| has gloss | eng: Raznochintsy (; ; literally "people of miscellaneous ranks") was an official term introduced in the Code of Law of the Russian Empire in 17th century to define a social estate that included the lower court and governmental ranks, children of personal dvoryans, and discharged military, The category of raznochintsy grew significantly during the massive trimming down of the category of "servicemen" ( ) in the second half of the 17th century. Raznochintsy were of taxable estate, i.e., those who had to pay personal taxes (подушная подать). In the mid-18th century the category was abolished, and significant part of raznochintsy were transferred into peasantry, but many became merchants and various urban categories (urban sosloviya). As a result, raznochinsty of 17th-18th centuries significantly contributed to the urban growth in... |