Other forms: viziers
In ancient monarchies, a vizier was a very high-ranking official. During the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Vizier was the sultan's representative in the government.
A historian would tell you that the earliest viziers were the nobles who served Egyptian pharaohs as long ago as 2700 BCE. The term itself appeared much later, though — around 1570 CE. The origins of vizier go back to an Arabic word, wazir, which means "one who bears the burden of government office."