A
boyar was a member of the highest rank of the
feudal Bulgarian,
Moscovian,
Kievan Rus'ian,
Wallachian, and
Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling
princes (in Bulgaria,
tsars), from the 10th century to the 17th century. The rank has lived on as a surname in Russia, Ukraine and Romania, and also in Finland, where it is spelled
Pajari.