The palace peasant is a representative of a special category of the rural population in Russia. This layer was formed around the 15th century in connection with the formation of the grand ducal court and the administrative apparatus of government. This class should be considered as one of the most important signs of the centralization of government and princely power.
Prerequisites for class formation
The palace peasant belonged to the princely, and then the royal family. It was the personal property of the ruling house. The man was tied to the ground. He performed duties in favor of the members of the ruling house. The class arose in connection with the expansion of the grand ducal economy in medieval Russia.
At first, the sovereign's domain was a small property. However, as the unification process in the Russian lands progressed, the territory belonging to the supreme ruler began to gradually expand. The palace peasant had to serve the increased needs of the princely estate, which arose in connection with the strengthening of the institution of grand ducal power.in our country.
The problem of the emergence of the considered category of the population is directly related to the solution of the issue of the so-called black, or volost, peasants. The last group of the rural population was not privately owned, but was exploited by the state. All duties and taxes went to the central treasury. From this category a class of state peasants was formed, which should be distinguished from those who belonged directly to the prince or king.
Legal Status
In Russia, traditionally, several categories of the rural population were distinguished: landlord serfs, state people and workers belonging to members of the ruling dynasty. Representatives of all these layers were personally dependent. They worked out certain duties in favor of the owner. However, while having these similarities, they differed in the degree of their freedom, economic initiative and dependence.
The palace peasant in this respect was in a better position than, for example, landowners, serfs. He enjoyed more freedom, was active. Among this class, there were even persons who were knocked out in people thanks to the accumulated material resources. Many of them became merchants, started shops, taverns. In short, their situation was not very cramped.
Duties
Palace peasants inhabited and provided all necessary landprinces, kings, emperors. They were considered their personal property. However, their duties were limited to quitrent in kind and the performance of a number of works for the needs of the palace. For example, they must supply provisions, building materials, etc. on their own carts.
They did not have such strict control as, for example, over peasants in private estates and estates of nobles. Those were interested in the most effective exploitation of the taxable population, since this was the only source of their existence. Unlike privately owned serfs, persons in this category often received freedom. This is recorded in the first wills of Moscow princes.
Features
One of the main categories of the dependent population was the palace peasants. The definition of this concept should be disclosed primarily through the designation of the distinctive features that characterize this category of the population. One of these features was the predominantly natural nature of the duties. This food quitrent was replaced by money rent only in the 18th century.
The second sign that distinguishes this layer is a certain isolation of its representatives from the rest of the serfs. They lived in estates, which occupied the main area of the land fund in the country. However, the territories on which the palace peasants were located also gradually expanded. This trend was especially clearly manifested in the XVII-XVIII centuries, when, in connection with the establishment of autocracy and the institutionalization of the supreme powerthe land fund serving the needs of the yard has grown significantly.
The answer to the question of who the palace peasants belonged to is not always so unambiguous. After all, they could be the property of the whole royal family. That is, all members of the ruling house. They often handed out people as property to their close associates and favorites.
