Speaking about the topic of the legal status of certain social groups of the population in Ancient Rus', it is necessary to highlight the fundamental provisions that determined the importance and relevance of the research. The democratization of our society and the appeal to universal humanistic values are associated with the study of history. It is necessary to know the origins of ideas, the struggle of opinions, to be able to accurately and impartially analyze the past in order to identify promising historical trends and the logic of development, and determine ways to further improve the economic and socio-political structure of society.
Currently, heated discussions are arising about various institutions in the history of the social structure: the relationship between the collective nature of Russian agriculture (community) and individual peasant farming (family farming); forms of ownership and method of organization labor collective; determinants of development of productive forces in agricultural production; cooperation and integration in the agro-industrial complex; relationship between property and political power etc. Practical conclusions can contribute to achieving the highest results in socio-economic production and the efficient functioning of the economy.
Since ancient times, the basis of the Russian economy has been agriculture. Many modern phenomena and actions are taken on the basis of the historical past. Therefore, to understand the present, you need to know history.
Target course work- review and analyze legal status certain social groups of the population in Ancient Rus'.
Coursework objectives:
– consider the social system Old Russian state,
–list the types of social groups and their legal status,
– analyze the political, cultural and economic stratification in the Old Russian state.
Object of study: socio-economic and socio-legal differentiation of the population in Ancient Rus'.
Subject of research: the legal status of certain social groups of the population in Ancient Rus'.
The course work uses the following principles and methods:
The scientific principle is manifested in the fact that the course work uses sources whose authenticity and accuracy are based on given time there is no doubt;
The principle of objectivity lies in the fact that the course work used printed materials reflecting different versions and views on the process of formation of ancient Russian feudal law;
The method of historicism was reflected in the fact that we considered Old Russian feudal law both in the dynamics of our own development (the process of codification) and in the context of the development of the Old Russian state as a whole;
The formal legal method consists of a formal legal analysis of events and facts of legal significance;
The bibliographic method is based on the fact that in order to write a term paper, scientific and educational literature, dedicated to the history of the ancient Russian state and law of the 9th - 16th centuries.
When writing the course work, the texts of treaties between Rus' and Byzantium and Russian Truth, as well as educational literature, monographs and articles from specialized periodicals were used as sources.
1. Social structure and legal status of the feudal population of Ancient Rus'
1.1. Social structure of the population of Ancient Rus'
To characterize the socio-political system of Ancient Rus', which is schematically presented in Figure 1, you can use such sources as the Russian Pravda code of laws.
Figure 1. Social structure of the population of Ancient Rus'
“Russkaya Pravda” calls the main population of the country free community members - lyudin or people (hence: collecting tribute from peasants - community members - polyudye).
"Russkaya Pravda", considering the people, indicates that they united into a rural community-rope. Verv had a certain territory, and there were separate economically independent families in it.
The second large group of the population is the Smerds. These may not be free or semi-free princely tributaries. Smerd had no right to leave his property to indirect heirs. It was handed over to the prince. With the development of feudal relations, this category of population increased at the expense of free community members.
The third group of the population is slaves. They are known as different names: servants, slaves. Servants is an early name, serfs - a later one. "Russian Truth" shows slaves completely without rights. A slave had no right to be a witness in court. The owner was not responsible for his murder. Not only the slave, but also everyone who helped him was punished for escaping.
There were two types of slavery - complete and incomplete. Sources of complete slavery: captivity, selling oneself into slavery, marrying a slave or marrying a slave; entering the service of the prince as tiun, housekeeper, military headman and failure to conclude an agreement, etc. However, total slavery was not uniform. The bulk of slaves performed menial work. Their heads were valued at 5 hryvnia. Slaves—overseers, managers, and housekeepers—were on another rung of the social ladder. The head of the princely tiun was valued at 80 hryvnia; he could already act as a witness at the trial.
Partial slaves-purchases appeared in the 12th century. A purchase is a bankrupt community member who went into debt bondage for a certain loan (kupa). He worked as a servant or in the fields. Zakup was deprived of personal freedom, but he retained his own farm and could redeem himself by repaying the debt.
Not large group The dependent population of Rus' were the ryadovichi. Their lives were also protected by a five-hryvnia fine. Perhaps these were tiuns, housekeepers, elders, husbands of slaves, etc. who had not gone into servitude. Judging by “Russkaya Pravda”, they were petty administrative agents.
Another small group is outcasts, people who have lost their social status: slaves who were set free, community members expelled from the ropes, etc. Apparently, outcasts joined the ranks of city artisans or the princely squad, especially during the war.
