Социальные стратегии дворовых людей в зеркале судебных дел екатеринской эпохи

Cahiers d'histoire russe, est-européenne, caucasienne et centrasiatique (ex. Cahiers du Monde Russe). 2024. Т. 65. № 3-4. С. 559–592.

Boiarchenkov Vladislav

The article examines the social strategies of domestic serfs in the late 18th century. These people inherited their position in the social structure of the Russian Empire from kholops, but unlike them were obliged to bear the burden of state duties. In historiography, this group usually remains in the shadow of peasants, although domestic serfs had neither economic independence nor community organization (mir) of the latter. The author examines the social strategies of individual representatives of this group. For this purpose, a microhistorical analysis of the cases of the Sapozhkovsky district court related to the escape of domestic serfs is undertaken. Often fugitives themselves appeared in court and told during interrogations about the circumstances of their lives, their relations with other people, including their masters. These stories show that many people tried to take advantage of their powerless position, but the domestic serfs were not completely vulnerable and sometimes were able to defend their interests in conflicts with more powerful persons.

Keywords: социальная история, Russian Empire, Российская империя, social history, микроистория, дворовые люди, microhistory, domestic serfs, district court, уездный суд

Publication based on the results of: Russian historical and cultural reflections on the regions and in the regions (18th – 20th centuries) (2023)