On 3 March 1861 (19 February in the old Russian calendar), Tsar Alexander II signed the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing some 23 million serfs, about a third of the population of Russia, who had been tied to the land and the will of their lords. The peasants received personal freedom, but had to pay for their land in redemption payments over 49 years, through village communes, so most remained poor and unsatisfied. The reform, the largest of the Great Reforms that also modernised the courts, local government and army, was meant to prevent revolt from below. Alexander was assassinated by revolutionaries in 1881.
Before and after
- 1861Pasteur disproves spontaneous generation
- from 8 February 1861 to 1 May 1865Confederate States of America
- 16 February 1861Earthquake in Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I, Indonesia
- 26 February 1861Death of Taras Shevchenko
- 3 March 1861Tsar Alexander II emancipates the Russian serfs
- from 17 March 1861 to 18 June 1946Kingdom of Italy
- 23 March 1861Publication of Great Expectations
- 10 April 1861Founding of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- from 12 April 1861 to 9 April 1865American Civil War
More in Society, economy & sport
- 1869Founding of Goldman Sachs
- 1878Founding of Manchester United F.C.
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 23 September 1889Founding of Nintendo
- 1 November 1897Founding of Juventus FC
- 6 March 1902Founding of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.