A fairly large group of the population of Rus' were artisans. As the social division of labor grew, cities became centers for the development of crafts. By the 12th century there were over 60 craft specialties; Russian artisans sometimes produced more than 150 types of iron products. On foreign market Not only flax, furs, honey, wax were supplied, but also linen fabrics, weapons, silverware, spindle whorls and other goods.
The growth of cities and the development of handicrafts is associated with the activities of such a group of the population as merchants. Already in 944, a Russian-Byzantine treaty allowed us to affirm the existence of an independent merchant profession. It should be remembered that every merchant in those days was also a warrior. Both warriors and merchants had one patron - the god of cattle Veles. Important trade routes along the Dnieper and Volga ran through Rus'. Russian merchants traded in Byzantium, in the Arab states and in Europe.
Free residents of cities enjoyed the legal protection of Russian Pravda; they were covered by all articles on the protection of honor, dignity and life. Special role the merchants played. It early began to unite into corporations (guilds), called hundreds.
It is also necessary to highlight such a group of the population of Ancient Rus' as warriors (“men”). The warriors lived at the prince's court, participated in military campaigns and collected tribute. The princely squad is an integral part of the administrative apparatus. The squad was heterogeneous. The closest warriors formed a permanent council, the “Duma.” They were called boyars. The prince consulted with them on important state affairs (the adoption of Orthodoxy by Vladimir; Igor, having received an offer from Byzantium to take tribute and abandon the campaign, convened a squad and began to consult, etc.). Senior warriors could also have their own squad. Subsequently, the boyars acted as governors.
Junior vigilantes performed the duties of bailiffs, fine collectors, etc. The princely warriors formed the basis of the emerging class of feudal lords.
The squad was a permanent military force that replaced the general arming of the people. But militias For a long time they played a big role in wars.
1.2. Features of the legal status of feudal lords
In development feudal relations Everywhere there was a process of transformation of the tribal nobility into land owners, feudal lords. Direct seizures of communal lands contributed to the growth of feudal land ownership and accelerated the formation of a class of feudal lords.
The highest social group in Kievan Rus were the great and appanage princes. They were the largest landowners in Rus'. There is not a single article in Russkaya Pravda that directly defines the prince’s legal status. And this, apparently, there was no need. The concentration of legislative, executive, military and judicial power in his hands made him the supreme owner of all lands that were part of the principality. One of the initial ways to establish princely ownership of land was the financial and administrative reform of Princess Olga. By abolishing polyudye and replacing it with certain rates of tribute and other duties, she thereby marked the beginning of the transformation of tribute into feudal rent. Another way to establish the prince's ownership of land was the construction of cities on the outskirts of princely villages, where princes exploited serfs and landless peasantry: purchasers, outcasts, etc.
Based on the above grounds (income, power, education, prestige), an arbitrary number of layers can be distinguished. The number of allocated layers is determined, first of all, by the tasks that the researcher sets for himself and the specific techniques with which he operates. When producing the most general idea about the social hierarchy of society, it is enough to distinguish three main social layers: the highest, middle and lowest. Distribution of the population among these levels is possible based on all stratification grounds, and the significance of each of them will be determined by the prevailing values and norms in society, social institutions and ideological attitudes.
To the highest layer(approximately 10% of the total social composition of society) include persons occupying the highest positions according to the criteria of wealth, power, prestige, and education. These are influential politicians, bankers, managers of leading companies, prominent representatives of the scientific and creative intelligentsia. The upper layer plays a large role in developing the main directions for the development of society, determining social priorities, and in the development of values and norms, but another layer, the middle layer, acts as the guarantor of the stability of society.
To the middle layer(approximately 60-80% of the total social composition of society) include medium and small entrepreneurs, managers, doctors, lawyers, highly qualified workers, lower management personnel, farmers and some other categories. It is characterized by economic independence, the average level of income for a given society and high level education. Political ideals and the values of representatives of the middle class are determined, as a rule, democratic principles and prestige orientation labor activity, law-abidingness and demands on the state to protect laws and human rights. Stable development and confidence in tomorrow are beneficial to the middle class because they allow them to realize their life plans, so they defend these social priorities. In terms of its status position, the middle layer seems to smooth out the contradictions of the extreme (higher and lower) layers and soften the social situation.
To the lowest layer include persons with low incomes and employed primarily in unskilled labor, as well as various declassed elements (unemployed, vagabonds, etc.).
