When the embassy order arose. The ambassadorial order is the first sprouts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The volume of work is growing

He caused a significant expansion of the functions of the Ambassadorial order and its staff (in 1689 it already included 53 clerks, 22 translators and 17 interpreters). Structurally, it was divided according to the territorial-state basis into povyts. In addition, since 1621, the clerks of the Ambassadorial Order, especially for the tsars Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, began to prepare handwritten "Vestovye letters" - the first Russian newspaper. Foreign newspapers served as a source of information from abroad, news inside the country came from various orders.

On the Ambassadorial order was entrusted with the overall management of the country's foreign policy and all current diplomacy: sending Russian embassies abroad, receiving and leaving foreign embassies, preparing texts of instructions (“orders”) for Russian ambassadors and corresponding with them, preparing agreements, negotiating, and from the beginning of the 18th century also the appointment and control of the actions of permanent Russian diplomatic representatives abroad. The embassy department was in charge of foreign merchants during their stay in Russia and, in general, of all visiting foreigners, except for the military. In addition, he was engaged in the ransom and exchange of Russian prisoners, managed the newly annexed territories (Siberia, Smolensk land, etc.), and was in charge of serving Tatars-landlords of the central counties.

Chapters

№	Name	Powers		Current head of state
		Start	Ending
Ambassadorial Order
1	Ivan Viskovatov			Ivan IV
2	Andrey Shchelkalov			Ivan IV, Fedor I Ioannovich, Boris Godunov
3	Vasily Shchelkalov			Boris Godunov
4	Afanasy Vlasiev			Boris Godunov, Fyodor II Godunov, False Dmitry I
5	Ivan Gramotin			False Dmitry I
6	Pyotr Tretyakov			Vasily Shuisky
7	Ivan Gramotin			False Dmitry II
8	Pyotr Tretyakov			Mikhail Fedorovich
9	Ivan Gramotin			Mikhail Fedorovich
10	Almaz (Erofey) Ivanov			Mikhail Fedorovich, Alexei Mikhailovich
11	Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin			Alexey Mikhailovich
12	Artamon Matveev			Alexey Mikhailovich, Fedor III Alekseevich
13	Larion Ivanov			Fedor III Alekseevich, Peter I
14	Vasily Golitsyn			Peter I
15	Emelyan Ukraintsev			Peter I
16	Lev Naryshkin			Peter I
17	Fedor Golovin			Peter I
18	Peter Shafirov			Peter I
19	Gavrila Golovkin			Peter I, Catherine I, Peter II, Anna Ioannovna

see also

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Literature

• Vasilenko N. P.// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Demidova N. F. Education under the Ambassadorial and Local Orders // Essays on the history of the school and the pedagogical thought of the peoples of the USSR from ancient times to the end of the 17th century. - M ., 1989. - S. 103-107.
• Review of embassy books from funds - collections stored in TsGADA (late XV - early 18th c.) / Comp. N. M. Rogozhin. - M., 1990.
• Inventory of the archive of the Ambassadorial order of 1626: At 2 o'clock / Ed. S. O. Schmidt. - M., 1977.
• Inventory of the archive of the Ambassadorial order of 1673: At 2 o'clock / Ed. S. O. Schmidt. - M., 1990.
• Rogozhin N. M. Ambassadorial order and its role in carrying out foreign policy Russia // History of Russia's foreign policy. The end of the XV-XVII century (from the overthrow of the Horde yoke to Northern war). - M ., 1999. - S. 343-406.
• Rogozhin N. M. At sovereign affairs to be ordered ... - M ., 2002.
• Rogozhin N. M. Dialogue of Faiths in the Diplomacy of Medieval Russia // Ancient Russia. Medieval Questions. - 2000. - No. 1. - S. 40-50.
• Savva V.I. On the Posolsky Prikaz in the 16th century. - Kharkov, 1917.
• Savva V.I. Clerks and clerks of the Ambassadorial order in the 16th century: a Handbook / Comp. V. I. Savva; Foreword S. O. Schmidt; . - M., 1983. - 228 p.

Links

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.

