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A smerd (Old East Slavic: смердъ, romanized: smerdǔ) was a free peasant and later a feudal-dependent serf in the medieval Slavic states of East Europe. Sources from the 11th and 12th centuries (such as the 12th-century Russkaya Pravda) mention their presence in Kievan Rus' and Poland as the smardones. Etymologically, the word smerd comes from a common Indo-European root meaning "ordinary man" or "dependent man".^[1]^{[disputed – discuss]}

In Kievan Rus', smerdy were peasants who gradually lost their freedom (partially or completely) and whose legal status differed from group to group. Unlike slaves, they had their own property and had to pay fines for their delinquencies, legally the smerds never possessed full rights; killing of a smerd was punished by the same fine as killing of a kholop (similarly to a slave). The property of the deceased was inherited by the knyaz (prince). The Russkaya Pravda forbade torturing smerds during court examination without consent of the knyaz.

During the 12th and the 13th centuries a number of sources mention the smerdy while narrating events in Halych-Volynia and in Novgorod. It appears that during this period the term smerd encompassed the whole rural population of a given region. Sources of the 14th and 15th centuries refer to smerds of Novgorod and Pskov as peasant-proprietors, who possessed lands collectively (communes) or individually and had the right to freely alienate their own allotments. However, their personal freedom was limited: they were forbidden to seek a new master or princely patronage. The knyaz could not accept complaints from smerds against their master. Also, smerds had to provide labor services and to pay tribute (dan') to the benefit of the city as a collective feudal master.

In Russia from the 14th century the word smerd as a denotation for peasants and other commonfolk was replaced with the word krestyanin (крестьянин), meaning peasant. The change was connected to the dying out of Slavic paganism by that time, as well as to the Islamization of the Golden Horde under Öz Beg Khan (ruled 1313–1341), which fostered the rise of Christian self-identification in the vassal Russian lands that were under Mongol yoke.

The old word smerd continued to be used in a pejorative meaning, often in a situation when a lord spoke to dependent people or even to lesser nobles. Also the word acquired a meaning of "one who stinks", with the related verb 'smerdet' (смердеть or śmierdzieć, to stink).^[2]^{[disputed – discuss]}

Notes

^ Vucinich, Wayne S.; Curtiss, John Shelton (1968). The Peasant in Nineteenth-century Russia - Wayne S. Vucinich, John Shelton Curtiss - Google Książki. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804706384.
^ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B4#Russian^{[user-generated source]}

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[urlThe_Peasant_in_Nineteenth-century_Russia_-_Wayne_S._Vucinich,_John_Shelton_Curtiss_-_Google_Książki-1] Vucinich, Wayne S.; Curtiss, John Shelton (1968). The Peasant in Nineteenth-century Russia - Wayne S. Vucinich, John Shelton Curtiss - Google Książki. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804706384.

[2] ttps://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B4#Russian^{[user-generated source]}

