Posad people are the engine of trade of medieval cities

Posad people - this name was fixed in history for a special category of the population, which was engaged in trade and craft. Traders and artisans lived in the village, near the fortress or the Kremlin, where they were "planted", that is, the princes and boyars settled. These townspeople played an important role in the socio-economic and political life of the Russian principalities. Indeed, the people of the townspeople are peasants, who were mostly residents of the villages who, in search of a better life, left their homes and, although they were personally free, but economically dependent on the feudal lords. And in certain periods, the people of Posad were even rivals of the feudal lords, pushing them away from market-based methods of enrichment. During the upheavals and uprisings, the people of the town were smashing the yards of wealthy boyars and merchants, as those, being their direct competitors, fought unfairly, seizing courtyards, settlements and turning them into serfs of city dwellers, which greatly reduced their social status and quality of life.

Residents of the territories of the towns were interested in peace and tranquility, as this allowed the flourishing of trade and crafts and increased the incomes of the people of the townspeople themselves. In addition, the people of the townspeople are money, extraordinary expenses, construction of various structures, in all this they carried out direct service and helped to improve the city and its surroundings. Posad people can be divided into several categories: they were rich owners of individual households, large workshops, artisans, who joined together in artels or squads in the line of business. They lived quite often within the same street. Finally, the elite of the townspeople are merchants who, depending on their capitals, were divided into guilds or corporations. Rich merchants and artisans ruled all the processes that took place in the community of the towns. They sought to shift the bulk of fees and taxes to the poorest part of the community - the poor in the country, small craftsmen and traders, which often led to outbreaks of violence on both sides, especially during popular unrest

Posad people lived in the so-called white and black suburbs. The inhabitants of these places did not differ in principle, however, the inhabitants of the White Sloboda had one important advantage: the white settlements belonged to the feudal lords, which meant that the residents of these places only paid in favor of the owner, while the inhabitants of the black settlements had to pay taxes in favor of the state. White suburbs significantly complicated the life of the people of Posad, they, being their competitors, were protected by their feudal lords, and those in turn were interested in them in order to increase profits. To say that the people of Posad are feudal lords, is fundamentally not true. The feudal lords in the person of princes, boyars and church dignitaries were the owners of the white people and had the right to a part of their revenue, according to serfdom.

This state of affairs persisted until 1649. A series of urban uprisings and riots forced the government of Alexei Mikhailovich to make concessions to the people of Posad. In accordance with the new set of laws, the white settlements were liquidated, and the people of the townspeople received only the right to engage in trade and handicraft activities.