‘Let us distribute lands fairly and deservedly’: land distribution system establishment in russia in the 15th–16th centuries

Authors

  • Mikhail Bentsianov Independent Researcher

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15826/qr.2016.1.150

Abstract

The author studies the establishment of the land distribution system in the Russian state between the 15th and mid-16th centuries. Referring to a vast variety of sources (cadastre books, gentry military lists, letters patent, legislative acts, etc.) the author analyzes the appearance and further development of the system of land distribution. Comparing materials from different parts of the country, the author describes the complexity and ambiguity behind the creation of the said system. Its basis was the mass distribution of lands in compliance with lists in the Novgorod Land in the late 15th – early 16th centuries and was later applied in other territories, facing a number of objective difficulties. In the centre of the country plots of land were distributed in places with advanced estate landownership which seriously impeded its growth. There was no effective control over the redistribution of lands, while repressive measures led to no results. After a few decades of land distribution and due to the decrease in the lands available and the drastic increase in the number of landowners initiated by the central government, it lost control over the provision of lands to the service class, which resulted in numerous changes both in internal and international affairs. The land distribution system was re-initiated in the mid-16th century and it took a few decades for it to include all the service class men. As a result, there appeared a discrepancy between the land distribution in theory and its actual implementation. Fair distribution of land as well as the control over service and redistribution of lands led to the emergence of a central management body. The land distribution system played a similarly important role for the development of gentry as a class. Being a major factor in the centralization policy, the land distribution system laid the groundwork for the development of the Russian state being a basis of its intensive expansion policy.

