Prikaz (Russian: приказ) was an administrative (palace, civil, military, or church) or judicial office in Muscovy and Russia of 15th-18th centuries. The term is usually translated as "ministry", "office" or "department". In modern Russian "prikaz" means administrative or military order (to do something). Plurally form is 'prikazy' (Russian: Приказы).
"Prikaz" was also the name of streltsyregiments in 16th-17th centuries.
Most of prikazes were subordinated to Boyar Duma. Some of them (Palace Prikazes (Дворцовые приказы)) were subordinated to the Tayny Prikaz, or Prikaz of Secret Affairs (приказ тайных дел) that answered directly to Tsar. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia had his own prikazes.
There was a large number (up to 60) of specialized prikazes. Their set varied over time.
Posolsky Prikaz (literally: "Ambassadorial office") was in charge of international affairs, a kind of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Polonyanichy Prikaz (from archaic Russian: Полон, Плен 'polon', 'plen' means captive) : redemption of Russian captives, prisoners of war
Panskiy Prikaz (Prikas of Pans) - office of Poland affairs
Administrative
Pechatny Prikaz (Prikaz of the Seal, Stamp Prikaz) was an office that placed the Tsar's seal on various documents that granted various things to private persons, and collected the corresponding duties.
Stone Prikaz
Yamskoy Prikaz (mail)
Prikaz of book-printing affairs
Prikaz of hospices constructing
Aptekarskiy (Drugstore) prikaz
Monastery Prikaz (was not subordinated to the Russian Orhodox Church)
Prikaz sbora ratnyh i datochnyh lydei (Russian: сбора ратных и даточных людей) (Prikaz of gathering of military and conscripted men)
Foreigners Prikaz (foreign mercenaries)
Oruzheiniy (Weaponry) Prikaz
Prikaz of German feeds: probably, paid a salary to foreigners ('Germans') at Russian military or state service
Ritter prikaz
Financial Prikazes
Pomestny Prikaz (Estate Prikaz) was in charge of personal estate ('pomestye') and ancestral estate ('votchina') lands in . Collected fees for land transfers.
Prikaz of counting affairs
Prikaz of Big treasury
Prikaz of Big income
Security
Chelobitny Prikaz : considered complaints at the name of Tzar; word chelobitnaya Russian: челобитная translated as beating by a forehead, that means to bow low. Standard form of such complaint included words "Slave of God ... (or : 'Your holop (slave)') is beating by a forehead", or "Slaves and orphans are beating by a foreheads".
Malorossiya Prikaz, Ministry of the Ukrainian (Malorossiya) Affairs
Kazan Prikaz (Казанский приказ, Приказ Казанского дворца, Kazan Palace Prikaz), Volga Region (Поволжье) Affairs (South-West of Russia, territories of Kazan Khanate)
Panihydniy prikaz (Requiem prikaz) : requiems at members of tzar family
Patriarch Prikazes
Patriarch Rank Prikaz
Patriarch Treasury Prikaz
Patriarch Palace Prikaz
Other
Razryadny Prikaz (Rank Prikaz) was in charge of military and civil administration higher personnel.
Holop's Prikaz - considered affairs of slaves(holops)
Origin
Prikazy appeared from some private orders (Russian: приказ, prikaz) to do something, given by tzar to some persons. At some cases new prikaz have a name of this person (Prikaz of dyak Vahromeev, where 'Vahromeev' is a last name).
From 1512 word 'prikaz' is starting to be used as a name of some constant office.
Differences from modern ministry system
Moskow tzardom didn't know separation of powers, so some prykazy were judicial. In fact, this system was a mix of all three branches of the state;
Some prikazy were regional, performing tasks of local authorities. Territorial administrative division of Moskow tzardom at this epoch was developed weakly. In fact, large territory was divided at only 4 quarters (Russian: чети), later 5 1/5 parts (Russian: пятины), their territories were mixed, and part of one of such divisions could be enclave at another one;
Later Russian historians are describing separation of responsibilities between different prikazy as chaotic; some problem can be at responsibility of several different prikasy at one time. Quantity of prikazy was very big; their total number during all time of their existence is unknown;
Making of decisions was concentrated at the head of each prikaz;
Some prikazy was established to perform some order ("prikaz") of tzar and, when this order was done, they were disbanded. So, some prikazy were rather short-living;
One prikaz can be subordinated to another one.
Classification
Classification of prikaz system is very difficult task. In fact, each major historian try to build his own classification. Major variants can be: prikazy of some territory, of some class of population, of some kind of affairs. Other way of classificaion - to rank prikazy by subordination.
Abolished
The prikazy were abolished by Peter the Great and replaced, beginning in 1717, with administrative organs known as collegia. This process took a rather long time; Siberian prikaz, for example, was restored at 1730 and existed till 1755. At the beginning of XVIII century Peter the Great even established some new prikazy. This system was eliminated finally only at Catherine the Great at 1755. Later Russian historians are describing this, as replacing complicated and chaotic system of several dozens prikases to clear and simple system of 12 collegias.