Definition
boyards
noun
- plural of boyard; members of the old Russian or Eastern European aristocracy or nobility
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to a specific historical class
Examples
- The boyards held significant power in medieval Russia before the rise of the Romanov dynasty.
- Peter the Great reformed the system of boyards to strengthen centralized authority.
- Wealthy boyards controlled vast estates and commanded armies of their own.
- The boyards resisted many of the tsar's modernization efforts.
- Historical records describe the boyards as a privileged military and administrative class.