ABSTRACT
Peter III’s two measures in 1762 marked an important turning point in state policy towards nobles and peasants that would culminate in the abolition of serfdom itself in 1861. His abolition of compulsory noble state service ended the original rationale behind serfdom. And, the secularization of the church peasants established a precedent for transferring peasants from the jurisdiction of intermediaries to the state. Peter III’s measures were followed by other rural reforms over the following decades.
