Fyodor Alekseyevich Adashev (before 1530, 1560) was a prominent Russian statesman during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. He held positions as a boyar of the Duma, falconer, and chamberlain, and also led the government of the Chosen Council.

The exact date and place of his birth remain unknown. Adashev came from the Kostroma nobility, which, although not noble, had a good reputation and connections with the Moscow boyars.

His name first appears in 1547 at the wedding of the tsar, where he served as the "bedmaker" and "bath attendant," meaning he prepared the royal wedding bed and accompanied the newlyweds to the bathhouse. Adashev gained significant influence over the tsar after the Moscow fire of 1547, when Ivan the Terrible began to surround himself with loyal people, regardless of their origins. Due to his abilities and loyalty, Adashev became one of the leaders of the Chosen Council, an unofficial government that operated in the 1540s and 1550s.

The Chosen Council, established in 1549 and led by Adashev, temporarily sidelined the Boyar Duma from governing the state. Adashev, along with priest Silvester, became one of the leading statesmen. During the activities of the Chosen Council, reforms were implemented that strengthened the tsar's power, such as convening the first Zemsky Sobor, the Church's Stoglav Sobor, and granting "statutory charters." Adashev also participated in the development of the Judicial Code of 1550 and was promoted to falconer.

In the early 1550s, the establishment of administrative bodies known as prikazes continued. Adashev headed the Chelobitny Prikaz, the highest control body, and personally reviewed many petitions. His contemporary, Prince Andrey Kurbskiy, described Adashev as an ascetic, just, and deeply religious man. Adashev was a committed reformer and an opponent of the noble boyars, making him useful for the common cause.

Adashev implemented reforms that reflected the interests of the feudal lords and contributed to the centralization of power. He facilitated the abolition of the feeding system and conducted military reform, creating the "chosen thousand" warriors from the nobility. Adashev was so close to the tsar that he became the keeper of his personal archive and state seal.

Around 1550, Adashev became the treasurer and headed the financial department. He oversaw the writing of the Razryad Books and the Tsar's genealogy, as well as the Chronicle of the beginning of the kingdom. Adashev actively participated in negotiations with foreign ambassadors and led the diplomatic preparation for the annexation of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates.

In the spring of 1553, Tsar Ivan IV fell seriously ill and demanded an oath of allegiance to his son Dmitry. Adashev swore allegiance, but his father refused. After the tsar's recovery, the attitude towards the Adashevs changed, and Adashev was sent on diplomatic missions. He negotiated the annexation of the Astrakhan khanate and insisted on fighting the Crimean Tatars, but the tsar preferred to start the Livonian War.

Despite his disagreement with the tsar, Adashev carried out diplomatic assignments during the Livonian War. In May 1560, he was sent to Livonia, a consequence of Ivan IV's suspicion and disagreements with the Chosen Council. In 1560, Ivan IV's wife died, and the tsar believed rumors of Adashev's involvement in her death. Adashev was exiled to Derpt, where he soon died under unclear circumstances.

N.M. Karamzin described Adashev as an outstanding figure of his time. Many pre-revolutionary historians considered him a humanist and philanthropist. His name is immortalized on the Millennium Monument of Russia in Novgorod. Soviet researchers emphasized the class nature of the policies implemented by Adashev's government.