Slavery and Serfdom in Muscovy and the Russian Empire

Abstract

This chapter aims to assess forms of strong asymmetric social dependency in early modern Russia, especially with respect to slaves, servants, and serfs, as well as institutionalized bondage and its imperial legislation and local practices. Based on legal documents and administrative records, the legal status of kholopy (servants/slaves) and krepostnye (serfs) will be elaborated. Special attention will be paid to the circumstances of entry into dependent social status, to the living and working conditions, and to possibilities for upward social mobility or even release. In order to grasp the “continuum of dependency,” textual articulation of dependencies and their historical semantics as well as institutional norms and regional practices will be considered.