The history of the Russian state is rooted in antiquity. And from there came many popular expressions into our speech. Therefore, to this day we remember Tsar Peas, Trishka with his caftan, "all Ivanovo." And here is another phraseological unit, although a little less used now, but very, very interesting.
Defining an expression
The expression is "reserved years". How can it be understood by modern native speakers? Let's turn to the distant past. 16th century, the era of the reign of Ivan the Terrible. It was at this time that “reserved summers” appeared. In 1581, Grozny conducted a census of the population. On the one hand, he is driven by the desire to strengthen his power at the expense of loyal nobles, endowing them with treasury, lands and villages with peasants. On the other hand, in the 1970s and 1980s, the national economy in Russia fell sharply. And it is important for Grozny to reveal the extent of the damage. It was then that the tsarist government, on his instructions, began to introduce reserved years. This is nothing more than a ban on peasants leaving one landowner for another. According to the Sudebnik of 1497, after the end of the field work, on St. George's Day (November 26), the peasants could leave especially fierce masters for others, more humane. Decree "Reservedsummer" deprived them of such an opportunity. The initiative of Ivan Vasilievich in the field of enslavement of the people was continued by Fedor Ioannovich, who in 1592-93 forbade the detachment of peasants from their villages. By the way, on the basis of this event, the exclamation was born: “Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's day!”
Etymology
So, the unofficial year of the introduction of reserved years is 1581. The official one is 1592. The name of the concept is associated with the word “commandment”, meaning “law”, “covenant”, “prescription”, “mandatory execution”. It is interesting that historians did not find in the chronicles, letters and other documents of the era of Ivan the Terrible individual texts about the “forbidden years” - those years when the inhabitants of the countryside, subject to the nobles, were deprived of the opportunity to go to another village or even a city. Researchers know only references to royal decrees. But why do they believe that the official introduction of reserved years is associated with the very end of the 16th century - with the years 1592-93? And all because after the indicated date there are no longer even references to the decree.
Strengthening serfdom
What does it all mean in the end? Firstly, thanks to the "scribe books", that is, the census, a more or less detailed, clear picture of the peasants' living in the state appeared. This contributed not only to restoring order in the country, but also gave rise to the strengthening of the feudal regime. Peasants could now be attributed to a permanent place of residence according to the information received, and if someone fled from the landowner, it was easy to establishto whom it belonged. Thus, the noblemen-owners of serfs were officially established, a legislative basis appeared for fixing commoners to feudal lords. Ultimately, the rules of reserved years became generally accepted. And the concept gradually disappeared into oblivion, remaining only as a figurative, popular expression. And now it is perceived as a synonym for something ancient, ancient, as the antonym of modernity.
