Russia Abolishes Serfdom

On this day in 1861, six years after being crowned as Tsar of Russia, Alexander signed the Emancipation Act, bringing to an end the centuries old institution of serfdom. It brought immediate freedom to 23 million Russian peasants,who until that point had been the property if their masters and existed in a world devoid of rights and privileges.

It existed in Russia since the 11th century .From the earliest of times,landowners held a right of taxation over the peasants  living on their land. Soon the laws that govern ownership rights evolved and the power of landowner over the peasant became all encompassing. A succession of decrees made the peasants evermore beholden to their masters. Eventually every aspect of a serfa's life was controlled by their land owners. A serf could not even marry without the permission of his master.

And it was Alexander who led the reform which was not so much as a sense of liberal enlightenment but more a recognition that Russia was seriously behind its European neighbors. He assumed the Throne in Feb 1855 at the end of Crimean War. Alexander realized the backwardness of Russia and started reforms to make Russia one of the better nations and among those reforms Serfdom was one.