Page 91 - 4331

duties. At first peasants fought in a peaceful
manner (they laid complaints). Later they
took arms, killed landlords and organized
self-governance. Because of a complicated
situation (French bourgeois revolution, the
war with Turkey), the tsar government did not
use force immediately. In 1793 troops were
brought in. They dealt with the rebels
severely. Most of them were subjected to
tortures and exiled to Siberia with the brand
‘thief’ on their foreheads. The rest of people
were moved to Taurida, the village was
ruined.
1794 Odesa emerged on the spot of the former
Khodgybei fortress. It became the trading
centre of the whole Southern Ukraine.
1801 The decree of tsar Oleksandr І, which
granted merchants, lower middle class
citizens and state peasants the right to buy
land free of serfs. It accelerated bourgeois
development of agriculture.
1801 By decree it was forbidden to build churches
of ‘Little Russia style’. Verteps (kolyadkas
and schedrivkas (Christmas carols) were
forbidden as survivals of paganism. Carved
sculptures in churches and icons in Ukrainian
style, Mother of God in Crown in particular.
It was not allowed using books published by
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra at religious services. All
books were substituted with the books of
Moscow synod.
1803 The tsar’s decree about “free ploughmen”. It
stipulated the possibility of serfdom liberation

89