“Whomsoever He Wishes As His Successor”: Paul Bushkovitch on Succession and Absolutism in Early Modern Russia

Paul Bushkovitch’s study of succession in Russia challenges a number of received historiographical traditions about succession and absolutism in early modern Russia. He questions the common view that power transferred from one ruler to the next by primogeniture and instead sees a long and largely uninterrupted tradition of parental designation. He also rejects the view that the concept of absolutism is useful for understanding monarchical power in Muscovy. Instead, Bushkovitch joins a growing group of historians who see the tsar ruling collaboratively with his boyars, making this a study as much about political culture as it is about succession. Some readers may find the conclusions about primogeniture to be highly revisionist and in need of further investigation, but the arguments about absolutism will no doubt influence in significant ways future works on power and politics, as historians continue to expand their understanding of pre-modern Russian political culture.