Chapters Embassy order Presidents College of Foreign Affairs Ministers of Foreign Affairs before 1917 White movement 1918-1920 People's Commissars and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR 1917 - 1991 The whole day was hot, somewhere a thunderstorm was gathering, but only a small cloud splashed on the dust of the road and on the succulent leaves. The left side of the forest was dark, in shadow; the right one, wet and glossy, shone in the sun, slightly swaying in the wind. Everything was in bloom; the nightingales chirped and rolled now close, now far away. “Yes, here, in this forest, there was this oak, with which we agreed,” thought Prince Andrei. “Yes, where is he,” thought Prince Andrei again, looking at the left side of the road and without knowing it, not recognizing him, admired the oak he was looking for. The old oak, all transformed, spread out like a tent of juicy, dark greenery, was thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun. No clumsy fingers, no sores, no old mistrust and grief - nothing was visible. Juicy, young leaves broke through the tough, hundred-year-old bark without knots, so that it was impossible to believe that this old man had produced them. “Yes, this is the same oak tree,” thought Prince Andrei, and a causeless, spring feeling of joy and renewal suddenly came over him. All the best moments of his life were suddenly remembered to him at the same time. And Austerlitz with a high sky, and the dead, reproachful face of his wife, and Pierre on the ferry, and the girl, agitated by the beauty of the night, and this night, and the moon, - and he suddenly remembered all this. “No, life is not over at the age of 31, suddenly, Prince Andrei decided completely, without change. Not only do I know everything that is in me, it is necessary that everyone knows this: both Pierre and this girl who wanted to fly into the sky, it is necessary that everyone knows me, so that my life goes not for me alone so that they do not live so independently of my life, so that it is reflected on everyone and that they all live with me together! Returning from his trip, Prince Andrei decided to go to Petersburg in the fall and came up with various reasons for this decision. A whole series of reasonable, logical arguments why he needed to go to Petersburg and even serve, was every minute ready for his services. Even now he did not understand how he could ever doubt the need to take an active part in life, just as a month ago he did not understand how the idea of ​​leaving the village could come to him. It seemed clear to him that all his experiences in life must have been lost in vain and be nonsense if he had not put them to work and had not again taken an active part in life. He did not even understand how, on the basis of the same poor rational arguments, it had previously been obvious that he would have humiliated himself if now, after his lessons in life, he would again believe in the possibility of being useful and in the possibility of happiness and love. Now my mind was telling me something else. After this trip, Prince Andrei began to get bored in the countryside, his previous activities did not interest him, and often, sitting alone in his office, he got up, went to the mirror and looked at his face for a long time. Then he turned away and looked at the portrait of the deceased Lisa, who, with curls a la grecque [in Greek] fluffed up, tenderly and cheerfully looked at him from a golden frame. She no longer spoke the former terrible words to her husband, she simply and cheerfully looked at him with curiosity. And Prince Andrei, with his hands folded back, paced the room for a long time, now frowning, now smiling, rethinking those unreasonable, inexpressible in words, secret as a crime thoughts connected with Pierre, with fame, with the girl at the window, with the oak, with female beauty and love that changed his whole life. And at those moments when someone came to him, he was especially dry, sternly resolute, and especially unpleasantly logical. - Mon cher, [My dear,] - Princess Mary used to say entering at such a moment, - Nikolushka cannot go for a walk today: it is very cold. “If it were warm,” Prince Andrei answered his sister especially dryly at such moments, “he would go in one shirt, and since it’s cold, you need to put on warm clothes, which are invented for this. That’s what follows from the fact that it’s cold, and not just to stay at home when the child needs air, ”he said with special logic, as if punishing someone for all this secret, illogical thing that was happening in him, inner work. Princess Marya thought in these cases about how this mental work dries men. Prince Andrei arrived in St. Petersburg in August 1809. It was the time of the apogee of the glory of the young Speransky and the energy of the coups he carried out. In this very August, the sovereign, riding in a carriage, was thrown out, injured his leg, and remained in Peterhof for three weeks, seeing Speransky daily and exclusively. At that time, not only two decrees, so famous and alarming to society, were being prepared on the destruction of court ranks and on examinations for the ranks of collegiate assessors and state councilors, but also a whole state constitution, which was supposed to change the existing judicial, administrative and financial order of governing Russia from the state council to the volost board. Now those vague, liberal dreams with which Emperor Alexander came to the throne, and which he sought to realize with the help of his assistants Czartoryzhsky, Novosiltsev, Kochubey and Strogonov, whom he himself jokingly called comite du salut publique, were now realized and embodied. [committee of public safety.] Now Speransky for the civilian part and Arakcheev for the military have replaced everyone together. Prince Andrei, soon after his arrival, as a chamberlain, appeared at the court and went out. The sovereign twice, having met him, did not honor him with a single word. It always seemed to Prince Andrei even before that he was antipathetic to the sovereign, that his face and his whole being were unpleasant to the sovereign. In the dry, distant look with which the sovereign looked at him, Prince Andrei found confirmation of this assumption even more than before. The courtiers explained to Prince Andrei the sovereign’s inattention to him by the fact that His Majesty was dissatisfied with the fact that Bolkonsky had not served since 1805. “I myself know how powerless we are in our likes and dislikes,” thought Prince Andrei, and therefore there is nothing to think about personally presenting my note on the military regulations to the sovereign, but the matter will speak for itself. He passed on his note to the old field marshal, a friend of his father. The field marshal, appointing him an hour, kindly received him and promised to report to the sovereign. A few days later it was announced to Prince Andrei that he had to appear before the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev. At nine o'clock in the morning, on the appointed day, Prince Andrei appeared in the reception room of Count Arakcheev. Personally, Prince Andrei did not know Arakcheev and had never seen him, but everything that he knew about him inspired him little respect for this man. “He is the Minister of War, a confidant of the Sovereign Emperor; no one should care about his personal properties; he was instructed to consider my note, therefore he alone can set it in motion, ”thought Prince Andrei, waiting among many important and unimportant persons in the waiting room of Count Arakcheev. Prince Andrey, during his service, mostly adjutant, saw a lot of receptions of important persons, and the various characters of these receptionists were very clear to him. Count Arakcheev had a very special character in his reception room. On the unimportant faces waiting in line for an audience in the waiting room of Count Arakcheev, a feeling of shame and humility was written; more official faces expressed one general feeling of awkwardness, hidden under the guise of swagger and mockery at oneself, at one's position and at the expected person. Some walked thoughtfully back and forth, others laughed in whispers, and Prince Andrei heard the sobriquet [mocking nickname] of Sila Andreich and the words: “uncle will ask,” referring to Count Arakcheev. One general (an important person), apparently offended by the fact that he had to wait so long, sat shifting his legs and smiling contemptuously to himself. But as soon as the door opened, only one thing was instantly expressed on all faces - fear. Prince Andrei asked the duty officer to report about himself another time, but they looked at him with mockery and said that his turn would come in due time. After several persons were brought in and taken out by the adjutant from the minister's office, an officer was let in through the terrible door, striking Prince Andrei with his humiliated and frightened appearance. The officer's audience went on for a long time. Suddenly, the peal of an unpleasant voice was heard from behind the door, and a pale officer, with trembling lips, came out of there, and clutching his head, went through the reception room. Following that, Prince Andrei was led to the door, and the duty officer said in a whisper: "to the right, to the window." Prince Andrei entered a poor, tidy study and at the table saw a forty-year-old man with a long waist, with a long, short-cropped head and thick wrinkles, with frowning eyebrows over a square, green dull eyes and a hanging red nose. Arakcheev turned his head towards him without looking at him.

