Mahtra War
Encyclopedia
Mahtra War was a peasant insurgency at the Mahtra
estate (now in Rapla County
, 60 km from Tallinn
) in Estonia
, in the then Russian Empire
in May-July 1858.
The revolt was suppressed using the regular army, 14 peasants were wounded and 7 killed on site, 3 died later of wounds. The military casualties included 13 soldiers wounded and 1 officer killed. 60-65 peasants were sentenced to death by a court-martial in Tallinn that was reduced by Baltic governor-general Suvorov
to corporal punishment, 35 were sentenced to exile in Siberia
, 21 defenders were released.
, serfdom
was abolished in 1816 (in comparison, in the whole Russian Empire it was abolished
in 1861), however the land was not redistributed among the peasants and the corvée
labor was preserved (until 1876). The March 19, 1856 manifesto of Tsar Alexander II
spoke about further agrarian reforms, but the implementation was slow, and this sparkled the unrest, including the Mahtra revolt.
The events significantly influenced the work of the committees working on the project of the emancipation of the serfs in Russia.
Mahtra
Mahtra is a village in Juuru Parish, Rapla County, Estonia. It has a population of 92 .In 1858 a peasant insurgency called the Mahtra War took place at the Mahtra Manor....
estate (now in Rapla County
Rapla County
Rapla County , or Raplamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in western part of the country and borders Järva County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, Lääne County to the west, and Harju County to the north...
, 60 km from Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
) in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, in the then Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in May-July 1858.
The revolt was suppressed using the regular army, 14 peasants were wounded and 7 killed on site, 3 died later of wounds. The military casualties included 13 soldiers wounded and 1 officer killed. 60-65 peasants were sentenced to death by a court-martial in Tallinn that was reduced by Baltic governor-general Suvorov
Alexander Arkadyevich Suvorov
Alexander Arkadyevich Suvorov, Prince of Italy, Count Rymniksky was a Russian general, diplomat and politician.-Education:...
to corporal punishment, 35 were sentenced to exile in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, 21 defenders were released.
Historical context
In the Governorate of EstoniaReval Governorate
The Governorate of Estonia or Estland, also known as the Government of Estonia or Province of Estonia, was a governorate of the Russian Empire in what is now northern Estonia.-Historical overview:...
, serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
was abolished in 1816 (in comparison, in the whole Russian Empire it was abolished
Emancipation reform of 1861
The Emancipation Reform of 1861 in Russia was the first and most important of liberal reforms effected during the reign of Alexander II of Russia. The reform, together with a related reform in 1861, amounted to the liquidation of serf dependence previously suffered by peasants of the Russian Empire...
in 1861), however the land was not redistributed among the peasants and the corvée
Corvée
Corvée is unfree labour, often unpaid, that is required of people of lower social standing and imposed on them by the state or a superior . The corvée was the earliest and most widespread form of taxation, which can be traced back to the beginning of civilization...
labor was preserved (until 1876). The March 19, 1856 manifesto of Tsar Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
spoke about further agrarian reforms, but the implementation was slow, and this sparkled the unrest, including the Mahtra revolt.
The events significantly influenced the work of the committees working on the project of the emancipation of the serfs in Russia.
In culture
- Mahtra Peasant Museum http://www.neothemi.net/neothemi_germany/mahtra.htm, http://www.mahtramuuseum.ee/
- Eduard VildeEduard VildeEduard Vilde was an Estonian writer and a pioneer of critical realism in Estonian literature.-Works:* Musta mantliga mees...
, "War in Mahtra", historical novel (1902, Estonian title: “Mahtra sõda"; Russian translation: Эдуард Вильде, Война в Махтра, 1950, TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, publisher: "Художественная литeратура и искусство") - Anatoli Garshnek, "Mahtra sõda" [Mahtra War] (1958), cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....