Namestnik (Russian: наме́стник, Russian pronunciation: [nɐˈmʲɛsnʲɪk]) was an office position in the history of Russia. Its literal translation would be "deputy" or "lieutenant" (the broader sense of that word). The term has two periods of usage, with different meanings.
History
In the 12th–16th centuries, namestniks (more correctly knyaz namestniks, or "knyaz deputies") were in charge of local administration. In particular, they ruled uyezds.
The Archbishop of Novgorod also appointed namestniks, which in this case might be more properly translated as "vicar". Seals of the archbishop's namestnik found in excavations at Staraya Ladoga made Valentin Ianin conclude that the archbishops ran that town through their namestnik. Chronicle accounts also mention the archbishops' namestniks several times.
In the 18th–20th centuries, a namestnik was a person in charge of namestnichestvo, with plenipotentiary powers. The latter has traditionally been translated as viceroyalty and "namestnik" as viceroy or vicegerent (or, as a common blunder, "viceregent"). For example, Mikhail Vorontsov was namestnik of Bessarabia (1823-44) and of the Caucasus (1844-1854). Sometimes the term is confused with Governor General (генерал-губернатор). For example, during Vorontsov's term of office in Bessarabia, seven governor-generals were in, and at the same time he held the office of Governor General of New Russia.
