The history of our country, as well as any other, is a process of socio-economic and political development with elements of the struggle between estates, some of which were in a privileged position, while others were in the exact opposite. To this class belonged the peasants of Black-Mowed and possessive Rus, and then the Russian Empire.
Russian nuances of the historical process
To understand in detail the peasant question, it is necessary to understand how the process of feudalization and capitalization went on in our country. Unlike Europe, these important events in Russia took place with some delay. There were several objective reasons for this, the most important, however, was the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. If we compare the similar processes of feudalization of Russia and Europe of the pre-Horde period, then we can say about a large degree of similarity between them. But further the paths completely diverge: if in the West serfdom began to die in the thirteenth to fourteenth century, then in Russia it is only beginning to strengthen. This becomes especially noticeable by the end of the fourteenth century. It was after a gradual liberation from dependence on the Horde that the feudal lords intensified their attachment of peasants to their farms. Over the following centuries, this process only took on a larger scale.
The origin of differentiation
Inequality arose even in the old Russian state, then there were purchases, rank and file. These were people who were still personally free, but who fell into economic dependence. The rich and noble Rusichs sought to turn them into completely dependent, but it turned out with varying success. Nevertheless, then a special category of practically powerless slaves appears. But one cannot call this process enslavement yet - it is only its origins, which were extinguished by the already mentioned Mongol invasion. However, the establishment of feudal control over the peasant estate was not completely stopped, it simply slowed down. In the XII-XIV centuries, the peasants had the right of St. George's Day, which allowed them to change the owner once a year, paying him compensation (elderly). The state and the grand duke, and then the king did not remain aloof from this process. On the one hand, they defended the interests of the feudal lords, and on the other, they expanded their land holdings. The peasants living there, as well as those who moved there, were black-peasants.
Legislative registration of peasant dependence
The feudal lords looked at these crossings with great displeasure, which was repeatedly stated by the authorities. The supreme power considered the stratum of large, medium and small nobles to be its main support, therefore it was forced to reckon with the discontent of these people. Black-sown peasants, as a rule, were less exploited and were associated only with taxes and small duties in favor of the state, so the desire of private-owned peasants to change their status is understandable. Legislative right to transfer peasants was established by the Judiciary of 1497. The events that followed, in particular the expanding noble-boyar opposition, led to the appearance in the new Codex of 1550 of an article on the increase of the elderly. Although the rule of St. George’s Day remained, the payment for the transition increased significantly, which was an overwhelming amount for many peasant families. Thus, the authorities hoped to find a compromise solution, yielding to the feudal estate, but not completely ignoring the interests of the peasants.
"Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's Day!"
The rural population of the European North and Siberia is the black-mowed peasants preserved by the end of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The definition of this term can be formulated as follows: peasants who were dependent on the state, but personally free, living on the domain of the ruler. Their other name is state peasants. By this era, the center of the country was all serfs. This was promoted by the policy of Ivan IV. The Livonian war, followed by the oprichnina, led to the extreme desolation of the central and partially southern part of the European territory of the country. Therefore, in 1581, a decree “On Preserved Years” appeared, which meant a temporary ban on the transfer of peasants to other owners. Although the authorities passed it off as a temporary measure, nevertheless, after this transitions, peasants were no more.
The era of serfdom
Further, the policy only tightened, in 1597 a decree “On the school years” was issued, which provided for the search for runaway peasants and their return to the owner within five years, over time this period only increased. In 1649, the Council Code was adopted, a new code of laws of the state, which had already virtually forbidden to change the owner, and the period of search for fugitive peasants became indefinite. This date is considered an episode of the final establishment of control of the feudal lords over peasants, serfdom was established in Russia, but not all peasants became property owners. The population of rural units, which appeared at the time of adoption of the Code in the territory of the country that belonged to the royal family, were not serfs, remaining free - these are the black-skinned peasants. And the term itself got its name from the tax - on black plow.