Smerdy in Ancient Russia. Historiography about smerds

In the modern world, most people are well aware of the old word "smerd". For the majority, such a phrase is associated with a curse, however, not everyone knows exactly what the word “smerd” meant in ancient times. Meanwhile, about its origin, as well as questions regarding the classes that received just such a name, disputes have not subsided so far. That is why today we will try to understand the origin of the word "smerd", consider different, authoritative points of view, and also touch on the historical component.

So, according to the well-known periodical Russkaya Pravda, smerds in Ancient Russia are the classes of peasants of the 9th-14th centuries, who were landowners and were originally free, unlike serfs. Subsequently, as the landlord system developed in Russia, they began to depend on the masters and gradually became enslaved. However, the well-known historian Grekov gives a slightly different interpretation of the concept of "smerd". In his opinion, smerds in Ancient Rus were members of a rural community, but throughout the whole time they depended directly on the prince of Kievan Rus. However, the validity, however, as well as the groundlessness of such a point of view, is extremely difficult to prove (refute). The only authoritative opinion, in contrast to Grekov's statement, is the text of Russkaya Pravda, which does not give any reason to believe that the smerds depended solely on the prince of Kievan Rus. The fact is that in the publication, members of the community who belonged to the family were called "people." At the same time, Russkaya Pravda claimed that the escheated property of the smerd went to the prince. And if this category of peasants belonged to the community, then the escheated property would be divided precisely between the members of this community. It is also worth mentioning that for the murder of a smerd, the fine was only 5 hryvnias, while for the murder of any free person (man), the perpetrator would have to pay 40 hryvnias.

In the Novgorod Republic, smerds from time immemorial were subordinate to the state. The concept of smerda there included the entire category of the lower strata of the population, who were subordinate to the prince. They worked on their own land plots, paid a large tax to the treasury. But at any moment the prince could resettle the smerds, donate them to the church. In addition, smerds in the Novgorod Republic served natural duties and were obliged to supply horses and feed soldiers in wartime. Unlike ordinary communal peasants (they lived in villages), smerds lived in villages.

The term, which appeared in the period from the 11th to the 14th centuries, is also curious. "To stink" - meant to capture the villages and the population of the enemy principality during the princely internecine wars. After the 15th century, the category of smerds passed to the peasantry, but the term itself continued to be used and meant the unofficial appeal of the tsar to the lower strata of the population. Subsequently, the term "smerd" was used by the landowners to insult the delinquent servants or peasants. In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about the etymology of the word. The fact is that in some parts of the European part of Russia, houses were heated in a black way (that is, without the use of pipes), so all the smoke and cinders were removed through the portage windows of the huts. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine how terrible it smelled from all the stinks, given that this disgusting smell of burning was mixed with sweat.

Smerds in Russia in the 9th-14th centuries were called ordinary peasant farmers. The word "smerd" is of Indo-European origin. It is a somewhat modified version of the lexeme "smurd" (or "smord"), which meant "simple person" or "dependent person".

The rights of smerds

Smerdy are originally free villagers. Later they were enslaved and began to belong to the princes. Smerdy belonged to the lower strata of Russian society, but were not as disenfranchised and dependent as serfs. They could have their own land allotment, but they were also obliged to cultivate the land of the landowner. At the same time, the price of life for both the stink and the serf was the same. The official fine for killing any of these people is 5 rubles.

After the adoption of Christianity by Russia, another name for smerda appeared - “peasant”, which literally means “Christian”. Smerd is a more pagan concept. At the same time, it was used in Russia for a very long time and gradually began to acquire a negative character. So they began to contemptuously call commoners.

Smerdy carried military service. They could either personally participate in a military campaign as foot soldiers or horsemen, or "pay off" by supplying horses for the cavalry. Smerdy owned property, so the wealthiest could afford it. They were also part of the rural community. If one such farmer was killed, everything he owned was divided among the members of the community (according to Russkaya Pravda).

