Abstract

The article provides an example of the use of the Books of Ranks for reconstruction of military careers of the Russian military and political elite in the 16th–17th centuries. The Books of Ranks are the most important source for biographical studies of the period in question, since they contain the information on the most significant appointments to the positions in army regiments and fortress garrisons. Prince V.I. Shuisky, the future czar, attracted the scholarly attention mainly as a political figure of the Time of Troubles. There is still no research on the initial stage of the prince’s career and his military activities. The objective of this article is to reconstruct the military service of Prince V.I. Shuisky in the last third of the 16th century and to fill the gap through studying the Books of Ranks. The work characterizes the official position of the Shuiskys, who occupied an important place in the military hierarchy. The Rise of Prince I.A. Shuisky after the Polotsk campaign shows an increase in the influence of the middle branch of the family. The author analyzes the early years of Prince V.I. Shuisky’s service, represented only in the Books of Ranks, and concludes that the prince fell behind in his career growth. The study reveals the relationship between the prince’s official appointments and the service of his ancestors and relatives. A sharp change of the prince’s official position occurred, most likely, at the will of the czar. The author stresses the link between the military ranks and involvement in the political struggle under Feodor Ivanovich and Boris Godunov. Prince V.I. Shuisky possessed significant military and administrative experience and he was in demand by the army, but did not belong to the most active noblemen in the military service. Despite his high noble status and the subsequent fate of the prince, the information on the first years of his life and activity unrelated to politics is contained mainly in the Books of Ranks, and they have to be deployed as a principal source for biography studies of Russian nobles.