Definition
boyarism
noun
- the system, practices, or ideology of the boyars (the old Russian aristocratic class); aristocratic rule or influence characteristic of the boyar class
Usage: historical; chiefly used in reference to pre-revolutionary Russian society
Examples
- Boyarism dominated Russian political life until the reforms of Peter the Great.
- The tsar sought to diminish the power of boyarism by centralizing authority.
- Historians debate the extent to which boyarism influenced Russian cultural development.
- The decline of boyarism marked a significant shift in Russian social structure.
- Boyarism represented a feudal system based on land ownership and hereditary privilege.