Smerds could inherit their property to their sons. In the absence of the latter, the land allotment after the death of the smerda passed to the prince. In the Novgorod Republic, smerds were state-owned, so they cultivated state land. At the same time, the prince could give them to the church or monastery, then the peasants had to work for the churchmen.

Slaves and their rights

Kholops were called the most disenfranchised population not only in villages, but also in cities (villages). Kholop, thus, could live not only in the countryside (like a smerd), but also in urban areas. Unlike the serf, the serf had absolutely no rights. He was practically a slave. The slave position of serfs was abolished only by Peter I in 1723.

Kholops were slaves from the local population. Another category of slaves - servants - the princes acquired during conquest campaigns in neighboring or distant lands. Chelyadin is a foreign slave. He was even more powerless than a serf. Practically equated to a thing.

The slave position of the serf was reflected in many legal issues. Such a person belonged entirely to the landowner. The latter had every right to kill his serf for some misconduct. For this, no one dared to condemn him. If the feudal lord killed someone else's serf, he paid a fine, as for damage to someone else's property. Also, the serfs did not have land plots or any other valuable property.

They became serfs for misconduct, crimes, debts, by birthright or as a result of a wedding (marriage). If the prince was seriously angry with the peasant for something, he could take away all his property and, together with his family, transfer him to the rank of serfs (“Russian law”). A merchant-squanderer, unable to pay his debt in full, "sold himself into slaves." And of course, the children of a serf from the first day of life were serfs. A free woman, having married such a man, became a servant.

These people did all the work in the masters' houses and cultivated their land along with the smerds. They were given all the dirtiest, "black" work in the house. But sometimes the serfs also learned crafts, which did not happen with the smerds (they were purely plowmen). Slaves traded with might and main. The more skillful such a worker was, the higher the price for him was. If the serf was useful to the master and performed his service well, the owner, at will, could give his slave a separate housing or even give him a free one (let him go free).

Ranks of serfs

The master's serfs were divided into classes according to the skills and abilities they possessed. The so-called "big serfs" were, in a sense, privileged slaves. They performed more responsible work (housekeepers, managers) and could manage "smaller" serfs. The latter performed all the rough work: they were bakers, fine spinners, grooms, shepherds, carpenters, etc. They were also domestic servants. “Small” serfs with some useful profession were called “business people”.

A separate category was the so-called "combat serfs". They accompanied the master on a military campaign and were selected from among the "big" serfs. This category of the population made up the main part of the troops and armed guards of the prince. Compared to other classes of serfs, she was quite privileged, something in between peasants and nobles.

The children of impoverished boyars often fell into the number of combat serfs, therefore this category of “servicemen” had more rights than serfs-laborers and managers. Of the property, warriors could have a horse (sometimes two) and full combat equipment.

Transition to another class

After the abolition of serfdom (starting from 1861), a new class began to form - the bourgeoisie. This word was called the urban population of the lowest rank. Freedmen became philistines thanks to the peasant reform, smerds and combat serfs, released for some reason from their military duties (for example, for long selfless service).

The philistines were not only free, but also taxable citizens. They could have a shop, engage in crafts, sell the fruits of their labor in the market, but they were obliged to pay a tax at the same time. Catherine II officially secured the status of philistinism in the "Charter to the Cities" of 1785. The townspeople were one step below the merchants, but they were also considered the “correct” city dwellers. They owned most of the city's real estate.

The philistine class was also constantly undergoing changes. Some philistines did not want or could not pay taxes, so they became peasants. Others received an education and climbed a step higher - they moved into the category of raznochintsy. So Russian society gradually stratified more and more, and many representatives of the lower strata of the country's population received new opportunities.

Smerdy as a category of the Old Russian population

So, according to the ancient Russian periodical called Russkaya Pravda, it was customary in Russia to call the class of peasants, who were originally free landowners, in contrast to the same serfs, smerds. As the landlord system develops in the Russian lands, smerds become dependent on the masters, as a result of which they become enslaved. But the well-known historian Grekov B. gives a slightly different interpretation of this concept of "smerd".