P. Sorokin considered the fact that a poor person (family) spends almost all of his income on food as a sign of poverty. The rich spend only 5-7% of their income on food. Therefore, it is customary to distinguish between absolute and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is a state where an individual is unable to satisfy even basic needs with his income. Relative poverty is an indicator of how much one individual is poorer than another, the inability to maintain the standard of living accepted in a given society.
Ideas about the scale of poverty also differ depending on the level of well-being of society. Evidence of this is the content of the “consumer basket” - a conditional set of food products that corresponds to the minimum wage. For example, in Russia it includes 11 types of food products: flour, salt, sugar, bread, milk, pasta, meat (fish), eggs, butter, vegetables, tea. For comparison: in Sweden this list contains 113 items and is supplemented by such “unnecessary” products for us as strawberries, champignons, chocolate, dessert wine, cocoa, raspberries and another 107 items.
However, poverty is not only low income, but a special way of life, norms of behavior and psychology, passed on from generation to generation. Poverty begets poverty. The larger the number of this layer, the less stable the situation in society. An increase in the lower social stratum results in a decrease in the level of culture and loss of standards for society professional activities, and ultimately - degradation.
Levels of stratification give an idea of the vertical cross-section of society. A vertical slice of society that reproduces its hierarchical structure is called stratification profile, which shows what part of the population belongs to the lower, middle and upper layers and, therefore, what is the level of inequality in a given society.
In a stable, economically developed society, the stratification profile has the shape of a diamond and the following proportions: the majority is the middle layer (up to 80%), and the highest and lowest balance each other in numbers (5-10%). In a crisis, unstable society, the stratification profile has the shape of a pyramid, the heaviest, most massive part of which is the lowest layer. The more numerous it is, the more complex the socio-economic situation in society. For example, after the economic crisis of 1998, in Russia the poor were 70%, the middle class was 25%, and the rich were 5%.
Social mobility.
The inviolability of the hierarchical structure of society does not mean that there is no movement within it. Social structure is characterized by fluidity, variability, mobility.
Social mobility– a set of movements of individuals in social space, accompanied by changes in their statuses.
The Russian-American sociologist P. Sorokin made a great contribution to the creation of the concept of “social mobility”. It was he who introduced the concept of “social mobility” into scientific circulation, by which he meant any movement of individuals or groups in society between different status positions and in the system of social stratification.
Based on the directions of social movements, a distinction is made between vertical and horizontal mobility. Vertical mobility always associated with an increase or decrease in social status. At the same time, the transition to a higher social position is called upward mobility (promotion), and to a lower one - downward mobility (demotion). It has been noted that upward mobility is performed by individuals voluntarily and with great pleasure, while downward mobility is forced.
Horizontal mobility involves social movement not associated with a change in social status, i.e. from one social group to another, located on the same level. For example, the transition from Orthodoxy to Protestantism, from one family (parental) to another (one’s own), changing one citizenship to another. Such movements, as a rule, do not change anything in the status position of the individual.
One can also distinguish between intergenerational and intragenerational mobility. The first demonstrates the change in the status of children compared to their parents. For example, children can achieve under the influence of various social factors higher social position or, conversely, sink to a lower level than their parents. Intragenerational mobility occurs where the same individual, apart from comparison with his parents, changes social positions several times throughout his life. This mobility is called a social career.
A type of horizontal mobility is geographic mobility - moving in physical space from one place to another while maintaining the same status (for example, international tourism, moving from city to village, transfer from one educational institution to another). If a change of location is added to a change of status, then geographic mobility turns into migration.
As P. Sorokin showed, vertical social mobility exists in almost all types of societies. However, moving from one social stratum to another always requires some effort. The parameters of vertical social mobility depend on the specific historical situation in society, i.e. change in space and time. For quantification social mobility usually uses indicators of its speed and intensity. P. Sorokin defined the speed of social mobility as the vertical social distance that an individual travels up or down in a certain period of time.
Modern society will be distinguished by high rates of social mobility, which is associated with the needs of socio-economic, scientific and technical development, with the need for an influx of highly educated specialists into key social positions. Opportunities for social mobility depend both on society and its social organization, and on the individual. Ways to overcome barriers in the process of socialization are called channels of social mobility. The main ones: education, advanced training, political career, change in social environment, marriage, etc.
Using channels suitable for a particular society, an individual has the opportunity to increase his social status. In history there has never been absolutely closed societies, as well as those in which vertical social mobility would be absolutely free, and the transition from one social stratum to another would be carried out without any resistance. If mobility were absolutely free, then society would not be able to form stable strata.
