boyar
/boʊˈjɑr/
noun
- A member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in Russia and other Eastern European countries, especially from the 10th to the 17th centuries.
- The boyar owned vast estates and had great influence over the tsar's decisions.
- The power of the boyars declined after Ivan the Terrible centralized the government.
- In medieval Russia, a boyar could command his own army of loyal soldiers.
Synonyms