So, in his opinion, the Old Russian smerds were part of the rural community, but throughout the whole time they were dependent on the prince of Kievan Rus. But the validity, as well as the groundlessness of this point of view, is very difficult to refute or prove. As the only authoritative opinion, as opposed to Grekov's theory, the text of Russkaya Pravda can be considered, according to which it is not mentioned anywhere that the smerds were dependent only on the Kyiv prince.

Smerdy could inherit the land, and in the event that they did not have children, then all the property went to the prince. It should also be noted that for the murder of a smerd, the culprit was assigned a rather meager (as for human life) fine of five hryvnias, while for the same crime committed against any other person the amount of the fine was forty hryvnias.

At the same time, in the Novgorod Principality, smerds were always completely subordinate to the state. It was customary to refer to the concept of "smerd" there the entire category of the lower strata of the population, subordinate to the prince. At the same time, they carried out activities on their own land plots, and also paid a considerable tax to the state treasury. However, at any moment the prince was allowed to resettle smerds or bestow them on the church. In addition, in the Novgorod Republic, smerds served natural duties and were obliged to supply horses, as well as feed the soldiers in wartime. It should also be noted that, unlike ordinary communal peasants who lived in villages, smerds had to live in villages.

A curious fact is the term, which appeared between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. "To stink" - that is, to actually capture the population and villages of the enemy principality during princely strife and internecine wars. After the fifteenth century, the category of smerds passes to the peasantry, but the term itself continues to be used and means an unofficial appeal to the lower strata of the king's population.

SMERDS SMERDS - small landowners who constituted a heterogeneous social and legal status group of the population in Ancient Russia (and in some other Slavic countries). During the period of the XI-XII centuries. S. are primarily communal peasants who have lost their personal freedom in whole or in part. Along with them, the personally free rural population also entered the category C. During the period of feudal fragmentation (XII-XIII centuries), the term "S." all rural residents of a certain territory were designated (peasants - subjects of the local feudal lord). S.'s personal freedom was limited by the prohibition of transferring under the guardianship of another feudal lord. In the XIV-XV centuries. the concept of S. in Russia was replaced by a new one - peasants.

Big legal dictionary. - M.: Infra-M. A. Ya. Sukharev, V. E. Krutskikh, A. Ya. Sukharev. 2003 .

See what "SMERDY" is in other dictionaries:

Community peasants in Ancient Russia (9th-14th centuries). Initially free, with the development of socio-economic relations gradually fell into dependence ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

SMERDY, community peasants in Ancient Russia (9th-14th centuries). Initially free, with the development of socio-economic relations gradually fell into dependence. Source: Encyclopedia Fatherland ... Russian history

In ancient Russian law, free rural inhabitants, as opposed to serfs on the one hand, and princely men on the other. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

The category of dependent rural population in Ancient Russia. They are mentioned in Russkaya Pravda, The Tale of Bygone Years, etc. The murder of a smerd was punished with the same fine as the murder of serfs. Their escheated property was inherited by the prince. The word "smerd" ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (smurdi, smardones) social stratum of fame. early medieval societies. In the sources of the 11th-12th centuries. S. are noted in Kievan Rus (Russkaya Pravda and other sources), in Poland, among the Polabian Slavs; S. may also have been in the Balkans. On the question of…… Soviet historical encyclopedia

SMERDY- - the name of feudally dependent peasants in Ancient Russia (9-13 centuries). V. I. Lenin points out that “landowners enslaved smerds back in the days of Russkaya Pravda” (Soch., vol. 3, p. 170). S., attached to the ground, were operated as ... ... Soviet legal dictionary

The name of feudally dependent peasants in Ancient Russia and in some other Slavic countries. In the sources of the 11th-12th centuries. S. are noted in Kievan Rus (Russkaya Pravda and other sources), in Poland, among the Polabian Slavs. S. in Russia, peasants, ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- ... Wikipedia

stinks- small landowners, who constituted a heterogeneous group of the population in terms of social and legal status in Ancient Russia (and in some other Slavic countries). During the period of the XI-XII centuries. S. is primarily community peasants who have lost their personal freedom ... ... Big Law Dictionary

