Landed Army

The Landed Army (Russian: Поместное войско, romanized: Pomestnoe voisko) was the feudal cavalry of the Grand Principality of Moscow and Tsardom of Russia in the 15th to 17th centuries.

A completely aristocratic army, based on this local system, was formed under Ivan III, the grand prince of Moscow.

As a result, the appanage princes and boyars were transformed into state servants, who received estates for service in conditional holding ("pomestye" – military fief).

In 1482, the landed army (Russian: Поместное войско) was formed,[3] the bulk of which were noblemen and "boyar's children" ("hereditary servitors"), accompanied by their armed slaves.

[7] Poor performance and discipline of noble cavalrymen during the Time of Troubles and Smolensk War led to the establishment of professional army units (Reiters, Dragoons, Pikemen and Musketeers) according to Western European military standards.