Towards the sources of formation and birth status of Russian nobility in the xviii-th century

Abstract

In the first quarter of XVIII century
radical changes took place in the social
status of Russian nobility. It represented itself
another social category than social class
of people in the 17th century.
The investigation of the sources of formation,
the class compound and the change of
numeration of Russian nobility allows to light
the terms of social politics of governmental
authorities.
By the middle of the XVIII-th century there
was another class group of smallholders whose
status left to be uncertain till the time of Ekaterina
II. Contradictory interpretations of origin
and social status of the group are given in
objective accounts.
Nobility included not only original hereditary
nobility and titled one but sometimes external
even artificial characteristics so it was
on the way to a complete class consolidation.