SMERDY- agricultural population of villages. At the beginning of the historical existence of Russia, it was free, and then gradually became dependent on individuals, princes or estates. The first written collections of laws are somewhat limited in ... ... Cossack dictionary-reference book

Books

• Tsars and smerds: a novel. Benyukh O.P., Benyukh O.P. The action of the novel takes place in the outback of Russia and covers the second half of the 20th century. Against this historical background, the life of two main characters is shown - a village priest and a village teacher. ...

Remember the famous quotes from the beloved “Ivan Vasilyevich”, who changes his profession: “Why did you offend the noblewoman, stink?”, “Oh, you tramp, mortal pimple, stink!”? We laugh together at the bewilderment of Yakin (Mikhail Pugovkin), admire the Terrible (Yuri Yakovlev), but when we undertake to reread Bulgakov's immortal comedy, we also pay attention to the wonderful language in which the work is written.

Smerd stink strife

A modern reader who quickly forgets lessons on such a school subject as history will probably not immediately say what a smerd is, or rather, who it is. But the inquisitive, of course, will be interested to find out that the inhabitants of the ancient Russian state were called this way, with the exception of the nobility (boyars) and the clergy. Those. this concept meant merchants, merchants and artisans, wandering buffoons and townspeople, as well as peasants. So what is a commoner, a person of diverse origins. However, over time, the word acquires a different semantics.

Peasant question

Now some clarifications. The peasants in Russia were once free farmers. Then, as they became enslaved, they began to be divided into three categories: “people”, “serfs”, “smerds”. "People" were called citizens of low birth without owners-boyars. According to Russkaya Pravda (a test legal document of the 11th-16th centuries), if someone kills a free man and is caught, he must pay a fine of 40 hryvnias. And what is a smerd if his life was worth no more than the life of a slave (serf) - 5 hryvnias? Also, it turns out, a slave. Whose? Prince, i.e. boyar.

The category of smerds gradually began to include those free peasant farmers who became enslaved as social stratification and the growth of landlord lands. This meaning of the word is typical for the times of Kievan Rus.

Smerd "in Novgorod"

The Novgorod Republic was a special territory. And there were rules. What is a smerd according to local laws? This is a farmer dependent on the state, and not on a private owner. Then, in general, all peasants began to be attributed to this category. In Russia, it was the plowmen who were the most numerous category of citizens. The state gave them plots of land, for which the smerds paid taxes to the treasury, and the princes - a duty "in kind": food, linen, domestic animals, etc. Such peasants were obliged to live in villages (from the word "village", i.e. e. "sedentary"). Around the 15th century, the term "smerdy" was replaced by "peasants". And since the army was recruited from the common people, at times and a little later, service people were called this word.

In documents (orders, letters, letters, petitions) of that time, this is the officially accepted form when the king addresses the soldiers. A few centuries later, the concept of "smerd" turned into a contemptuous, almost abusive designation of serfs and commoners. By the way, during the time of princely strife, there was a specific, then obsolete word “to stink”: to capture the subjects of an enemy prince.

And more about etymology and word usage

If we talk about it, it belongs to the Indo-European language group. We have considered lexical transformation. It remains to be said about the additional semantic meaning obtained in the process of use. From the word "smerd" the verb "stink" was formed, i.e. "smell bad". The fact is that in the huts where the poorest peasants and serfs lived, the windows were covered with air that did not let in at all. The stoves were heated "in black", the smoke barely left the premises, smoking through everything. And in late autumn, winter and early spring, together with people, poultry and cattle kept in the huts. It is clear that the "aroma" of stink could be smelled a mile away. Therefore, over time, the word "smerd" instead of "serf" began to denote a dirty, untidy, stinking person. A modern synonym is "homeless".