LYAPIN D.A., MELNIKOVA A.R. Villages of the Black Earth Region of European Russia in the 17th – First Third of the 18th Centuries

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2024.5.5

Denis A. Lyapin,

Doctor of Sciences (History), Head of the Department of History and Historicaland Cultural Heritage, Bunin Yelets State University, Kommunarov St, 28, 399770 Yelets, RussianFederation,

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2078-2404

Alena R. Melnikova,

Postgraduate Student, Bunin Yelets State University, Kommunarov St, 28,399770 Yelets, Russian Federation,

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https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9602-7963


Abstract. Introduction. In the 17th century, in the south of European Russia, in the Black Earth districts,the process of economic development of vast fertile lands took place. The effectiveness of this process wasassociated with the increase in the number of Russian settlers to work on arable land. Economic success played animportant role in the confrontation between Russia and the Crimean Khanate. The war between the two stateslasted throughout the 17th century. In recent decades, the study of the history of the development of black earthdistricts in Russia has continued in various directions, but the problem of economic development of new territoriesremains relevant for study. Methods and materials. The authors of the article use data on the number of villages asa criterion for assessing the process of reclamation of empty lands. The authors focus on the villages of the threelargest regions of the Black Earth region – the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Yelets regions. Materials from the Kozlovregion are used as additional information. The materials for the work were mass sources – census books of the 17th –first quarter of the 18th centuries. Results. As a result of the study, an increase in the number of rural settlements andchanges in their internal structure were recorded in favor of the increase in large villages. All this testifies toRussia’s economic success in the region and allows us to understand some of the features of this process. Thereis also no doubt about the steady demographic growth throughout the 17th century. These factors played animportant role in the struggle for the annexation of the Black Earth Strip to Russia during periodically escalatingmilitary conflicts and political confrontations. Contribution of the authors of the article: D.A. Lyapin – conceptdevelopment, writing of the introduction, analysis of the results. A.R. Melnikova – processing of materials for thearticle, writing of the section “Materials and methods,” design of the article. D.A. Lyapin – 50%, A.R. Melnikova –50%. Funding. The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (projectNo. 24-68-00011, https://rscf.ru/project/24-68-00011/) on the basis of Bunin Yelets State University.

Key words: villages, Black Earth region, economic development, resettlement, peasants, odnodvorcy.

Citation. Lyapin D.A., Melnikova A.R. Villages of the Black Earth Region of European Russia in the 17th –First Third of the 18th Centuries. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya.Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. AreaStudies. International Relations], 2024, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 51-60. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2024.5.5.

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Villages of the Black Earth Region of European Russia in the 17th –First Third of the 18th Centuries by Lyapin D.A., Melnikova A.R. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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