References

Abramovich, G. V. (1979). Pomestnaya politika v period boyarskogo pravleniya v Rossii (1538–1543 gg.) [Conditional Land System Policy in the Board of Boyars Period in Russia (1538–1543)]. In ISSSR, 4, pp. 192–199.
Akty istoricheskie, sobrannye i izdannye Arkheograficheskoyu komissieyu [Historical Acta Collected and Published by the Archaeographic Commission]. (1841). Vol. 1. 614 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo imp. Arkheograf. Komissii.
Akty sluzhilykh zemlevladel′tsev XV – nachala XVII veka [Acts of Landed Servicemen of the 15th – Early 17th Centuries]. (1997). Vol. 1. 432 p. Moscow, Pamyatniki istoricheskoy mysli (2008). Vol. 4. 632 p. Moscow, Drevlekhranilishche.
Antonov, A. V. (2004). “Boyarskaya kniga” 1556/57 goda [A Book of Boyars of 1556/57]. In Russky diplomatary. Iss. 10, pp. 80–118. Moscow, Drevlekhranilishche.
Antonov, A. V. (1998). Iz istorii velikoknyazheskoy kantselyarii: kormlennye gramoty XV – serediny XVI veka [From the History of Government Office: “Feeding” Diplomas of the 15th – mid-16th Centuries]. In Russky diplomatary. Iss. 3, pp. 91–155. Moscow, Arkheografichesky tsentr.
Bentsianov, M. M. (2013). Kashirskaya desyatnya 1556 g. i problema formirovaniya “sluzhilogo goroda” [The Military List of Kashira of 1556 and Problem of Gentry Corporations Formation]. In Problemy istorii Rossii. Iss. 10, pp. 97–120. Yekaterinburg, Izd-vo Ural′sk. un-ta.
Bentsianov, M. M. (2013). Novgorodskie istochniki Tysyachnoy knigi 1550 g. Opyt retrospektivnogo analiza [Novgorod Sources of the Tisyachnaya Book of 1550. A Retrospective Analysis]. In Drevnyaya Rus′. Voprosy medievistiki, 4 (54), pp. 34–48.
Bentsianov, M. M. (2015). Formirovanie pomestnoy sistemy v Novgorodskoy zemle v kontse XV v. [The Formation of the Conditional Land System in the Novgorod Republic in the Late 15th Century]. In Drevnyaya Rus′. Voprosy medievistiki, 1 (59), pp. 37–49.
Biblioteka literatury Drevney Rusi [The Library of Old Russian Literature]. (2000). Vol. 9. 688 p. Sankt Petersburg, Nauka.
Florya, B. N. (1975). O putyakh politicheskoy tsentralizatsii Russkogo gosudarstva (na primere Tverskoy zemli) [About Ways of Political Centralization of the Russian State (with Reference to Tver Principality)]. In Obshchestvo i gosudarstvo feodal′noy Rossii (pp. 281–290). Moscow, Nauka.
Gnevashev, D. E. (2007). “Sysknye spiski” vologodskikh dvoryan i detey boyarskikh 1606–1613 gg. [Search Lists of the Vologda Gentry. 1606–1613]. In Istorichesky arkhiv, 5, pp. 184–196.
Dopolneniya k aktam istoricheskim, sobrannym i izdannym arkheogr. Komissieyu [Addenda to Historical Acta Collected and Published by the Archaeograpic Commission]. (1846). Vol. 1. 446 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo imp. Arkheograf. Komissii. Dukhovnye i dogovornye gramoty velikikh i udel′nykh knyazey XIV–XVI vv. [Spiritual and Contractual Documents of Grand and Appanage Princes of the 14th–16th Centuries]. (1950). 585 p. Moscow, Leningrad, Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR.
Zimin, A. A. (1959). Iz istorii pomestnogo zemlevladeniya na Rusi [On the History of the Conditional Land System in Russia]. In Voprosy istorii, 11, pp. 130–142.
Kobrin, V. B. (1985). Vlast′ i sobstvennost′ v srednevekovoy Rossii [Power and Property in Medieval Russia]. 280 p. Moscow, Mysl′.
Kobrin, V. B. (2008). Oprichnina. Genealogiya. Antroponimika [Oprichnina. Genealogy. Anthroponymy]. 372 p. Moscow, Izd-vo RGGU.
Kolycheva, E. I. (1987). Agrarnyy stroy Rossii XVI veka [The Agrarian System of Russia of the 16th Century]. 234 p. Moscow, Nauka.
Krom, M. M. (2010). “Vdovstvuyushchee tsarstvo”: Politichesky krizis v Rossii 30–40-kh godov XVI veka [“A Widow Tsardom”: Political Crisis in Russia of the 1530s–1540s]. 888 p. Sankt Petersburg, Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie.
Krom, M. M. (2010). Mezh Rus′yu i Litvoy. Pogranichnye zemli v sisteme russkolitovskikh otnosheniy kontsa XV – pervoy treti XVI v. [Between Russia and Lithuania. Boundary Lands in the System of the Russian-Lithuanian Relations of the Late 15th – 1st 1/3 of the 16th Centuries]. 318 p. Moscow, Ob′′edinennaya redaktsiya MVD Rossii.
Krotov, M. G. (1985). Opyt rekonstruktsii desyaten po Serpukhovu i Taruse 1556 g., po Nizhnemu Novgorodu 1569 g., po Meshchere 1580 g., po Arzamasu 1589 g. [A Reconstruction of Military Lists of Serpukhov and Tarusa of 1556, for Nizhny Novgorod of 1569, for Meshchora of 1580, for Arzamas of 1589]. In Issledovaniya po istochnikovedeniyu istorii SSSR dooktyabr′skogo perioda (pp. 69–83). Moscow, Izd-vo inta istorii Akademii nauk SSSR.
Likhachov, N. P. (1888). Razryadnye d′yaki XVI veka [Military Clerks of the 16th Century]. 759 p. Sankt Petersburg, Tip. V. S. Balasheva.
Materialy dlya istorii Zvenigorodskogo kraya. Vyp. 1. Pripravochnyy spisok s pistsovykh knig Zvenigorodskogo uezda 1558–1560 gg. [Materials for the History of Zvenigorod District. Issue 1. The Revision Lists of Zvenigorod Uyezd Cadastre Books between 1558 and 1560]. (1992). 156 p. Moscow, Arkheografichesky tsentr.
Pavlov, A. P. (1992). Gosudarev dvor i politicheskaya bor′ba pri Borise Godunove [The Royal Court and Political Struggle during the Times of Boris Godunov]. 280 p. Sankt Petersburg, Nauka.
Pamyatniki russkogo prava [Monuments of Russian Law]. (1956). Iss. 4. 632 p. Moscow, Gos. Izd-vo yurid. lit.
Pistsovye knigi XVI veka [16th Century Cadastre Books]. (1877). Part 1, Otd. 2. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo russkogo geograficheskogo ob-va.
Pistsovye materialy Tverskogo uezda XVI veka [16th Century Tver Uyezd Cadastre Books]. (2005). 760 p. Moscow, Drevlekhranilishche.
Pistsovye materialy Yaroslavskogo uezda XVI veka. Pomestnye zemli [16th Century Yaroslavl Uyezd. Manors. ]. (2000). 360 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo “Dmitriy Bulanin”.
Polnoe sobranie russkikh letopisey. Letopisnyy sbornik, imenuemyy Patriarshey ili Nikonovskoy letopis′yu [The Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles. The Chronicles
Collection Known as the Patriarch’s or Nikon Chronicle.] (1904). Vol. 13. 302 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo imp. Arkheograf. Komissii.
Razryadnaya kniga 1475–1605 gg. [Razryad Books]. (1977). Vol. 1, Part 1. Moscow, Izd-vo In-ta istorii AN SSSR.
Sbornik russkogo istoricheskogo obshchestva [A Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society]. (1882). Vol. 35. 870 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izdanie russkogo istoricheskogo obshchestva.
Sbornik russkogo istoricheskogo obshchestva [A Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society]. (1892). Vol. 71. 807 p. Sankt Petersburg, Izdanie russkogo istoricheskogo obshchestva.
Tatishchev, Yu. V. (1909). Mestnichesky spravochnik XVII v. [A 17th Century Reference Book on Mestnitchestvo]. 105 p. Vil′na, Gubernskaya tip.
Tysyachnaya kniga 1550 g. i Dvorovaya tetrad′ 50-kh gg. XVI v. [A List of Tysyatskys of 1550 and List of House Slaves of the 1550s]. (1950). 449 p. Moscow, Leningrad, Izd-vo Akad. Nauk SSSR.
Vorontsova, L. D. (1902). Rukopisi Serpukhovskogo Vysotskogo monastyrya [The Manuscripts of the Vysotsky Monastery in Serpukhov]. In Trudy arkheogr. Komissii imp. moskovskogo arkheol. ob-va. Vol. 2, Iss. 2. Drevnosti. Sankt Petersburg, Izd-vo moskovskogo arkheol. ob-va.

Published

2016-04-06

How to Cite

Bentsianov, M. (2016). ‘Let us distribute lands fairly and deservedly’: land distribution system establishment in russia in the 15th–16th centuries. Quaestio Rossica, 4(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.15826/qr.2016.1.150

Issue

Section

Vox redactoris