kholops

(noun)

Feudally dependent persons in Russia between the 10th and early 18th centuries. Their legal status was close to that of serfs but in reality closest to that of slaves.

Related Terms

Examples of kholops in the following topics:

  • The Westernization of Russia

    • The class of kholops, or feudally dependent persons similar to serfs but whose status was closest slavery, remained a major institution in Russia until 1723, when Peter converted household kholops into house serfs, thus including them in poll taxation (Russian agricultural kholops were formally converted into serfs in 1679).