ivan the Terrible, that is, almost 4 centuries.
Currently, the word "viceroy" has not gone out of use. This is the name of the representatives of the church who are entrusted with the duties of the bishop during his absence.
The procedure for obtaining a position
As we learned earlier, governors are representatives of the prince, from which we can conclude that only a person from the kind of boyars who were especially close to the reigning person could get this position. The prince did not take into account the opinion of the people living in a particular principality or county, but was guided by his own interests. In each major city, the prince of Moscow sat "his" governors. This could not but affect the procedure for further appointments, as a result of which the position began to be inherited from father to son. An example of this is the following fact: for almost 2 centuries, representatives of the same boyar family served as viceroys in Meshchera.
The main functions of the governor
What functions did the governors have? First, they could carry out judicial and other actions designed to restore order in the territories entrusted to them. The governor's jurisdiction covered both civil and criminal matters. Secondly, they were both military leaders and managers of princely property in their patrimony. However, the governor's main business was to collect the following taxes and requisitions in favor of the prince:
- periodic requisitions (Christmas, Petrovsky and Great);
- court fees;
- trade and marriage requisitions;
- Entry tax on goods carts crossing the principality.
It is worth noting that the funds received in this way existed not only the prince, but also the governors themselves. They often set this occupation above their other duties, which often caused unrest among ordinary people.
Viceroys and volostelites: what is the difference?
Viceroys and volostelos are two concepts that are inextricably linked. Despite the great similarity of the job duties, the volostel always stood one step lower than the governors. Compared with the modern system of government, the volostel can be equated to the head of a small municipal formation, and the governor to the head of the city or the whole region. If the governor could judge for criminal offenses, then volostelites were allowed to conduct only civil cases. Diplomas for “feeding”, that is, collection of taxes and requisitions, were received by the volostel from the governor or directly from the prince. Like governors, volostelites often abused power, and as a result, when Ivan the Terrible came to power, both of these posts were abolished.