Thus, within the strata there is a kind of “sieve” that sifts individuals, allowing some to rise and leaving others in the lower strata. This role is performed social institutions, applying their selection mechanisms. Such an “elevator” is not ready to deliver every “passenger” to their address. However, rising to a higher social stratum can be easier than gaining a foothold in it. To gain a foothold in a new stratum, it is necessary to accept its way of life, organically fit into its sociocultural environment, and build your behavior in accordance with accepted norms and rules. This process is quite painful, since a person is often forced to reconsider his value system and, at first, control his every action. Adaptation to a new sociocultural environment requires high psychological stress, which is fraught with nervous breakdowns. A person may find himself an outcast in the social stratum to which he aspired or in which he found himself by the will of fate, if we are talking about a downward movement.
This phenomenon of a person being, as it were, between two cultures, associated with his movement in social space, is called in sociology marginality. A marginal is an individual who has lost his usual social status, is deprived of the opportunity to engage in his usual type of activity, and, moreover, has found himself unable to adapt to the new socio-cultural environment of the stratum within which he formally exists. Marginality is an inevitable accompaniment of social mobility. Every person has become marginalized at least once in their life, and many find themselves in this state quite often. With mass migration, marginal groups are formed (unemployed, homeless, beggars, refugees). Marginalized groups create their own subculture and begin to reproduce themselves. They can pose a serious danger to society if they grow in numbers, since they are often hostile to the basic values of a given society.
Currently, throughout the world and in Russia, in particular, this type of social mobility as migration has acquired significant proportions - the process of moving people associated with a change in place of residence. There are three main factors contributing to this process: pushing, attraction, migration channels:
· pushing out is caused by difficult conditions of existence of an individual in his native place (wars and ethnic conflicts, economic crises, etc.);
Attraction is a combination of attractive aspects or better conditions for living in other places;
· migration channels – transport capabilities, information awareness, language barrier, obtaining permission to leave, etc.
Migration is divided into irrevocable, temporary, seasonal (at certain times of the year), pendulum (regular trips, for example, from one’s native place to other places to earn money). There is also a distinction between external migration (moving from one country to another) and internal migration (within one country). Up to certain limits, all types of migration are considered natural and normal. However, excess migration can lead to a change in the demographic composition of the region (for example, the departure of young people, “aging of the population,” a drop in the birth rate, etc.), a shortage or excess of labor, and many other consequences. Therefore, migration must be regulated by the state.
Security questions:
1.What is inequality and what are the reasons for its occurrence?
2. What is the social significance of inequality?
3. What are negative consequences inequality?
4. How are inequality and stratification related?
5. What bases of social stratification do you know?
6. What stratification criteria do you know?
7. Describe the main social strata.
8. What is the role of the middle social stratum in the life of society?
9. What is social mobility? What types of mobility do you know?
10. What is a “marginal personality”?
11. What channels can you use to increase your social status in society?
12. What are the social consequences of migration?
Literature:
45. Barber B. The structure of social stratification and trends in social mobility // American Sociology. M., 1972.
46. Weber M. Basic concepts of stratification // SOCIS, 1994, No. 5.
47. Giddens E. Sociology. M., "Editorial URSS", 1999.
48. Giddens E. Stratification and class structure // SOCIS, 1992, No. 9.
49. Dobrenkov V.I., Kravchenko A.I. Sociology in 3 vols. M., INFRA – M, 2000.
50. Kravchenko A.I. Sociology: Textbook for universities. - M.: Academic Project, 2002.
51. Mills R. The Power Elite. M., 1959.
52. General sociology: Textbook/Under general. ed. Prof.A. G. Efendieva.-M.: INFRA-M, 2002.
53. Osipov G.V. Sociology. M.: Mysl, 1996.
54. Radaev V., Shkaratan O.I. Social stratification. M., 1996.
55. Smelser N.J. Sociology. M.: “Phoenix”, 1994.
56. Sorokin P. Man. Civilization. Society. M., 1992.
57. Sociology: Basics general theory. Under. ed. Osipova G.V.M.: “Thought”, 1998.
58. Frolov S.S. Fundamentals of Sociology. M., “Gardariki”, 1999.
59. Encyclopedic Sociological Dictionary / Ed. ed. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences G.V. Osipova. - M.: ISPI RAS, 1995.
