Social Developments

Service State, Nobility, Serfs

What industry became a noble monopoly under Empress Elizabeth?

distilling alcohol

How effective was the Codification Commission under Empress Elizabeth?

proposed changes but ultimately did nothing

When was the Manifesto on the Freedom of the Nobility? Under which tsar/ina?

1762, Peter III

What were the terms of the Manifesto on the Freedom of the Nobility (3)?

• all nobles exempted from compulsory military and civil service

• nobles working in public service could retire, except for officers in war time

• nobles got the right to freely travel abroad, but were obliged to return to Russia on the government's request

When was the Noble Land Bank created?

1754

What was the interest rate at the Noble Land Bank for mortgage of nobles’ estates?

6%

When were serfs forbidden to own their own land?

1730

When were lords allowed to buy/sell serfs?

1732

What were serfs forbidden from doing (3)?

• leaving their village

• joining the army

• entering monasteries without permission

What ability of the serfs did Peter III revoke?

their ability to be freed in exchange for military service

What were landlords permitted to do in 1747?

sell serfs as recruits

What became allowed in 1760 under Elizabeth?

landlords allowed to exile badly-behaved serfs to Serbia (in attempt to populate Serbia)

What was barshchina?

labour services owed by a servant to their lord which was turned into a monetary service (obrok)

How did serfs resist more commonly (4)?

• banditry (most common among highways and waterways)

• villages/towns subject to pillaging raids

• fleeing/avoiding military or industrial conscription

• simply obstructions (lying, backsliding, etc.)

What requirement did Anna remove in 1730?

Peter I’s requirement that noble estates should pass to one heir

What body did Anna create in 1731?

Noble Cadet Corps — sons of noble families could fasttrack military careers

What compulsory service did Anna abolish for nobles?

naval service

What responsibility did nobles take over in 1731?

took over army’s responsibility of collection serf poll tax payments

What reforms to the service state did Anna introduce in 1736 (3)?

• raised age of entry: 15 → 20

• lowered length of service: life → 25 years

• families with 2+ sons allowed to keep one at home to manage the estate during wars

What happened with Anna’s 1736 reforms to state service?

delayed by outbreak of war with Ottomans

Why was it difficult to formally codify the law under Anna?

1730 attempt achieved nothing in 1744

Why was it difficult to formally codify the law under Elizabeth?

• didn’t care for it

• attempts were interrupted by 7 years’ war

Why was it difficult to formally codify the law under Peter II?

1727—30 attempt achieved nothing

Why was it difficult to formally codify the law under Peter I?

began attempt but died before completion and was subsequently ignored

When did Elizabeth order 2 court women to have their tongues cut off for being involved in a plot?

1743

When did Peter III issue and edict of tolerance of Old Believers?

29th January 1763

What beliefs did Peter III encourage which Catherine used to accuse him of heterodoxy (2)?

• freemasonry

• Lutheranism

How did Peter III ease the state deficit?

secularised ecclesiastical estates → nearly 1,000,000 peasants were transferred to the state

Where did Peter II move the capital?

Moscow

When was Menshikov exiled?

1727

What punishment did Peter III abolish (to what group)

torture of witnesses

What establishment did Peter III abolish?

Secret Chancellery

What did Peter III’s edict on the nobility create for the first time in Russia’s history?

leisure class

By how much was the poll tax cut under Catherine I?

⅓

How did Peter III copy Prussia militarily?

Prussian-style uniforms in the Guards regiments

What did Peter III prohibit, which won him favour with the nobility?

non-noble ownership of serf villages — i.e. owning serf villages became exclusively a right of the nobility

Who led the Supreme Privy Council under Catherine I (and Peter II)?

Menshikov

By how much was the army cut under Catherin I?

⅓

How many people were arrested and tortured by the Secret Chancellery under Anna?

28,000

Where did Anna move the capital?

St. Petersburg

Which Supreme Privy Council member dominated Peter II’s reign?

Ivan Dolgoruky

Who orchestrated the 1740 coup?

von Münnich

When was the Academy of the Three Noblest Arts established?

1757

Who orchestrated Peter II’s accession?

Menshikov

Which language became commonplace in noble households, with Russian being reduced to religious practice and talking to peasants/servants?

French