Historians do not know exactly when Ivan Viskovaty was born. The first mention of him refers to 1542, when this clerk wrote a letter of conciliation with the Kingdom of Poland. Viskovaty was quite thin, he belonged to a noble family that had little to no reputation. He built his career thanks to his own diligence, natural talents and the intercession of patrons. Contemporaries described him as an extremely eloquent person. The ability of a speaker was very important for a diplomat, so it is not surprising that over time, Ivan Viskovaty headed the Ambassadorial Order (the prototype of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). But despite his merits, he was among the victims of the terror of Ivan the Terrible.

Until the middle of the 16th century, the entire diplomatic system of the Russian state was built around the Grand Duke. He could delegate some powers individually, but no state institution didn't exist.

The state of affairs in the Moscow diplomacy of that time can be judged from the entries in the embassy books. They say that, starting in 1549, Ivan the Terrible, who had recently been crowned king, ordered Viskovaty to accept official letters brought by foreign delegations. At the same time, the official's first foreign trips began. In the same 1549, he went to the Nogais and the ruler of Astrakhan, Derbysh.

Compared with his colleagues, Ivan Viskovaty was also distinguished by his low rank. He was just a pick up. Ivan the Terrible, appreciating Viskovaty's abilities, equated him with other more eminent diplomats - Fyodor Mishurin and Menshik Putyanin. So the nobleman became a deacon. In the same 1549, Ivan Viskovaty was suddenly appointed head of the diplomatic department. He became the first official of his kind in national history.

From that moment on, Viskovaty began active work, which for the most part amounted to meetings with numerous foreign delegations. Ambassadors from the Nogai Horde, Lithuania, Poland, Kazan, Denmark, Germany, etc. came to the clerk. The unique status of Viskovaty was emphasized by the fact that he received high-ranking guests in person. For such meetings there was a special deacon's hut. Ivan the Terrible himself mentioned it in his letters.

In addition to meetings with ambassadors, Ivan Viskovaty was in charge of their correspondence with the tsar and the Boyar Duma. The clerk was present at all preliminary negotiations. In addition, he was involved in the organization of Russian embassies abroad.

During the meetings of the tsar with the delegations, Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich kept the minutes of the negotiations, and his notes were later included in the official annals. In addition, the sovereign entrusted him with the management of his own archive. This well contained unique documents: all kinds of decrees of Moscow and other specific princes, genealogies, papers of a foreign policy nature, investigative materials, government office work.

The person who kept track of the tsarist archive had to have a huge responsibility. It was under Viskovat that this repository was reorganized into a separate institution. The head of the Embassy Department had to work a lot with papers from the archive, since without them it was impossible to make inquiries about relations with other states and organize meetings with foreign delegates.

In 1547, Moscow experienced a terrible fire, which contemporaries called "great". The archive was also damaged in the fire. Taking care of him and restoring valuable documents became Viskovaty's primary task from the very beginning of his tenure as head of the diplomatic department.

The prosperous bureaucratic fate of Ivan Viskovaty was successful not only thanks to his own zeal. Behind him were powerful patrons who took care of and helped their protégé. These were the Zakharyins, relatives of Ivan the Terrible's first wife, Anastasia. Their rapprochement was facilitated by the conflict that broke out in the Kremlin in 1553. The young king became seriously ill, and his entourage was seriously afraid for the life of the sovereign. Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich suggested that the crown bearer draw up a spiritual testament. According to this document, power in the event of the death of Ivan Vasilyevich was to pass to his six-month-old son Dmitry.

In a situation of uncertainty about the future, Grozny's relatives, the Staritskys (including his cousin Vladimir Andreevich, who claimed power), fearing an excessive strengthening of the enemy boyar clan, began to intrigue against the Zakharyins. As a result, half of the court did not swear allegiance to the young Dmitry. Until the last, even the closest adviser to the tsar, Alexei Adashev, hesitated. But Viskovaty remained on the side of Dmitry (that is, the Zakharyins), for which they were always grateful to him. After some time, the king recovered. On all the boyars who did not want to support the claims of Dmitry, there was a black mark.

In the middle of the 16th century, the east was the main direction of Russia's foreign policy. In 1552 Grozny annexed Kazan, and in 1556 Astrakhan. At court, Alexei Adashev was the main supporter of the advance to the east. Viskovaty, although he accompanied the tsar in his Kazan campaign, dealt with Western affairs with much greater zeal. It was he who stood at the origins of the emergence of diplomatic contacts between Russia and England. Muscovy (as it was called in Europe at that time) did not have access to the Baltic, so sea trade with the Old World was carried out through Arkhangelsk, which freezes in winter. In 1553, the English navigator Richard Chancellor arrived there.

In the future, the merchant visited Russia several more times. Each of his visits was accompanied by a traditional meeting with Ivan Viskovaty. The head of the Posolsky Prikaz met with Chancellor in the company of the most influential and wealthy Russian merchants. It was, of course, about trade. The British sought to become monopolists in the Russian market, full of goods unique to Europeans. Important negotiations, where these issues were discussed, were carried out by Ivan Viskovaty. In the history of relations between the two countries, their first trade agreement played a fundamentally important and long-term role.

Merchants from Foggy Albion received a preferential letter full of all sorts of privileges. They opened their own offices in several Russian cities. Moscow merchants also received the unique right to trade in Britain without duties.

