Bochkarev, A. S. FEATURES OF THE ESTATE STATUS OF OLONETS SOLDIERS AND DRAGOONS: REVISITING HORIZONTAL MOBILITY IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY RUSSIA. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2026;48(4):60–68. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2026.1320


Russian history

FEATURES OF THE ESTATE STATUS OF OLONETS SOLDIERS AND DRAGOONS: REVISITING HORIZONTAL MOBILITY IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY RUSSIA

Bochkarev
A. S. 		Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Keywords:
mid-seventeenth-century military reforms
Olonets “new model” regiments
class policy
social stratification
service class corporation		 Summary: The article analyzes the consequences of the social transformation of serf peasants in the Olonets Uyezd following the introduction of soldier service in 1649. The establishment of settled “new model” regiments in this region contributed to the formation of a special social stratum that occupied an intermediate position between peasants and service people. This phenomenon reflects an all-Russian trend in the mid-XVII century – the blurring of estate boundaries within the armed forces, which was particularly characteristic of the turbulent northwestern borderlands. The study shows that the military recruitment of peasants from the Olonets Uyezd intensified the socio-economic differentiation of the local population, distinguishing soldiers and dragoons from the general mass of peasants. It was proven that the “militarization” of intra-estate status was sanctioned by the central authorities and led to the socio- professional consolidation of peasant soldiers and dragoons. The article concludes that in terms of their obligations the rank-and-file of the Olonets “new model” regiments aligned with the class of professional soldiers, while in terms of their social organization they remained connected to peasants. This, combined with a relatively short term of service and a number of other factors, prevented them from forming a separate service class corporation, unlike the servicemen of similar units in the southern uyezds of Russia.



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