Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatyi

Ivan Mikhailovich Viskovatiy (Viskovatov) (Иван Михайлович Висковатый (Висковатов) in Russian) (? – 25.7.1570, Moscow) was a Russian diplomat and head of the Posolsky Prikaz.

Ivan Viskovatiy rose to the rank of diak in 1549 during the times of Ivan the Terrible's intensive organizational activities. Together with Alexei Adashev, he managed Russia's foreign relations until his death. Historians believe that the Posolsky Prikaz was finally formed in 1556 owing to the efforts of Viskovatiy. He was also the one to inventory the archives of the ministry of foreign affairs. In 1561, Viskovatiy was appointed the stamp bearer, combining, thus, the custody of the stamp of the Russian state with the diplomatic department. This tradition would be in place until the 17th century. As a stamp bearer, Viskovatiy was also made a member of the Boyar Duma. When Ivan the Terrible became seriously ill in 1553, Viskovatiy was the first one to propose to the tsar to choose a successor. He was also among the first to support the nomination of the young Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1554, Viskovatiy was appointed member of the boyar investigation committee with regards to Prince Semeon Rostovsky's treason. That same year, Viskovatiy had to appear before the ecumenical council of the Russian Orthodox Church due to the fact that he had been influenced by Matvei Bashkin's heresy and drawn other people into accepting it. The council treated him with leniency and inflicted a 3-year penance upon him. In 1563, Viskovatiy went on a diplomatic mission to Denmark to hold negotiations on the Livonian affairs. In 1566, Viskovatiy took part in the Zemsky Sobor.

Viskovatiy managed to escape tsar's disgrace during the 1560s. He had to pay dearly, however, for his alleged involvement in a still unclear affair in 1570. Viskovatiy was accused of his alleged intentions to give Novgorod to the Polish king and Astrakhan and Kazan – to the Turkish sultan. He was publicly executed on July 25, 1570 in Moscow.