Free entry into Russia was open to English craftsmen, artisans, artists and physicians. It was Ivan Viskovaty who made a huge contribution to the emergence of such beneficial relations between the two powers. The fate of his agreements with the British turned out to be extremely successful: they lasted until the second half of the 17th century.

The lack of own Baltic ports and the desire to enter Western European markets pushed Ivan the Terrible to start a war against the Livonian Order, located on the territory of modern Estonia and Latvia. By that time, the best era of the knights was left behind. Their military organization was in serious decline, and the Russian Tsar, not without reason, believed that he would be able to conquer the important Baltic cities with relative ease: Riga, Derpt, Revel, Yuryev, Pernava. In addition, the knights themselves provoked the conflict by not letting European merchants, craftsmen and goods into Russia. The regular war began in 1558 and dragged on for as much as 25 years.

The Livonian question split the tsar's close associates into two parties. The first circle was headed by Adashev. His supporters believed that it was necessary first of all to increase their pressure on the southern Tatar khanates and Ottoman Empire. Ivan Viskovaty and other boyars took the opposite view. They advocated the continuation of the war in the Baltic States to a victorious end.

At the first stage of the conflict with the knights, everything went exactly as Ivan Viskovaty wanted. The biography of this diplomat is an example of a politician who made the right decisions every time. And now the head of the Ambassadorial order guessed right. The Livonian Order was quickly defeated. The castles of the knights surrendered one by one. It seemed that the Baltics were already in your pocket.

However, the successes of Russian weapons seriously alarmed neighboring Western states. Poland, Lithuania, Denmark and Sweden also claimed the Livonian inheritance and were not going to give the entire Baltic to Grozny. At first, the European powers tried to stop the war, which was unprofitable for them, through diplomacy. Embassies rushed to Moscow. Met them, as expected, Ivan Viskovaty. The photo of this diplomat has not been preserved, but even without knowing his appearance and habits, we can safely assume that he skillfully defended the interests of his sovereign.

The head of the Posolsky Prikaz consistently refused Western crafty mediation in the conflict with the Livonian Order. Further victories of the Russian army in the Baltics led to the fact that the frightened Poland and Lithuania united into one state - the Commonwealth. A new player in the international arena openly opposed Russia. Soon, Sweden also declared war on Grozny. The Livonian war dragged on, and all the successes of Russian weapons were nullified. True, the second half of the conflict passed without the participation of Viskovaty. By this time, he had already become a victim of repression by his own king.

Grozny's conflict with the boyars began in 1560, when his first wife Anastasia suddenly died. Evil tongues spread rumors about her poisoning. Gradually, the king became suspicious, paranoid and fearful of betrayal seized him. These phobias intensified when Andrei Kurbsky, the closest adviser to the monarch, fled abroad. In Moscow, the first heads flew.

The boyars were imprisoned or executed on the most dubious denunciations and slanders. Ivan Viskovaty, who caused envy of many competitors, was also in the queue for reprisal. short biography diplomat, however, says that he managed to avoid the wrath of his sovereign for a relatively long time.

In 1570, against the backdrop of defeats in Livonia, Grozny and his guardsmen decided to go on a campaign against Novgorod, whose inhabitants they suspected of treason and sympathy for foreign enemies. After that bloodshed, the sad fate of Ivan Viskovaty was also decided. In short, the repressive machine could not stop on its own. Having begun terror against his own boyars, Grozny needed more and more traitors and traitors. And although no documents have been preserved to our time that would explain how the decision about Viskovaty was made, it can be assumed that he was slandered by the new favorites of the tsar: guardsmen Malyuta Skuratov and Vasily Gryaznoy.

Shortly before that, the nobleman was removed from the leadership of the Ambassadorial order. In addition, once Ivan Viskovaty openly tried to stand up for the terrorized boyars. In response to the exhortations of the diplomat, Grozny burst into an angry tirade. Viskovaty was executed on July 25, 1570. He was accused of treacherous ties with the Crimean Khan and the Polish king.

Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich (? -1570) - statesman, diplomat, duma clerk. The first head of the Ambassadorial Order (since 1549), one of the main officials of the state. From poor feudal lords. During the period of the oprichnina, he was accused of high treason and executed.

Orlov A.S., Georgiev N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 84.

Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich (sc. 07/25/1570), statesman, one of the major figures in the government Ivan IV in 1550-1560s. He advanced due to his personal qualities, and also because he actively pursued the tsar's centralization policy. came from noble family Viskovatyh, branches of the princes Meshchersky. In 1542, he served as a clerk in the Posolsky Prikaz, from 1549 he was appointed its head, from 1553 - a duma clerk, from 1561 - a printer (custodian of the state seal). Participated in almost all negotiations with foreign ambassadors in the 1550s and 60s. He played a prominent role in foreign policy, was one of the supporters of the Livonian War of 1558-83. Foreign diplomats called him "Chancellor". Viskovaty sharply objected to innovations in icon painting (images of incorporeal spirits in the form of human images). He was executed on suspicion of participating in a boyar conspiracy and treacherous relations with Turkey, the Crimea and Poland.

Site materials used Big Encyclopedia Russian people.

Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich (d. 1570, Moscow) - statesman. Descended from the nobility. In 1542 he served as a clerk in the Ambassadorial Prikaz. In 1549 he headed it. V. were entrusted with all matters relating to external relations. He was an intermediary between foreign ambassadors and the king with the Boyar Duma. The most educated person of his time, V., in addition to his embassy activities, was known as an opponent of the innovation in icon painting that appeared in Moscow (the depiction of spirits in a human form). Despite the condemnation of V. by the church council of 1554, his career did not suffer, 9 Feb. 1561 was appointed "printer", i.e. keeper of the seal, for which foreigners called him chancellor. In 1562 - 1563 he traveled to Denmark as part of an embassy, ​​and then was repeatedly appointed to the boyar commissions for negotiations with foreign ambassadors. V. spoke in defense of the people who were innocently executed by guardsmen. He was accused of treasonous relations with the Crimeans, Turks and Poles. On July 25, in the presence of Ivan the Terrible and Tsarevich Ivan, public executions took place, where the guardsmen and those who wanted to prove their non-participation in the "conspirators" were the executioners. From V. tied to a post, each of the king's associates cut off a piece of the body. Oprichnik Ivan Reutov, whose blow turned out to be fatal, was accused of wanting to reduce V.'s torment. Only death from the plague saved Reutov from execution. By order of the king, V.'s mother and widow were imprisoned in a monastery, where they died.

Used materials of the book: Shikman A.P. Figures of national history. Biographical guide. Moscow, 1997.

Viskovaty, Ivan Mikhailovich - Duma clerk, the first head of the embassy order (...). Even when he was a clerk, he was entrusted by Tsar Ivan IV in 1549 with the "embassy business". For more than 20 years, he negotiated with all foreign ambassadors, surprising them with his diplomatic skills. Contemporaries speak of him as a straightforward and courageous person. During the reign of the "chosen Rada" V., together with Adashev, led the diplomatic department. Ivan IV considered him a religious freethinker; for his criticism of new trends in the field of icon painting, he was almost accused of heresy. In 1561, V. was appointed to the position of a printer (i.e., custodian of the seal). After the fall of the "chosen Rada" V. continued to lead the entire foreign policy and participate in negotiations with foreign ambassadors. In 1562-63 he was part of an embassy that traveled to Denmark. At the Zemsky Sobor of 1566, V. recommended that a truce be concluded with Poland, not demanding the cession of the disputed Livonian cities, but on the condition that Polish troops be withdrawn from them and that Poland remain neutral in the Russo-Livonian war. When Turkey and the Crimea entered the war in 1569-70, V. was accused of treason, of independent relations with the sultan's government and with the Crimean khan, and also of negotiations with the Polish king on the transfer of Novgorod to him. He was removed from office, apparently in the middle of 1570, and at the end of that year he was executed. Before his execution, V. vigorously denied the accusations against him.

Diplomatic Dictionary. Ch. ed. A. Ya. Vyshinsky and S. A. Lozovsky. M., 1948.

Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich (d. 25.VII.1570) - Russian statesman, one of the major figures in the government of Ivan IV Vasilyevich in the 50-60s of the 16th century. He advanced due to his personal qualities, and also because he actively pursued the tsar's centralization policy. He came from the noble family of the Viskovaty, a branch of the Meshchersky princes. From 1542 he was a clerk of the Ambassadorial Department, from 1549 he was its head, from 1553 he was a duma clerk, from 1561 he was a printer (custodian of the state seal). Participated in almost all negotiations with foreign ambassadors in the 50-60s of the 16th century. He played a prominent role in foreign policy, was one of the supporters of the Livonian War of 1558-1583. Foreign diplomats called him "Chancellor". Viskovaty sharply objected to innovations in icon painting (images of incorporeal "spirits" in the form of human images). He was executed on suspicion of participating in a boyar conspiracy and in treasonous relations with Turkey, the Crimea and Poland.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 3. WASHINGTON - VYACHKO. 1963.

Sources: Search or list of blasphemous lines and the confusion of the holy honest icons of the deacon Ivan Mikhailov son of Viskovaty, "CHOIDR", 1858, book. 2, sec. 3.

Literature: Belokurov S. A., On the Ambassadorial order, M., 1906; Sadikov P. A., Essays on the history of the oprichnina, M.-L., 1950; Smirnov I. I., Essays on the political history of Rus. state-va 30-50s. XVI century., M.-L., 1958; Andreev N. E., About the "Case of the clerk Viskovaty", "Seminarium Kondakovianum", t. 5, Prague, 1932, p. 191-241.

Viskovaty Ivan Mikhailovich - Russian statesman, diplomat. Clerk of the Ambassadorial Order (1542-1549). Since 1549, he led the order together with A. Adashev.

From 1553 he was a duma clerk; since 1561 - a printer. He played a prominent role in foreign policy, was one of the supporters of the Livonian War of 1558-1583. In 1570 he was suspected of a boyar conspiracy and executed.

The origin and date of birth of Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovaty are unknown to us. For the first time his name is mentioned in the diplomatic affairs of 1542. It follows from them that he was a clerk and wrote a truce with Poland.

Ivan Mikhailovich was promoted due to his abilities and diligence.

In addition, he had patrons: most likely, he was favored by the relatives of the first wife of Tsar Ivan IV Anastasia - Zakharyina.

Since January 1549, in the embassy books, there is more and more an indication that the tsar orders the letters brought by the ambassadors to accept Viskovaty. Probably, Ivan IV had reason when he ordered him to "be in charge of the embassy business."

On January 2, 1549, he left for the Nogai ambassadors. January 17 - to the former Astrakhan "king" Derbysh. January 22 - "with an answer" to the Lithuanian ambassadors. Then, in the presence of foreign ambassadors, the tsar ordered that the clerk Viskovaty be called a clerk. The official promotion took place a few months later and was associated with the appointment of Viskovaty as head of the Ambassadorial Department.

From 1549 to 1559, 32 embassies from different countries. Viskovaty participated in all negotiations.

Ivan Mikhailovich, as the head of the Ambassadorial Department, was in charge of the tsar's correspondence and Boyar Duma with foreign ambassadors, participated in preliminary negotiations, resolved issues related to the arrival and stay of foreign diplomats in Moscow, prepared Russian embassies for sending to different countries.