Key concepts:
c. social structure
f. estate
g. stratification profile
h. stratification criteria
i. social mobility
j. vertical mobility
k. horizontal mobility
l. marginality
m. migration
n. social mobility channels
o. group mobility
p. individual mobility
In the Old Russian state, the main occupation was agriculture, and the main wealth was land. The land was the joint property of the community and was divided among all families in the community. Community farmers paid tribute to the state for the use of land.
Feudal relations began to appear. The first feudal lords were PRINCES. They appropriated “communal” lands for themselves or declared vacant lands their property, built mansions and outbuildings on their personal property, established stables, fishing. Special people were appointed to manage their own households - stewards. The princes began to grant land holdings to the warriors and the church. The first ones appear fiefdoms- hereditary land holdings. The owner was the prince. He could grant the estate for service and could take it away.
All people in the Old Russian state formed a single society, but it was not homogeneous. Depending on occupation, ancient Russian society was divided into two large categories: free and dependent. Available- these are the prince, warriors, merchants, church ministers, communal peasants. But a dependent population also appeared: smerdas - villagers who bore duties to the prince, purchasers - bankrupt community members who went into debt bondage for a loan, interest worked off the landowner's field, ordinary people, serfs - powerless slaves.
That. The reign of Yaroslav the Wise was the heyday of Rus'. He paid a lot of attention to internal and external affairs in the state , As time passed, feudal property slowly formed.
Appendix 2.
"Finest Hour" Extracurricular activity - an intellectual game in the 6th grade dedicated to February 23 and March 8.
Lesson objectives:
determining the level of knowledge, skills and abilities;
their comprehensive application, broadening the horizons of students;
development logical thinking, cultivate accuracy and speed of reaction.
Lesson type: testing knowledge, skills, abilities.
Lesson structure:
Introductory speech from the teacher (7 minutes).
Game (40 minutes).
Summing up the lesson (13 minutes).
“Today is an unusual event, today you have “ Finest hour” is a game where everyone can express themselves. Listen to the rules of the game.” (Congratulations to the male and female halves on the holidays)
8 people are participating - 4 boys and 4 girls. The rest are participants in the game.
The game is played in four rounds:
I round - “Give the correct answer” 8 people.
Round II - “Words” 6 people.
III round - “Logical chains” 4 people.
IV round – Final 2 people.
I round – theme “Commanders”
1. M. Kutuzov. 2. M. Platonov. 3. A. Suvorov. 4. A. Nevsky. 5. G. Zhukov. 6. D. Donskoy.
Questions:
1. The prince who defeated the German crusading knights on the ice of Lake Chukchi? (4 - A. Nevsky)
2. Which commander commanded the Russian army during the war with the French in 1812? (1 - M. Kutuzov)
3. Whose words: “It’s hard to learn, but it’s easy to fight” (3 - A. Suvorov)
4. Grandson of Prince I. Kalita, who refused to pay tribute to the Golden Horde. (6 - D. Donskoy)
Topic “Military equipment”
1. Cannon. 2. Grenade. 3. Mine. 4. Machine gun 5. Tank. 6. Automatic.
A weapon used to create an explosion. (3 - mine)
Tracked armored combat vehicle. (5 - tank)
Limonka. (2 - grenade)
An artillery weapon named after a woman. (1 gun)
Theme “Flowers”
1. Cornflower. 2. Carnations. 3. Snowdrops. 4. Lilies of the valley. 5. Rose. 6. Dandelion.
Riddle questions:
1. Even at night there is an ant
Will not miss his home:
The path is illuminated by lanterns until dawn.
On large pillars in a row
White lamps are hanging. (4 - lilies of the valley)
2. A friend came out from under the snow
And suddenly it smelled like spring. (3 - snowdrop)
3. On a green fragile leg
The ball grew near the path.
The breeze rustled
And dispelled this ball. (6 - dandelion)
4. Everyone knows us:
Bright as a flame.
We are namesakes
With small clusters,
Admire the wild
Scarlet... (2 - carnations)
5. Rye is earing in the field,
There you will find a flower in the rye.
Bright blue and fluffy,
It's just a pity that it's not fragrant. (1 - cornflower)
6. Lovely beauty
Only afraid of frost
Do we all like it in the bouquet?
What flower? (5 - rose)
(Those with fewer other stars are eliminated from the game)
>>History 7th grade >>Main strata of the population
The population of Kievan Rus was divided into separate layers. The social elite consisted of princes led by the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Next came the boyars - the descendants of tribal leaders and the top of the princely warriors. All of them were professional warriors, so valor and honor were valued above all else among them.