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Serf in the medieval Slavic states of Central and East Europe}}
-{{Unreferenced|date=October 2008}}
+{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
-A '''smerd''' ({{lang-orv|смердъ}}) was a free and later a [[feudal]]-dependent [[peasant]] in the medieval Slavic states of [[East Europe]]. Sources from the 11th and 12th centuries (such as the 12th-century ''[[Russkaya Pravda]]'') mention their presence in [[Kievan Rus']]  and [[Poland]] as the ''smardones''. Etymologically, the word ''smerd'' comes from a common Indo-European root meaning "ordinary man" or "dependent man".
+{{Early Slavic status}}
+A '''smerd''' ({{langx|orv|смердъ|smerdǔ}}) was a free [[peasant]] and later a [[feudal]]-dependent [[serf]] in the [[medieval]] Slavic states of [[East Europe]]. Sources from the 11th and 12th centuries (such as the 12th-century ''[[Russkaya Pravda]]'') mention their presence in [[Kievan Rus']]  and [[Poland]] as the ''smardones''. Etymologically, the word ''smerd'' comes from a common Indo-European root meaning "ordinary man" or "dependent man".<ref name="urlThe Peasant in Nineteenth-century Russia - Wayne S. Vucinich, John Shelton Curtiss - Google Książki">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlVYJaLBDMYC&q=Smerd+serfdom&pg=PA221 |title=The Peasant in Nineteenth-century Russia - Wayne S. Vucinich, John Shelton Curtiss - Google Książki |format= |isbn=9780804706384 |accessdate=|last1=Vucinich |first1=Wayne S. |last2=Curtiss |first2=John Shelton |year=1968 |publisher=Stanford University Press }}</ref>{{Disputed inline|Etymology issue|date=February 2022}}
-In Kievan Rus', ''smerdy'' were peasants who gradually lost their freedom (partially or completely) and whose [[legal]] status differed from group to group. Unlike [[slave]]s, they had their own [[property]] and had to pay [[fine (penalty)|fines]] for their delinquencies, legally the ''smerds'' never possessed full [[rights]]; the killing of a ''smerd'' was punished by the same fine as the killing of a ''[[kholop]]'' (similarly to a slave). The property of the deceased was inherited by the ''[[knyaz]]'' (prince). The ''Russkaya Pravda'' forbade torturing the ''smerds'' during court examination without the consent of the ''knyaz''.
+In Kievan Rus', ''smerdy'' were peasants who gradually lost their freedom (partially or completely) and whose [[legal]] status differed from group to group. Unlike [[slave]]s, they had their own [[property]] and had to pay [[fine (penalty)|fines]] for their delinquencies, legally the ''smerds'' never possessed full [[rights]]; killing of a ''smerd'' was punished by the same fine as killing of a ''[[kholop]]'' (similarly to a slave). The property of the deceased was inherited by the ''[[knyaz]]'' (prince). The ''Russkaya Pravda'' forbade torturing ''smerds'' during court examination without consent of the ''[[knyaz]]''.
-During the 12th and the 13th centuries a number of sources mention the ''smerdy'' while narrating events in [[Halych-Volynia]] and in [[Novgorod]]. It appears that during this period the term ''smerd'' encompassed the whole rural population of a given region. Sources of the 14th and 15th centuries refer to the ''smerds'' of Novgorod and [[Pskov]] as peasant-[[proprietor]]s, who possessed lands collectively (communes) or individually and had the right to freely alienate their own allotments. However, their personal freedom was limited: they were forbidden to seek a new master or princely [[patronage]]. The ''knyaz'' could not accept complaints from the ''smerds'' against their master. Also, the ''smerds'' had to provide labor services and to pay tribute (''dan''') to the benefit of the city as a collective feudal master.
+During the 12th and the 13th centuries a number of sources mention the ''smerdy'' while narrating events in [[Halych-Volynia]] and in [[Novgorod]]. It appears that during this period the term ''smerd'' encompassed the whole rural population of a given region. Sources of the 14th and 15th centuries refer to ''smerds'' of Novgorod and [[Pskov]] as peasant-[[proprietor]]s, who possessed lands collectively (communes) or individually and had the right to freely alienate their own allotments. However, their personal freedom was limited: they were forbidden to seek a new master or princely [[patronage]]. The ''knyaz'' could not accept complaints from ''smerds'' against their master. Also, ''smerds'' had to provide labor services and to pay tribute (''dan''') to the benefit of the city as a collective feudal master.
-In Russia from the 14th century the word ''smerd'' as a denotation for peasants and other commonfolk was replaced with the word ''krestyanin'' (''[http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Крестьянин крестьянин]''), meaning [[Christians|Christian]]. The change was connected to the dieout of [[Slavic paganism]] by that time, as well as to the [[Islam]]ization of the [[Golden Horde]] under [[Öz Beg Khan]] (ruled 1313–1341), which fostered the rise of Christian self-identification in the vassal Russian lands, that were under [[Mongol yoke]].
+In Russia from the 14th century the word ''smerd'' as a denotation for peasants and other commonfolk was replaced with the word ''krestyanin'' (''[[:ru:Крестьянин|крестьянин]]''), meaning [[peasant]]. The change was connected to the dying out of [[Slavic paganism]] by that time, as well as to the [[Islam]]ization of the [[Golden Horde]] under [[Öz Beg Khan]] (ruled 1313–1341), which fostered the rise of Christian self-identification in the vassal Russian lands that were under [[Mongol yoke]].
-The old word ''smerd'' continued to be used in the pejorative meaning, often in a situation when a lord spoke to dependent people or even lesser nobles. Also the word aquired a meaning of "one who stinks", with the related verb '''smerdet' '' (''смердеть'', to stink).<ref>
+The old word ''smerd'' continued to be used in a pejorative meaning, often in a situation when a lord spoke to dependent people or even to lesser nobles. Also the word acquired a meaning of "one who stinks", with the related verb '''smerdet' '' (''смердеть'' or ''śmierdzieć'', to stink).<ref>https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B4#Russian
+ {{User-generated source|date=June 2022}}</ref>{{Disputed inline|Etymology issue|date=February 2022}}
-https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B4#Russian
-</ref>
+== See also ==
+* [[Villein]]
+* [[Serfdom in Russia|Serfdom]]
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 19: / Line 25: @@
 * [http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Smerdy "Smerdy" in The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition]
-[[Category:Kievan Rus society]]
+[[Category:Society of Kievan Rus']]
 [[Category:Peasants]]
+[[Category:Economy of Kievan Rus']]
+[[Category:Polish farmers]]
 {{Russia-hist-stub}}

Early Slavic status

Knyaz (sovereign)
Boyar / Szlachta (noble)
Druzhinnik (retainer)
Smerd (free tenant)
Kholop (slave)
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