As a close sovereign, the clerk Viskovaty made notes, which were then used as blanks for the official chronicle. In addition, having become the head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, Ivan Mikhailovich received the Tsar's archive, which contained a huge number of handwritten books and various state acts of the Moscow grand and specific princes, their genealogies, government records management, all foreign policy documentation, as well as various investigative materials.

At the end of the 15th - the first half of the 16th century, the Tsar's archive was under the jurisdiction of the grand ducal clerks, each of whom had a casket for current documentation. In the second half of the 16th century, the Royal Archives finally took shape as an independent institution headed by embassy clerks. The first of them was Viskovaty.

Solving diplomatic problems, Ivan Mikhailovich and his subordinates had to take into account the entire history of relations with other countries. Otherwise, it was impossible to make inquiries, make extracts, references to earlier negotiations, letters, etc. Viskovatyy systematized the documents of the state archive and organized its current office work.

The main direction of foreign policy in the middle of the 16th century was the east. In 1552, the Kazan Khanate was conquered, in 1556 - Astrakhan. Viskovaty, although he accompanied the tsar in the Kazan campaign, but, according to the German oprichnik Heinrich Staden, who was in the service in Russia, "was not averse to the Crimean tsar taking the Russian land, was disposed towards all the Tatars and helped them." The tsar himself accused Viskovaty of "referring to the Crimea and inducing busurmanism in Russia."

The head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz paid special attention to Russia's relations with Western Europe. In the second half of the 16th century, Russia, which did not have access to the Baltic Sea, maintained contact with Europe through the White Sea. In 1553 Ivan IV invited the British to Moscow. After a magnificent reception, the English envoy Richard Chancellor received a friendly letter for King Edward VI. Two years later, Chancellor came to Russia again with two agents of a trading company. After the official reception, Viskovaty negotiated with them together with the "best" Moscow merchants. Ivan Mikhailovich understood the importance of trade relations between Russia and England. As a result of his efforts, the British received a preferential charter with many privileges.

In gratitude for this, King Philip, who succeeded Edward VI on the throne, allowed Russian subjects to trade in England just as freely and duty-free, and took them under his protection. Free entry into Russia was allowed for artists, artisans, various craftsmen, doctors, and "miners". Friendly diplomatic relations between Russia and England, profitable trade, military and economic assistance continued until the second half of the 17th century. The basis of such a strong alliance was laid by Viskovaty.

To establish broad economic ties with the advanced countries of Western Europe, access to the Baltic Sea was needed. This was hindered by Poland, Lithuania and the Livonian Order. Dominance in the Baltic Sea was also sought by Sweden and Denmark. Moscow was especially annoyed by Livonia. Livonian merchants sought to control the entire trade movement, did not let Russian people go to the sea, and foreigners into Russia.

In 1558, Russian troops entered Livonia, and a war began that dragged on for 25 years.

From the very first days of the war, two parties were formed in the government. Tsar's favorite A.F. Adashev and his circle considered it necessary to continue hostilities in the south with the Crimean Tatars and Turkey. The Moscow nobility, together with the head of the Ambassadorial Department, Viskovaty, stood up for the continuation of the Livonian War. The nobility counted on new land distributions and the expansion of trade with the countries of Eastern and Western Europe. The victorious end of the war in Livonia was very close, but Adashev, who led the troops, did not take advantage of the favorable moment, and soon the offensive stopped.

The successes of the Russian troops in the Baltics alarmed Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Denmark, which also claimed the Livonian inheritance. They tried diplomatically to end the outbreak of war. The main role in the conclusion of the truce of 1559 was played by the mediation of the Danish king, who sent an embassy to Moscow for negotiations. During the negotiations, Viskovatyy resolutely stated that Denmark should not have accepted the complaints of the Livonians, subjects of the Moscow sovereign. According to the clerk, having turned to foreign countries, the Livonians became like unfaithful servants who, having stolen the property of their master, sell it [property] to another. He said that the Muscovite sovereigns were not accustomed to cede to anyone the lands they conquered; they are ready for an alliance, but only not in order to sacrifice their acquisitions.

Viskovatyi hoped that his decisiveness would help Moscow defend its interests in the Baltics and force the European powers to recognize the Russian conquests made in the early years of the Livonian War. However, diplomatic success was not successful; the situation was unfavorable for the Muscovite state.

In 1562 Russian command launched major military operations against Lithuania. Ivan IV also took part in the campaign. Under the tsar there was an embassy field office, which instead of Viskovaty was headed by the clerk Andrey Vasiliev. Remaining in Moscow, Viskovaty received the Danish embassy. As a result, a draft treaty was adopted, according to which Denmark refused to take part in hostilities against Russia.

In order to turn all his forces against Lithuania, Viskovaty took a step quite unexpected for a man of his rank and rank at that time. On August 12, 1562, he left for Denmark himself to confirm the contractual record. Thanks to successful negotiations, an alliance treaty with Denmark and a 20-year truce with Sweden were concluded. The Livonian war continued with varying success.

In 1566, the great Polish embassy arrived in Moscow to negotiate a peace. Polish diplomats did not want to cede the seaport of Riga to Russia, and Russians to Poland - Polotsk and Smolensk. The negotiations were in jeopardy. At a special Zemsky Sobor, Viskovaty recommended a truce without requiring Poland to cede the disputed Livonian cities, subject to the withdrawal of Polish troops from there and Poland's neutrality in Livonian War. But the participants of the Zemsky Sobor spoke out against this and assured the government that for the sake of the complete conquest of Livonia, they are ready for any sacrifice. In the future, Viskovaty's diplomatic sagacity paid off. Unsuccessful negotiations in 1566 contributed to the unification in 1569 at the Polish-Lithuanian Sejm in Lublin of Poland and Lithuania into a single large state - the Commonwealth.

