Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatyi
Encyclopedia
Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatiy (Viskovatov) (Иван Михайлович Висковатый (Висковатов) in Russian
) (d. 25 July 1570, Moscow
) was a Russian diplomat
and head of the Posolsky Prikaz (foreign affairs
office).
Viskovatiy rose to the rank of dyak
in 1549 during the time of Ivan the Terrible
's intensive organizational activities. Together with Alexei Adashev, he managed Russia
's foreign relations until his death. Historians believe that the Posolsky Prikaz was finally formed in 1556 owing to the efforts of Viskovatiy. He was also the one to inventory the archive
s of the ministry of foreign affairs. In 1561, Viskovatiy was appointed the keeper of the seal, combining, thus, the custody of the seal of the Russian state with the diplomatic department. This tradition would be in place until the 17th century. As keeper of the seal, Viskovatiy was also made a member of the Boyar Duma.
When Ivan the Terrible became seriously ill in 1553, Viskovatiy was the first one to propose to the tsar
to choose a successor. He was also among the first to support the nomination of the young Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1554, Viskovatiy was appointed a member of the boyar
investigation committee regarding Prince
Semeon Rostovsky's treason
. That same year, Viskovatiy had to appear before the ecumenical council
of the Russian Orthodox Church
because he had been influenced by Matvei Bashkin
's heresy
and had drawn other people into accepting it. The council treated him with leniency and inflicted a three-year penance
upon him. In 1563, Viskovatiy went on a diplomatic mission to Denmark
to hold negotiations on Livonia
n affairs. In 1566, Viskovatiy took part in the Zemsky Sobor
.
Viskovatiy managed to escape the tsar's disgrace during the 1560s. He had to pay dearly, however, for his alleged involvement in a still unclear affair in 1570. Viskovatiy was accused of his alleged intentions to give Novgorod to the Polish
king and Astrakhan
and Kazan
to the Turkish
sultan
. He was publicly executed on 25 July 1570 in Moscow.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) (d. 25 July 1570, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a Russian diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and head of the Posolsky Prikaz (foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
office).
Viskovatiy rose to the rank of dyak
Dyak (clerk)
Dyak is a historical Russian bureaucratic occupation whose meaning varied over time and approximately corresponded to the notions of "chief clerk" or "chief of office department"....
in 1549 during the time of Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
's intensive organizational activities. Together with Alexei Adashev, he managed Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's foreign relations until his death. Historians believe that the Posolsky Prikaz was finally formed in 1556 owing to the efforts of Viskovatiy. He was also the one to inventory the archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
s of the ministry of foreign affairs. In 1561, Viskovatiy was appointed the keeper of the seal, combining, thus, the custody of the seal of the Russian state with the diplomatic department. This tradition would be in place until the 17th century. As keeper of the seal, Viskovatiy was also made a member of the Boyar Duma.
When Ivan the Terrible became seriously ill in 1553, Viskovatiy was the first one to propose to the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
to choose a successor. He was also among the first to support the nomination of the young Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1554, Viskovatiy was appointed a member of the boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
investigation committee regarding Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Semeon Rostovsky's treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. That same year, Viskovatiy had to appear before the ecumenical council
Ecumenical council
An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice....
of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
because he had been influenced by Matvei Bashkin
Matvei Bashkin
Matvei Bashkin was a Russian boyar's son in the time of Ivan the Terrible charged with heresy for denial of the doctrine of the Trinity along with abbot Artemy the former abbot of Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery. In 1553 he organised a circle of gentry in Moscow and began to teach against the...
's heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
and had drawn other people into accepting it. The council treated him with leniency and inflicted a three-year penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
upon him. In 1563, Viskovatiy went on a diplomatic mission to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to hold negotiations on Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
n affairs. In 1566, Viskovatiy took part in the Zemsky Sobor
Zemsky Sobor
The zemsky sobor was the first Russian parliament of the feudal Estates type, in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term roughly means assembly of the land. It could be summoned either by tsar, or patriarch, or the Boyar Duma...
.
Viskovatiy managed to escape the tsar's disgrace during the 1560s. He had to pay dearly, however, for his alleged involvement in a still unclear affair in 1570. Viskovatiy was accused of his alleged intentions to give Novgorod to the Polish
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
king and Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
and Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
to the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
. He was publicly executed on 25 July 1570 in Moscow.