Tsar's family peasants in European north of Russia: distribution and demographic processes

In 1797 a new category of tribute levying population appeared in Russia: it was the tsar’s family peasants. The tsar’s family department with its territorial representatives (such as tsar’s family officers) was established to manage these peasants. In the north of Russia the tsar’s family peasants lived as a very compact group in the basin of the Northern Dvina River, the Vaga River, and their tributaries. Some of these peasants lived in Southern districts of Vologda province. During the first half of the XIXth century the number of the tsar’s family peasants was about 10 % of the total region population. It was increasing mostly due to the natural population growth. The number of the tsar’s family peasants also increased due to landowners’ peasants purchase in Vologda province during the first thirty years of the XIXth century. Consequently the average annual growth rate of the population in the tsar’s family village of Vologda province exceeded that in the tsar’s family village of Arkhangelsk province. Meanwhile the natural population growth in these provinces was almost the same. Also the policy of tsar’s family department had an effect on demographic processes in the tsar’s family village in the north of Russia.