From ancient times, at the courts of large rulers, there was a special caste of people who were entrusted with the performance of certain power functions. Regardless of the structure of the court ranks, they were always part of the elite, taking advantage of certain privileges and rights inaccessible to other members of society. Similar court ranks have existed in Russia since the inception of statehood.
The court officials in Russia at first had the right to perform the functions of state administration and leadership, providing services to the ruler and the life of the court. Over time, there was a division of ranks into state and actually court. In the process of such division, the court ranks were no longer associated with the implementation of specific duties at court, but possessed only an honorary title.
In the Middle Ages, by the beginning of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the country had a developed system of state ranks, divided into three large groups: the Duma ranks, the ranks of the Moscow service, the ranks of the provincial. In the immediate environment of the sovereign included the first two official groups. They could be involved in the performance of functions at court.
Standing apart was a separate group of dignitaries, who had special privileges and very specific duties on the job. In the XVII century, the highest among the Russian court ranks were considered a butler, a prisoner and a stable. Traditionally, these ranks were assigned to representatives of boyar families. Typically, the management of the Boyarsky Duma was carried out by the stable, at the same time the former head of the Stable Order. The economy, subordinate to the stable, was very wide. He was in charge of the sovereign's estates, the financing of the stable department, and the formation of the horse army.
Another of the highest state ranks was the prisoner, who was in charge of the property of the royal court and was responsible for the security of the sovereign. The bedbeds and solicitors obeyed the bedding man. His services also included services that supplied household items to the courtyard. The prisoner often accompanied the ruler on trips and at official events; he had the right to rest in the room next to the monarch.
The butler was also given special rights. He supervised volosts and the Palace order, having under his jurisdiction the income received for the maintenance of government residences. Very often those persons whom the tsar wanted to bring closer to themselves were appointed to the post of butler.
It should be noted that the boyars in Russia had special advantages at court. They got the ranks, which were not associated with the implementation of specific duties, but only emphasized their proximity to the king. One of these ranks was the title of sovereign servant, assigned only for individual merits. Anyone who received such a rank automatically became a confidant of the sovereign and, to a certain extent, could influence foreign and domestic policy.
