Duma
A duma (Russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
For the lower house of the Russian Federation, see State Duma. For other uses, see Duma (disambiguation).
The term boyar duma is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia.
The first formally constituted state duma was the Imperial State Duma introduced to the Russian Empire by Emperor Nicholas II in 1905. The Emperor retained an absolute veto and could dismiss the State Duma at any time for a suitable reason. Nicholas dismissed the First State Duma (1906) within 75 days; elections for a second Duma took place the following year. The Russian Provisional Government dissolved the last Imperial State Duma (the fourth Duma) in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.
Since 1993, the State Duma (Государственная дума, Gosudarstvennaya Duma) has functioned as the lower legislative house of the Russian Federation.
Etymology[edit]
The Russian word is inherited from the Proto-Slavic word *duma which is thought to be derived from Proto-Germanic *dōmaz. The word is also related to the Russian verb dumat′ (думать) meaning "to think".[1]
Boyar duma[edit]
The term boyar duma (боярская дума, boyarskaya duma) is used to refer to the councils of boyars and junior boyars (boyar scions) which advised the prince on state matters during the times of Kievan Rus' and the Tsardom of Russia (then tsar).[2] In 1711 Peter the Great transferred its functions to the Governing Senate. Contemporary sources always refer simply to "the boyars" or to "the duma", but never to the "boyar duma". Originally there were ten to twelve boyars and five or six okolnichies. By 1613 the duma had increased to twenty boyars and eight okolnichies. Lesser nobles, "duma gentlemen" (dumnye dvoriane) and secretaries, were added to the duma and the number of okolnichies rose in the latter half of the 17th century. In 1676, the number of boyars increased to 50 – by then they constituted only a third of the duma.[3][4]