Pushkarskii Prikaz

Pushkarskii Prikaz 

(Office of Field Ordnance), a central military institution in 16th- and 17th-century Russia, first mentioned in the records for 1577. This prikaz (office) had jurisdiction over the cannoneers (pushkari), and state-employed urban blacksmiths, except the blacksmiths who worked in cities on the southern abatis line, in Pomor’e, and in Siberia. The prikaz had charge of the production, distribution, and registration of artillery weapons and supplies; it had jurisdiction over the Cannon Yard (Pushechnyi Dvor), the Grenade Yard (Granatnyi Dvor), and state-owned gunpowder plants. It also inspected the fortifications in most cities and saw to the condition of the abatis lines. The prikaz was directed by a boyar or, less frequently, an okol’nichii (a noble ranking below a boyar) and two d’iaki (secretaries or clerks). It was subdivided into departments that dealt with urban matters, the abatis lines, and financial affairs.

Between 1678 and 1682 the Pushkarskii Prikaz was part of the Reitarskii Prikaz (Cavalry Office), and in 1701 it was replaced by the Artilleriiskii Prikaz (Artillery Office).