The process of enslavement of peasants in Russia took several centuries. Two centuries have passed since the reign of Ivan the Third, when a centralized state headed by Moscow was formed, and until complete enslavement. It all started with St. George's Day in the first Sudebnik, then reserved summers, school years. These are links in the same chain, and each must be considered in conjunction with others.
St. George's Day
St. George's Day is the feast of St. George at the end of November. Since the time of the first Sudebnik of 1497, the transfer of peasants to another landowner was limited to a week before and a week after this day. The cycle of agricultural work ended, money was paid for the use of auxiliary buildings, and the families of the tillers could leave to look for lighter bread from another owner. The fact is that in Russia there was a shortage of workers. The sovereign gave land for service, but there was no one to work on it. Therefore, the votchinniks and landowners competed with each other, pulled the peasants over to them, provided better conditions for life and work.
Reserved summers
By the end of the reign of Ivan the Terrible inThe economic sphere was in complete disarray. The losing Livonian War and the oprichnina policy undermined the country's budget, there was desolation of landlords and patrimonial lands. Under these conditions, the migration of the population increased, the peasants more often moved from place to place in search of a better life. Therefore, Ivan, at the end of his reign, answered the petitions of his service people by introducing the so-called reserved years, which preceded the assigned years. These were periods of prohibition for peasants to use the right of St. George's Day. This decision was accepted as temporary, but, as they say, there is nothing more permanent than temporary.
Lesson Summers
Another step that reduced the freedom of the peasants was the introduction of fixed years. The year of their appearance has not yet been determined. Preliminarily, this is the time of the reign of the last Rurikovich Fedor Ivanovich, but in fact, the brother-in-law of the tsar, Boris Godunov, was in charge of the government. In the decrees of that era, the term "lesson years" is not used. The year 1597, however, is defined in most textbooks on national history as the date of the introduction of the term for the investigation of peasants who left their owners during reserved summers. That is, during the period when the transitions were prohibited. It was the only way for the peasants to change something in their lives. So, they ran away to another landowner without permission. The host owner was interested in this, so he hid the defectors. Lesson years - this is the period in which the owner of the peasants could apply to the executive branch with a statement about the disappearance of his people. If peasants were found indue date (lesson), then returned to the previous owner.
Terms for detecting peasants
The first decrees of the tsar introduced five-year terms for detecting peasants, then this period increased to seven, ten and fifteen years. At the beginning of the 17th century, in connection with the famine, reserved summers were canceled in some areas, and hence the assigned years. This, however, did not mean that the process of enslavement was stopped; rather, it was suspended in the turbulent events of the Time of Troubles. Under the first tsars from the Romanov dynasty, a policy of maneuvering between the interests of various strata of society, including landowners of various levels, was carried out. Some demanded from the king to reduce the term of the investigation of the fugitives, others - to increase. In the interests of settling the southern lands, the government even went to the abolition of the fixed years. But gradually life got better, the interests of the landowners converged, the feudal mode of production required legalized serf relationships.
Cancellation of school years
The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich had several major riots. Popular discontent was associated with the establishment of new state and church orders and the deterioration in the standard of living of the population. As often happens, the state became stronger and richer, while the people became poorer. In 1648, the S alt Riot took place, the first of a succession of subsequent unrest. Frightened by the uprising, the young tsar convened the Zemsky Sobor. It revealed many of the contradictions of the feudal state. And yet the result was the adoption of a new code of laws of Russiaunder the name "Cathedral Code". As for the peasants, they were considered the property of the feudal lords, their private property. Anyone who harbored runaway peasants was punished. And for the fugitives themselves, all terms were canceled, after which they could hope to receive freedom from the owner. Thus, the abolition of school years, recorded in 1649, meant the final registration of serfdom. Now, throughout life, everyone who left the owner risked being caught and returned to the owner, who could punish him at his own discretion. This did not mean that the escapes had stopped, but the peasants had already fled not to another owner, but to the south, to the Cossack lands. With this, the state was also destined to wage a long struggle.
