The publication of the manifesto "On Liberty of the Nobility" is a short decree of Peter III. This happened in the second half of the XVIII century.
Prerequisites to the document and the publication of the manifesto "On the Liberty of the Nobility"
In the Russian Empire, the development of new relations in the system of power and the regrouping of aristocratic classes were in full swing. The boyars, who were the most approximate group to the rulers in medieval Russia, increasingly lost their positions for many years. The struggle against the nobles lasted several centuries. By the middle of the XVIII it became very clear that the nobles (former servicemen of the boyars' households) were increasingly firmly established in a privileged position and it was necessary to legislatively consolidate this fact. The Manifesto On Liberty of the Nobility (the year 1762) freed the nobles from the obligation to carry out state military service. They were allowed to leave the country freely. Although there was a reservation that this duty still remains in wartime. Aristocrats who went abroad during the military operations in which Russia participated, were forced to return and participate in campaigns.
Publication of the Manifesto "On Liberty of the Nobility" and its Consequences
Consolidation of the nobility and its final formation as the highest aristocratic layer of society began even under Peter I. In essence, the publication of the manifesto "On Liberty of the Nobility" finally completed their respective legal status. Now the nobility has replaced the medieval boyars. The Manifesto On Liberty of the Nobility was supplemented during the reign of Catherine II, when the so-called "Granted Letter to the Russian Nobility" was published, which further expanded the freedoms and powers of the latter. Now all the noble rights were assigned to them for life and forever and were inherited. All representatives of the estate were equal in rights, regardless of the antiquity of the clan and the acquired titles. However, these same salaries tied the nobles to the tsarist government, made them dependent on it, which, in general, was fully consistent with the processes of absolutization of monarchical power that took place throughout the European continent.
The nobility literally turned In government officials, filling the bureaucracy. In addition to the provisions on military service, this document contained other items. He also enshrined the full and unshakable rights of the aristocratic estate to real estate: land allotments and estates. Nobles were exempted from any form of corporal punishment and any taxes. Formally, the corporate structure of the estate was fixed: noble assemblies were established, which had an official status in the face of the state. The whole complex of these measures predetermined the main consequence - the formation and strengthening in Russia of the estate-representative monarchy, which at that time was the advanced political device for Europe.