Question by Paul: What role did the Orthodox church play in Russian serfdom before 1861?
After centuries of Tzars supporting the Russian tradition of Serfdom it was finally outlawed in 1861..
Since the Tzar was head of the Orthodox Church and god’s representative on earth, what role did the broader church play in maintaining Russian serfdom?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Dr. Zoom Zoom 3.0
You’ll probably get more answers if you ask around this site…
http://www.christianforums.com/f145/
What do you think? Answer below!
Spellbound (bigreda says
The peasantry equated the Tsar and Religion with a sense of righteousness and fairness. The 1905 Revolution was started by a priest (Father Gapon) and people were carrying banners appealing to the Tsar to sort out the iniquities of the state and their landlords.
Before 1861 the Church was a very important part of Russian peasant identity – most homes had icons of the saints and the Tsar. The priests were, in the poorer areas, ill-educated and drawn from the peasantry itself – so there was a real connection between church and community.