Tysiatskii

in ancient Russia, the military leader of a tysiacha (town militia). In the Novgorod Feudal Republic a tysiatskii was chosen at a veche (popular meeting) of boyars, usually for a term of one year, and served as an assistant to the posadnik (prince’s vicegerent). In cities without veche administration, princes appointed tysiatskie from the aristocratic boyars; the post then became hereditary. Prince Dmitrii Ivanovich Donskoi abolished the post of tysiatskii in Moscow. Elsewhere, voevody (military governors) and namestniki (vicegerents) replaced tysiatskie, and by the mid-15th century, the post was gradually disappearing.