Along with large and small boyars significant influence in Kievan Rus there was a higher clergy: the Kiev mitronolite, bishops (governors of church districts), abbots of large monasteries.
The urban population consisted of merchants, artisans, and servants (servants in princely and boyar houses).
The bulk of the population of Kievan Rus were peasants. Free peasants were called smerds. They paid tribute to the feudal lord. Feudal dependents in Kievan Rus were ryadovichi, who worked under a contract (ryad - outdated contract), and purchases, who worked for a cash loan (kupa). As a rule, these were people who found themselves in debt and were obliged to work off the loan on the creditor’s farm. Slaves in Kievan Rus were called serfs or servants. Prisoners of war mostly became slaves, and their children also remained slaves. The slaves did not have their own household and were completely dependent on the owner. The servants served in the master's yard - they were servants, grooms, cooks, etc.
Representatives of different segments of the population of Kievan Rus. Reconstruction by P. Tolochko
By what signs can we determine whether a person belongs to a certain class? Justify your answer by referring to the picture.
Patriarch - head of the Orthodox Church.
Bishop, metropolitan - the highest spiritual ranks in the Orthodox Church.
Svidersky Yu. Yu., Ladychenko T. V., Romanishin N. Yu. History of Ukraine: Textbook for 7th grade. - K.: Certificate, 2007. 272 p.: ill.
Submitted by readers from the website
Social structure of Ancient Rus' February 19th, 2015
The formation of the Old Russian state on the territory of settlement of the Eastern Slavs occurred during the periodIX,
Xcenturies This process occurred in parallel with the decomposition of the tribal system. In some areas, for example in Kiev and Novgorod principalities, a developed social structure already existed byIX century In other areas, at the same time, tribal relations dominated. In parallel with the formation of the state, a stratification of a fairly homogeneous social structure Slavic tribes and the allocation of privileged classes. In the initial period, while the norms of the tribal system were alive, the emerging class structure was quite soft. Moving to a more privileged class (with the exception of the princely class) for personal merit was common. Over time, the class structure became more and more rigid.
The upper class in Ancient Rus' were princes. Historically, princes were formed from tribal leaders during the period of disintegration of the tribal system. In turn, the princes were divided into great and appanage. Until the 12th century Grand Duke was the ruler of the Old Russian state. In the 12th century, Kievan Rus split into several great principalities, which were not actually subordinate to a single center. From that time on, the rulers of the great principalities began to be called grand dukes. Appanage princes had a subordinate position in relation to the great ones and ruled the appanage principality allocated to them.
The second-ranking privileged class were boyars. This group formed from zemstvo And princely boyars. Zemstvo boyars were best people each land (elders, large landowners). Princely boyars or princely men were members of the prince's senior squad. Since the 11th century, the distinction has been erased, due to the fact that the princely boyars settled on the land and became landowners, and the zemstvo boyars, through palace services, passed into the category of princely husbands. The lands belonging to the boyars were called votchina and were passed on by inheritance. As a rule, along with lands, the boyars owned large number forced people (slaves, servants).
Nextafter the boyars class there were vigilantes, or junior squad. The junior squad included the prince's servants, who were both in the army and at court in minor court positions. Depending on their position and internal status, the younger warriors were called youths, children, gridi, chad, etc. Since the 12thIin the name used for junior warriors servants. Since the 15th century, junior warriors have been called nobles. The privileged classes also included the clergy (before the 10th century, magicians, since the 10th century, priests).
Representatives of the lower free class were called People and made up the bulk of the population of Ancient Rus'. It included merchants, artisans, the free rural population and free townspeople. If necessary, it was from this class that the militia was formed, which was the most numerous military force of the Old Russian state.
The next class includes stinkers And procurement. The position of this class was intermediate between free people and slaves. The smerdas were either princely or state (in the case of Novgorod Republic) peasants. They owned plots of land, which they could pass on by inheritance. They had no right to leave the land. In the absence of heirs, the land went to the prince. The purchases included people who entered into an agreement with the feudal lord and became dependent on debts. During the period of working off the debt, purchases became quite dependent on the feudal lord.
The lowest class was the slave. The slaves were called serfs And servants. Serfs included slaves from the local population. It was possible to fall into slavery for crimes, for debts, as a result of selling oneself in the presence of witnesses, as a result of marrying a slave or servant. Children born as slaves also became serfs. The servants included slaves captured as a result of military campaigns against neighboring tribes and states.