- Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov
Vasily Yakovlevich Shchelkalov (Василий Яковлевич Щелкалов in Russian) (? –
1610 or1611 ) and Andrey Yakovlevich Shchelkalov (Андрей Яковлевич Щелкалов) (? - c.1597 ) were two influentialdiplomat s and heads of the "Posolsky Prikaz " during the reigns ofIvan the Terrible , Feodor I, andBoris Godunov in Russia.Andrey Yakovlevich Shchelkalov
The name of Andrey Yakovlevich Shchelkalov first appeared in
1550 , when he was entered in the so-called "Book of a Thousand" (Тысячная книга, or "Tysyachnaya kniga"). The book contained genealogical information on noble Muscovite families (1070 people altogether, hence, the name of the book) and their land allotments aroundMoscow . In1560 , Andrey Shchelkalov was assigned to the Lithuanianambassador s as apolice officer . Two years later, he became a "dyak" (government official). In1566 , Andrey Shchelkalov was promoted to the rank of "duma dyak " (the lowest rank in theBoyar Duma ). He also took part in the "Zemsky Sobor " that same year and put his signature under its resolutions.Andrey Shchelkalov rose to power during the
Oprichnina period of mass executions of well-known government officials in the summer of1570 . He was appointed head of the "Posolsky Prikaz " (foreign affairs ), "Razryadny Prikaz " (dealt with theservice class people , military affairs, and southern cities of Russia), "Pomestny Prikaz " (land distribution),Kazan Palace Prikaz (administrative, judicial and financial affairs of the Russian Southeast) and one of the regional offices of the "Chetvertnoy Prikaz " (administrative, judicial, fiscal, and financial affairs of the taxpayers). In1581 , Andrey Shchelkalov conductednegotiations with apapal legate Antonio Possevino , and with the English ambassadorJeremiah Baus in1583 , which would write in a personal letter fromAugust 12 ,1584 that Andrey Shchelkalov andNikita Romanov (aboyar , who started theRomanov bloodline) "considered themselves thetsar s". Foreign envoys, especially the English ones, didn’t like Andrey Shchelkalov, as well as his brother Vasili Yakovlevich, for their constant striving to eliminatetrade privilege s for foreignmerchant s. Boris Godunov praised Andrey Yakovlevich for his wit and diplomatic dexterity.However, Andrey Shchelkalov would soon fall into disgrace for his willfulness. Andrey and Vasili were known to have misrepresented family records of noble families and influenced the local administrative
hierarchy . Andrey Shchelkalov left diplomatic service in1594 , took monastic vows and assumed the name of Theodosius.Vasily Yakovlevich Shchelkalov
In
1566 , Vasili Yakovlevich took part in the "Zemsky Sobor". A year later, he was sent by Ivan the Terrible to sign apeace treaty withSigismund II of Poland . Later on, Vasili Shchelkalov was put in charge of the "Razboyny Prikaz " (prosecution and court hearings) in the1560s , "Razryadny Prikaz" (1576 -1594), "Chetvertnoy Prikaz" ofNizhny Novgorod (1570-1601 ), "Kazansky Prikaz", and "Streletsky Prikaz ". He was then appointed head of the "Posolsky Prikaz" in the mid-1594 and tsar’s stamp bearer in1595 . In 1601, Vasili Yakovlevich fell into disgrace for his willfulness and retired. He was rehabilitated during the reign ofFalse Dmitriy I , who made him his "okolnichiy " (event manager).
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