What is known about the First Zemsky Sobor
Zemsky Sobor is a gathering of representatives of different strata of the population of the Russian state to resolve political, economic and administrative issues. The word "zemstvo" meant "nationwide" (that is, the cause of "the whole earth").
Such meetings were convened to discuss the most important issues of the internal and foreign policy of the Moscow state, and on matters that did not tolerate delay, for example, they discussed issues of war and peace, taxes and fees, mainly for military needs.
In the 16th century, the process of the formation of this social institution was just beginning, initially it was not clearly structured, and its competence was not strictly defined. The practice of convening, the procedure for forming, especially the composition of the zemstvo councils for a long time was also not regulated.
The first is considered to be the Zemsky Sobor in 1549, which lasted for two days; it was convened to resolve issues of the new tsar's Code of Law and the reforms of the "Chosen Rada". The sovereign, the boyars, spoke at the council, and later a meeting of the Boyar Duma took place, which adopted a provision on the non-jurisdiction (except for major criminal cases) of boyar children to governors.
There is also an opinion that it was the so-called "cathedral of reconciliation" (possibly, the tsar with the boyars, or reconciliation between representatives of different classes among themselves).
"Tsar John IV opens the first Zemsky Sobor with his penitential speech." (K. Lebedev).
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How it all happened ("Book of Degrees")
1549 - under the influence of the entourage, Tsar Ivan IV decided on a new step in Russian history - the convocation of the first Zemsky Sobor. “In the twentieth year of his age,” says the Book of the Degree, “seeing the state in great anguish and sadness from the violence of the strong and from untruths, the tsar thought to bring everyone into love. After consulting with the Metropolitan on how to eliminate sedition, destroy untruths, quench enmity, he urged to gather his state from cities of every rank”. When the elected officials gathered, the tsar went out with a cross to the Execution Ground on Sunday, and after the prayer service began to speak to the Metropolitan:
“I pray you, holy master! Be my helper and lover of love. I know that you desire good deeds and love. You yourself know that I am four years after my father, and eight years after my mother; my relatives did not care about me, and my strong boyars and nobles did not care about me and were autocratic, they stole dignities and honors for themselves by my name and practiced many selfish plunders and misfortunes. I was as if deaf and did not hear, and did not have in my mouth reproof for my youth and helplessness, but they ruled."
And, addressing the boyars who were on the square, Tsar Ivan threw them passionate words: “O unrighteous covetous people and predators and unrighteous judges! What answer will you give us now that many tears have raised upon themselves? I am clean of this blood, expect your reward."
After, he bowed in all directions, Ivan IV continued: “People of God and those given to us by God! I pray your faith to God and love to us. Now we cannot correct your previous troubles, ruins and taxes due to my prolonged minority, the emptiness and untruths of my boyars and the authorities, the judgment of the unrighteous, covetousness and love of money. I pray you, leave each other hostility and burdens, except perhaps very big matters: in these matters and in new ones, I myself will be your judge and defense as much as possible, I will ruin lies and return the stolen goods."
On the same day, Ivan Vasilyevich granted Adashev to the entourage and told him at the same time: “Alexey! I instruct you to accept petitions from the poor and the offended and disassemble them carefully. Do not be afraid of the strong and glorious, who have stolen honor and rude their violence to the poor and the weak; do not look at the false tears of the poor, slandering the rich, wanting to be right with false tears, but consider everything carefully and bring the truth to us, fearing the judgment of God; elect righteous judges from boyars and nobles."
The result of the first Zemsky Sobor
No other information about the first Zemsky Sobor has survived to this day, however, by a number of indirect signs, one can see that the case could not be limited to one speech by the sovereign, and many practical questions were raised. Ivan IV ordered the boyars to make peace with all the Christians of the state. And in fact, soon after that, an order was given to all the governors-nurses to end all lawsuits with zemstvo societies about feeding in a hurry to the world order.
At the Stoglava Cathedral in 1551, Ivan Vasilyevich said that the previous council had given him a blessing to correct the old Code of Laws of 1497 and to establish elders and kiselists in all the lands of his state. This means that the Zemsky Sobor in 1549 discussed a number of legislative measures with the aim of restructuring local government.
This plan began with the urgent liquidation of all lawsuits between the zemstvo and the nurses, continued to revise the Code of Laws with the obligatory widespread introduction of elected elders and kissers to the court, and ended with the granting of statutory letters that generally canceled the feeding. As a result of these measures, the local communities had to free themselves from the petty tutelage of the boyars-governors, collect taxes themselves and make the court themselves. It is known that feeding, unrighteous courts and uncontrolled collection of taxes became the real scourge of Russian life by the middle of the 16th century.
Emsky Cathedral. (S. Ivanov).
The many abuses of the boyars-governors in the performance of their duties are reported in all sources of that era. By canceling feeding and creating independent communal courts, Ivan Vasilyevich tried to destroy the evil that had taken deep roots in Russian society. All these measures were fully consistent with the new mentality of the sovereign and stemmed from his speech delivered to all the people in 1549. But the letters, according to which the volosts were given the right to govern both elected authorities, were ransom. The volost paid off the governors with a certain amount paid to the treasury; the government gave her the right to buy off at her request; if she did not beat her brow, considering the new order of things unprofitable for herself, then she remained with the old one.
In the following year, 1551, a large and church council, usually called Stoglav, was convened to organize church administration and the religious and moral life of the people. It presented a new Code of Law, which was the Corrected and distributed edition of the old grandfather's Code of Law of 1497.