Viskovaty was known as one of the most educated people in Russia. Under the Ambassadorial order, he created a library, which he himself constantly used. Among the books collected there were works on geography, "cosmography", Russian chronicles, Polish and Lithuanian chronicles, works by Damascus and Chrysostom, the Koran, etc. He was so fluent in the style of church literature that at one time he even wrote letters on behalf of the metropolitan Macarius. Therefore, it is no coincidence that he was at the center of events related to the "case of the heresy of Matvey Bashkin."

In late June - early July 1553, one of the radical religious thinkers of the 16th century, Matvey Bashkin, and his "like-minded" were condemned at a church council in Moscow. Viskovaty also spoke at this council. In the presence of the tsar and the boyars, he accused the confessor of Tsar Sylvester and Archpriest Simeon of the Annunciation Cathedral of complicity with heretics. He also spoke out against innovations that, in his opinion, did not correspond to church canons of icon painting and were borrowed from the West.

But unexpectedly for himself, Viskovaty turned from an accuser into an accused. This is evidenced by the definition of the church council, given to "deacon Ivan Mikhailov ... for his spiritual correction" for the fact that for three years he "had doubts about his opinion about those holy honest icons, and yelled and indignant people ... in temptation and reproach to many."

On January 14, 1554, Viskovaty was excommunicated for three years. In the first year, he had to stand near the temple, repent and ask those entering the temple to pray for him; in the second - to enter the church only to listen to the divine scripture; in the third - to be in the church, but without the right to communicate. Rather rudely, he was instructed to "be in charge of his rank" and not to imagine himself a "head", being a "leg".

The official position of Viskovaty did not change due to excommunication: he remained the head of the Ambassadorial Order. It is possible that the tsar himself patronized Ivan Mikhailovich.

On February 9, 1561, Ivan IV conferred on Viskovaty the title of "printer" (custodian of the state seal), calling him "his near and faithful Duma member." Since that time, Viskovaty in diplomatic documents is simultaneously referred to as a printer and a deacon. The German oprichnik Heinrich Staden testified: "Whoever received his signed letter should go to Ivan Viskovaty, who kept the seal. He is a proud man, and one who received a letter from him within a month could consider himself happy."

Viskovaty repeatedly made speeches on behalf of Ivan IV. So, in 1561, when the Swedes asked for a partial change in the practice of exchanging embassies between Moscow and Stockholm, he said: "That matter is more painful than anything, that the old man should destroy his ancestors." In diplomatic practice, excerpts from the documents of the Tsar's archives, references to examples of the past were often used. The ambassadors embellished their speech with quotations from biblical texts, proverbs and aphorisms.

After returning from Denmark in November 1563, Viskovaty was constantly appointed by the tsar to the boyar commissions for negotiations with foreign ambassadors, but practically did not deal with the clerical work of the Ambassadorial Order. During Viskovaty's stay in Denmark, clerk Andrey Vasiliev began to be called "The Tsar's Majesty the Duma clerk" and retained this title in the future. Thus, in the summer of 1562, the business of the embassy clerk actually passed to Vasiliev. Viskovaty, as the head of the Ambassadorial Department, continued to be an adviser.

Documentary evidence of his activities upon his return from Denmark is scarce. Viskovaty, Vasiliev, and the protege of the Zakharyins, Nikita Funikov, who headed the Treasury Department, were holding important documents in their hands.

On May 7, 1570, Ivan IV received Lithuanian ambassadors in Moscow, and "...they had two meetings: the first meeting, the printer Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovaty came out of the canteen on the locker, and the clerk Andrey Shchelkalov." In June 1570, Viskovaty participated in the negotiations of the boyar commission with the Polish ambassadors in Moscow, and on June 22 he presented the diploma to the ambassadors.

The situation in the country became more and more tense. The king saw treason everywhere. The Oprichnaya Duma decided to march into the western regions.

In January 1570, a punitive expedition staged a brutal pogrom in Novgorod.

Immediately after the return of the tsar from Novgorod, the so-called "Moscow case" of the highest orders was started, according to which, among others, Viskovaty's brother Tretiak was arrested and executed. Ivan Mikhailovich explained himself to the tsar, urging him to stop the bloodshed. Painfully suspicious, Ivan IV decided that opposition had formed against him. Viskovaty persistently advised the tsar that he "... in particular, did not exterminate his boyars, and asked him to think about who he would continue to not only fight, but also live with, if he executed so many brave people." In response to the words of Viskovaty, the tsar burst into threats: "I have not yet exterminated you, but I have just begun, but I will try to eradicate all of you so that your memory will not remain." Soon more than 300 people were charged, including almost all the chief clerks of the Moscow orders. Viskovaty was accused of conspiring to surrender Novgorod and Pskov to the Polish king, to put Staritsky on the throne, of treasonous relations with the Turkish sultan and the Crimean Khan, to whom he allegedly "offered" Kazan and Astrakhan.

On July 25, 1570, the great diplomat was executed in the market square. At first, the guardsmen tried to force him to publicly confess his "crimes" and ask the king for mercy. But his last words were: "Damn you bloodsuckers, along with your king!" After a proud refusal, Ivan Mikhailovich was crucified on a log cross and dismembered alive in front of the tsar and the crowd.

Following Viskovaty, more than 100 people were executed, including his former assistant, the head of the Ambassadorial Department A. Vasiliev and the state treasurer N. Funikov, who was boiled by pouring boiling water over him.

