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Zemsky sobors of the late 16th – early 17th century in Russia: historiographical stereotypes in the reflection of historical sources
In the works on the history of the Russian Zemsky Sobors, there is a tradition to draw parallels between the Sobors and organs of class-representative power in European countries at XVI – XVII centuries (the English Parliament, the French States General, the Spanish Cortes).It is believed that the the end of XVI – early XVII century and especially the Time of Troubles was the heyday of Zemsky Sobors (when a weak Central government in the conditions of the civil war, had to look for support in the organs of class representation). Meanwhile, the analysis of historical sources doesn`t allow to assume that at the very period the Zemsky Sobors played a greater role than it was previously. Even the most studied Zemsky Sobors - the elective Sobors in 1598 and 1613, were held with serious violations of election procedures, the representatives of the provinces were not represented to the extent that it was written in the official documents. The question of the place of the Zemsky Sobors in the political system of the Moscow state at the beginning of the XVII century requires further analysis.