The practice of turning serfs into free ploughmen during the reign of Alexander I

Abstract

The article presents the results of the complex analysis of implementation of the decree of February 20, 1803. The first part of the paper demonstrates the dynamics of transition of peasants to free ploughmen on the basis of comparison of quantitative data, as well as the possible motives of the landowners who released them during the period between 1804 and 1825. In the second part of article, the analysis of trials on cases of the conflicts between landowners and emancipated peasants is carried out. Based on archival materials, main scenarios of the conflicts are presented: refusal of the landowner to execute terms of the contract and actions of the state aimed at coercion into emancipating serfs; disagreement of successors with the decisions of the former owner and recognition of the need of updating the legislation. The article reveals divergence of actions, arguments and motives of landowners concerning the released peasants, the evaluation of the reasons hindering the process of implementation of the decree of February 20, 1803, by contemporaries. As a result, the research shows the correlation between the decisions on individual cases and the development of projects on abolishing serfdom at a national scale. The recognition of importance of legal confirmation of “consent” of the landowner and peasants; the need for preserving state control over observance of the rights and obligations of contracting parties, and strategy for legal confirmation of diverse ways of releasing peasants became important features of this process. © 2019 Saint Petersburg State University. All rights reserved.