Fyodor Alexeyevich Basmanov was an oprichnik and voivode and a favorite of Ivan the Terrible.
Biography
The word "Basman" denoted a certain kind of bread made exclusively in the palace dwellings. This nickname was given to an individual named Daniil Pleshcheev, Basmanov's grandfather, who was a of Vasily III, or a person who would make the bed of the ruler. The Basmanov family is recorded in the Velvet Book. Daniil Pleshcheev was taken prisoner in the Battle of Orsha in 1514 and died in Lithuania.
Fyodor Basmanov was the son of , an important general and boyar who exerted great influence on Ivan the Terrible. Prince Kurbsky in his letters accuses the elder Basmanov of exploiting his son Fyodor to fall into the good graces of the Tsar. He also had a brother, Pyotr, who was executed in 1570 along with his father.