Thus ended the life of Viskovaty, about whom the compiler of the Livonian Chronicle B. Russov wrote: "Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovaty is an excellent person, the like of which was not in Moscow at that time: foreign ambassadors were very surprised at his mind and art as a Muscovite who had not studied anything."

Describing the execution of Viskovaty, the Polish chronicler Alexander Gvagnini concluded: "This is the end of an excellent husband, outstanding in mind and many virtues, the chancellor of the Grand Duke, who will no longer be equal in the Muscovite state."

Reprinted from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/

Read further:

Russia in the 16th century (chronological table).

Literature:

Belokurov S.A. About the Ambassadorial order. M., 1906.

Sadikov P. A., Essays on the history of the oprichnina, M.-L., 1950;

Smirnov I. I., Essays political history Rus. state-va 30-50s. XVI century., M.-L., 1958;

Andreev N. E., About the "Case of the clerk Viskovaty", "Seminarium Kondakovianum", t. 5, Prague, 1932, p. 191-241.

As an institution, the Posolsky Prikaz was not great; in it in 1594 - 1601. there were, besides the "ambassadorial clerk" and his comrade, also a clerk, only 15 - 17 clerks, not counting translators and lower staff.

In the 17th century, the Posolsky Prikaz grew significantly. Since 1620, under the Ambassadorial Order, the so-called flyers (or messages) - reports on important international affairs - were regularly translated and distributed. On their basis, the first Russian hand-written newspaper appeared, compiled for the tsar and the Boyar Duma - "Chimes".

In addition to directing foreign policy, he was also in charge of matters related to the residence of foreign merchants and artisans in Russia, the ransom of prisoners, he managed some cities, was in charge of the post office, the court, and the collection of customs and tavern revenues.

This gave rise to one of his smartest bosses - Ordin-Nashchokin - to say with annoyance that "great affairs of state" should not be confused with "mug", i.e. with the collection of income from mug yards (taverns).

In the second half of the 17th century, the Little Russian order, the order of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Smolensk order were subordinate to the Posolsky order. The states, which were in charge of the Ambassadorial order, were distributed according to the ranks as follows:

• 1st generation: Holy See, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Spain, France, England (and all protocol matters).
• 2nd generation: Sweden, Poland, Wallachia, Moldavia, Turkey, Crimea, Holland, Hamburg, Hanseatic cities, Greeks and visits of "Greek authorities" (Patriarch of Constantinople).
• 3rd class: Denmark, Brandenburg, Courland (and all matters related to the conduct of technical support for relations; translators, interpreters, dragomans, scribes, gold painters).
• 4th generation: Persia, Armenia, India, Kalmyk state, Don Cossacks (Don Republic). As well as everything related to communications: diplomatic mail and mail in general, couriers, messengers, messengers, messengers, the security service for diplomatic workers ("reprisal cases") and trade representation.
• 5th tribe: China, Bukhara, Urgench (Khiva), Siberian Kalmyks (Zhungar state), Georgia. Also providing equipment for embassy workers and organizing receptions.

The diversity and vastness of the functions of the Ambassadorial Order in the 17th century required a significant expansion of its staff. In 1689, there were 53 clerks, 22 translators and 17 interpreters in the Ambassadorial Prikaz.

The Embassy Prikaz kept state seals (which were attached to diplomatic and internal political acts), as well as state archive, which included the most important foreign and domestic political documentation.

But still, diplomacy was given a central place in the work of the Ambassadorial Order.

Posolsky Prikaz - one of the central state bodies of Russia in the middle of the 16th - early 18th centuries, which carried out general management and ongoing work on relations with foreign states.

Posolsky Prikaz - one of the central state bodies of Russia in the middle of the 16th - early 18th centuries, which carried out general management and ongoing work on relations with foreign states. It was formed at the beginning of 1549 in connection with the transfer of "embassy affairs" to I. M. Viskovaty. The main functions of the Ambassadorial Order were: sending Russian embassies abroad and receiving foreign embassies, preparing texts of "mandates" for Russian ambassadors, agreements, negotiating, from the beginning of the 18th century. - Appointment and control over the actions of permanent Russian diplomatic representatives abroad.

The embassy order was in charge of foreign merchants during their stay in Russia. In addition, the Posolsky Prikaz was engaged in the ransom and exchange of Russian prisoners, ruled a number of territories in the south-east. country, was in charge of the Don Cossacks and service Tatars-landlords of the central counties. Depending on the Ambassadorial order in the 2nd half of the 17th century. were the Little Russian order, the order of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Smolensk order.

Board of the order in the 17th century. usually headed the Novgorod couple (see Cheti), as well as the Vladimir quarter and the Galician quarter. The order kept the state seals (applied to diplomatic and domestic political acts), the state archive, which included the most important foreign and domestic political documentation. The appearance in the 17th century is associated with the order. a number of official historical and political works. In addition to his board (from 2-3 to 5-6 people), the structure of the order included clerks, clerks, translators and gold painters. Structurally, the Posolsky order was divided into povytya on a territorial-state basis. In the 16-17 centuries. The embassy order was headed by the most prominent Russian diplomats - Viskovaty, A. Ya. and V. Ya. Shchelkalov, A. I. Ivanov, A. L. Ordin-Nashchokin, A. S. Matveev, V. V. Golitsyn and others.

With education in the early 18th century. The Embassy office (at first traveling, then permanent in St. Petersburg), the role of the Ambassadorial order is gradually falling. Abolished in 1720. Replaced by the College of Foreign Affairs.

Lit .: Belokurov S. A., On the ambassadorial order, M., 1906; Leontiev A.K., Formation of the command system of government in the Russian state, M., 1961.