On the old Roman villas, the workers were largely made up of slaves. When the Germanic people took over the areas, the same slaves would naturally become serfs.
There were a number of cases when hordes running through old Roman territories cause migrations of free agricultural workers into cities. Those who did not have the food they were required to bring for their support in case of siege were often put into a position of selling themselves into slavery. Many of the serfs might have been descended from these people.
She expanded serfdom.
Alexander II
Czar Alexander II freed the serfs in his empire in 1742. While they were freed, they were still very poor and still worked in terrible conditions.
It would possibly depend upon your definition of "Serfdom", but I believe the 1917 revolution and subsequent overthrow of the Tsar effectively ended Serfdom in Russia by any definition. The pre-revolutionary Russian economy was heavily dependent on free labour, which was augmented by exiled prisoner labour. Earlier attempts at freeing the Serfs during the Romanov Dynasty ended in unpleasantness and the Serfs not being freed.
The Rise of Nations.
She expanded serfdom.
Russia abolished serfdom, which was a form of semi-feudal slavery, in 1861 under Tsar Alexander II. This decree freed over 23 million serfs and marked the end of serfdom in Russia.
The Russian nobility weren’t willing to free the people who were in serfdom. Catherine the Great presented the idea to her court and was turned down.
Boris Godunov. A famine plagued Russia during his reign and as the peasants tried to leave the land, Godunov forced them to stay.
Alexander II
Serfdom held them back and posed a challenge to their progress.
Czar Alexander II freed the serfs in his empire in 1742. While they were freed, they were still very poor and still worked in terrible conditions.
Catherine the Great attempted reforms to benefit her people, but her actions were flawed in some important ways. The authority and power of the nobility increased at the expense of the serfs, and the condition of ordinary people deteriorated.
It would possibly depend upon your definition of "Serfdom", but I believe the 1917 revolution and subsequent overthrow of the Tsar effectively ended Serfdom in Russia by any definition. The pre-revolutionary Russian economy was heavily dependent on free labour, which was augmented by exiled prisoner labour. Earlier attempts at freeing the Serfs during the Romanov Dynasty ended in unpleasantness and the Serfs not being freed.
Peter the Great 'westernized' Russia by introducing European technical knowledge, fashion and ideas to Russia; Alexander II abolished serfdom in Russia, freeing some 15 million people from slavery.
Russia.
Serfdom was abolished in various ways during the Age of Enlightenment, including through legislative reforms and social movements that emphasized individual freedoms and rights. The Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality, and reason led to the questioning of feudalistic systems and the recognition of serfdom as a violation of human dignity. Reforms such as the Emancipation Manifesto in Russia and the French Revolution played key roles in the abolition of serfdom during this period.