S. L. Avaliani published a major study of them in 1910, 11 years after de Rocca's book on them appeared.  The first one was created on the model of the "sejmiki" by a ruler who wanted to extend a war into Lithuania.  Their decline began after one of them passed the Ulozheniye of 1649, though even in their latest years Golytsin required one to repeal the military preference system, the mestnichestvo.  Traditionally meeting in the Palace of the Facets, a famous case of their use in foreign policy was the ratification of the Treaty of Pereyaslav, but they were more commonly used to approve domestic legal codes, and a rare exception to their obedience to the czar occurred when one petitioned Ivan IV to disband the opric
S. L. Avaliani published a major study of them in 1910, 11 years after de Rocca's book on them appeared.  The first one was created on the model of the "sejmiki" by a ruler who wanted to extend a war into Lithuania.  Their decline began after one of them passed the Ulozheniye of 1649, though even in their latest years Golytsin required one to repeal the military preference system, the mestnichestvo.  Traditionally meeting in the Palace of the Facets, a famous case of their use in foreign policy was the ratification of the Treaty of Pereyaslav, but they were more commonly used to approve domestic legal codes, and a rare exception to their obedience to the czar occurred when one petitioned Ivan IV to disband the oprichniki.  FTP, name these Russian councils composerd of merchants, clergymen and boyars.
S. L. Avaliani published a major study of them in 1910, 11 years after de Rocca's book on them appeared.  
Zemsky Sobor (accept Assembly of the Land or Landed Council or Zemskiye Sobori).