A Monument a Day #8 - First Ukrainian Revolt Against Feudalism (1591)

First Ukrainian Anti-Feudal Revolt

This monument commemorates the first revolt under the leadership of Kryshtofa Kosynskoho in 1591 against the feudal system by villagers and Kozaks of the right bank of Ukraine.

In Ukraine serfdom developed first in the territories ruled by Poland. Under the Polish system of serfdom the peasants were bound by law to their plots of land, which were owned by the lord. The amount of obligatory labor (corvée) owed by the peasant to the lord depended on the size and quality of the peasant's plot, but the amount of labor effectively exacted was often arbitrary. The Russian system of serfdom, which was established in most Ukrainian territories under Russian rule at the end of the 18th century, was based on the principle that the lord owned the peasant under his control. He could dispose of his serfs as he wished. He could even separate them from their land. The amount of labor owed by the peasants and the size of their allotments depended on the number of adult males in their families. Serfs were finally emancipated in 1861.

This monument is located at: 49°47'27.79"N 30° 6'32.92"E