The Chosen Council () is the informal name given to the government of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

during the early years of his reign as the

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 ...

of Russia, from about 1547 to 1560.

History

According to the traditional view, the council was formed in 1547 after the fire of Moscow. Ivan placed Aleksey Adashev in charge of the council while the priest

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

and other advisors served on the council. Ivan ruled the country with these advisors. After the death of Ivan's wife

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

in 1560, Ivan lost faith in the council. Although historians disagree on the exact status of the council, it is generally considered that this council formed the government and it may have been an attempt at balancing the tsar's powers with those of the higher aristocracy. The Chosen Council became an instrument of reform. The governors of provinces were required to share the presiding chair at provincial courts with the '' pomeshchiki'', the service nobility. By 1555, many of the governors had been dismissed and replaced with elected representatives, while the dues paid to them were passed to the Chosen Council. In 1553, while Ivan suffered from illness, the Chosen Council selected Ivan's cousin

Vladimir of Staritsa Vladimir Andreyevich (; 9 July 1535 – 9 October 1569) was the last appanage Russian prince. His complicated relationship with his cousin, Ivan the Terrible, was dramatized in Sergei Eisenstein's 1945 film ''Ivan the Terrible (1945 film), ...

as his successor; however, Ivan recovered and later used this as evidence of a conspiracy against him.

Historiography

The Chosen Council, according to the traditional point of view, was led by Aleksey Adashev and

. This notion of these two having significant power mainly comes from the correspondence between

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the B ...

and

Andrey Kurbsky Prince Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky (1528?–1583) was a Russian political figure, military leader, and political philosopher, known as an intimate friend and then a leading political opponent of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible (). He defected ...

, as well as the Illustrated Chronicle. The name itself was first used by Kurbsky in his writings to the tsar. As a result, scholarly opinions on the membership of the Chosen Council is divided. Kurbsky has been regarded as a leading figure, but some historians have disputed his membership in the council, for example Ruslan Skrynnikov. The exact status of the council has also been a point of contention, with many scholars identifying it with the ''blizhnyaya duma'' (privy council).

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History

Historiography

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Further reading