Landratskaya census in the system of sub-ward descriptions of Petrovsky time on the example of Voronezh uyezd 1716.

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-2-331-348

For citation

Lyapin, Denis A. (2025). Landratskaya census in the system of sub-ward descriptions of Petrovsky time on the example of Voronezh uyezd 1716, Herald of an Archivist, № 2, pp. 331–348, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-2-331–348

Lyapin, Denis A., Elets State University named after I. A. Bunin, Elets, Russia

Landratskaya census in the system of sub-ward descriptions of Petrovsky time on the example of Voronezh uyezd 1716.

Abstract

Landrat books, the last and largest sub-ward descriptions of Russia (1715-1720), are among the little-studied sources. They received their name in the 19th century after their compilers - landrats (assistant governors). Interest in them first appeared in the early 20th century during discussions about population fluctuations in the Petrine period. However, the complexity and heterogeneity of the form, the vastness of the data contained in them and the lack of final calculations significantly complicated their use as a source on demographic history. The Peter the Great's government's refusal to take into account the data of the landrats' books and the transition to a fundamentally new organization of fees - per capita, served as another reason for skepticism about the reliability of the data of this last household census. Over time, this skepticism acquired in historiography the character of a complete rejection of landrats' books as sources of information. The materials of these voluminous folios were ignored, and generalizing conclusions were made on the basis of comparing statistical data of the 1678 household census and the results of the first revision of the per capita census (1718-1727). Meanwhile, the Landrat books are an interesting and informative source of information. They are not inferior in reliability to the censuses of 1678, if only because they were compiled on the basis of careful comparisons with their data, as well as with the materials of the census of 1710. Nowadays, interest in landrats' books is growing due to regional studies. Working with these documents is difficult, but can yield significant results. It is especially important to realize that the landrats' census was part of a series of descriptions of its time and should be considered in the general system of sub-ward censuses. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)It was the materials of past descriptions that were used by the compilers of landrats' books when they reconciled the data and added new information. The focus of the article is the Voronezh Landrats' Book of 1716. Its example demonstrates the importance of this type of source, as well as its relationship with other sub-ward censuses. The Voronezh Landrath Book has a complicated form: it begins with a comparison of data from 1716 with data from 1678, relating to the city and then to the district. Then follows the comparison of information about other population groups, which relates to 1716 and 1710: here, too, the information first refers to the city, and then to the county. This structure is explained by the fact that the census enumerators divided the population into social groups and compared each of them separately. The social principle prevailed over the geographical one. The main purpose was to compare the actual data with the census of 1678, but where new yards and population groups appeared, the comparison of which with the old census was impossible, they turned to the materials of the description of 1710. After determining the structure of the book, it is possible to compare its data with the census book of 1678 and the special Voronezh census of 1714. The analysis finally shows that the data obtained by landrats are more complete than all others. Thus, the studied materials clearly demonstrate the importance of comparative studies in the study of the Landrat books complex. This is the way to assess the completeness of data of each book separately, to see its place in the general series of sub-ward censuses of the region. Only such careful and painstaking work can give a noticeable result for the study of the socio-demographic history of Russia in the Petrine period.

Keywords

Peter the Great epoch, landrats' books, sub-household censuses, Voronezh, demography, comparative analysis, reforms of Peter the Great.

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About authors

Lyapin Denis A., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher, I. A. Bunin Elets State University, Elets, Russia, Belgorod State National Research University, Researcher, Yelets, Russia, Belgorod State National Research University, Research, +7-905-683-55-35, +7-905-683-55-35, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0002-2078-2404

Grant information

The research was carried out at the expense of the grant of the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 24-68-00011, on the basis of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Eletsky State University named after I. A. Bunin”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-68-00011/

The article was received in the editorial office on 14.05.2024, recommended for publication on 20.03.2025