Niemiecka słoboda w Moskwie w XVI–XVII wieku

Abstract

The German sloboda, an autonomous administrative unit in the area of the early modern Moscow, was one of the eight foreign slobodas. German sloboda owed its name to its inhabitants, both ethnic Germans and other west European nations, speaking languages that were incomprehensible to the majority of Russians. The origins of the German sloboda are to be looked for in ephemeral colonies created by tsars: Ivan the Terrible (in the second half of the XVI century) and Boris Godunov (in the first decade of the XVII century). The colonies were inhabited by people resettled from Livonia and other emigrants. In the second half of the XVII century, tsars from the new Romanov dynasty, rebuilding the country after war destructions, used foreign, usually western, artisans. Military men constituted the majority the foreigners living in those times in the new German sloboda on the river Jauza; there were also representatives of other professions: interpreters, lawyers, doctors, teachers, tailors, jewelers, metallurgists, gunsmiths, etc. Inhabitants of the German sloboda enjoyed religious freedom, were released from tjagło (the majority of feudal burdens), could purchase estates in Russia and conduct international commerce. The German sloboda inhabitants, creating foundations of Russian industry, facilitated economic development of the country. Moreover, Germans played an important role in Russian culture, initiating changes in fashion, painting, architecture and creating the theatre.