 In the 16–17th centuries many princes of Meschera were polk (regiment) or grad (city) voivodes.The family was somewhat arbitrarily grouped in documentation together with Tatar princely families of the Russian Empire.The neighboring Tatar kingdom subjugated lords of the Meshchera tribe under its suzerainty, and some of them converted to Islam and bore Muslim-like first names; but soon, under Russian subjugation, subsequent generations converted to the Eastern Orthodox faith and used Slavic Christian names.