A biritch (also birich or biryuch; ) in

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

was a

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

, an announcer of the will of a ''

knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

'', sometimes his deputy in police or diplomatic affairs, or tax collector. A birich travelled to settlements, played bugle or horn in the center of a

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

or yard to gather people and read the announcement. The word is thought to be derived from a Turkic word for "bugler", "hornist" (in modern Turkish: ''borucu'', ''borazancı''). Other hypotheses try to base the meanings on interpretations of the root ''bir-'', meaning "to take" in Slavic languages, deriving the meaning "tax collector". Birich is mentioned in

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

since the 10th century and until the end of the 17th century.Richard L. Frey, Alan F. Truscott, Amalya Kearse ''The official encyclopedia of bridge'' pg. 178 Crown (1988) The Laurentian Codex mentions under the year of 992 that

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

, when looking for a volunteer to fight a Pecheneg '' baghatur'' have sent a ''birich'' in regiments. Later, the Muscovite

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

s announced various ''

ukase In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz ( ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leadership (e.g., Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' or the Most Holy Synod) that had the force of law. " Edict" and " decree" are adequate trans ...

s'' via biriches. Heads of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

also used biriches to announce their decrees. A birich was supposed to make an announcement in market place, not once but many times, sometimes during several months. Later other administrators (''

namestnik A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

s'', '' voyevodas'', etc.) had biriches in their staff, as mentioned in

payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

s. The word ''biritch'' is the name of a 19th-century

card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

. It is said to have originated in Russia, but satisfactory evidence of this has not been discovered. It is considered to be a precursor of

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two Team game, competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each othe ...

References

Bibliography

*{{cite Efron, Бирюч, глашатай Medieval occupations Society of Kievan Rus' 19th-century card games Economy of Kievan Rus'

See also

References

Bibliography