Natalia Sergeevna Gurianova,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Peter I and the Old Believers: Policy and Legislation
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-2-14
The article examines Peter I’s policy toward the Old Believers, beginning with an overview of the confrontation between the Church, supported by secular authorities, and the defenders of the Old Rite in the late 17th century. Key developments are identified in Synod and Tsar’s decrees, and anti-Old Believer treatises authored by Church representatives. Peter I’s policy is interpreted as a continuation of the earlier struggle against the Schism. The analysis highlights the secular government’s efforts to promote more active missionary work among the Old Believers to facilitate their reintegration into the Church. The study underscores Peter I’s pragmatic approach, permitting the legalization of Old Believer communities when it aligned with state interests. Notable examples include the early 18th-century authorization for the Old Believer monastic community (obshchezhitel’stvo) to organize religious life according to their own rules in exchange for labor at state factories, and the 1716 policy that allowed registration under a double tax (dvoynoy oklad). The article concludes that legalization did not improve the circumstances of the Old Believers, as it was accompanied by heightened political and economic pressure. The study demonstrates how Peter I addressed the challenge posed by this religious and social movement by coordinating the efforts of the Church and secular authorities.
Publishing: 28/04/2026
The article has been received by the editor on 09/01/2026
How to cite: Gurianova N.S. Peter I and the Old Believers: Policy and Legislation // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 2 (46), pp. 197−209. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-2-14.pdf]
The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “The Past in the Manuscript Sources of the 16th−20th Centuries: Preservation and Development of Traditions” (FWZM-2024-0006).
Links: Issue 2 2026
Keywords: Peter I; Church; Synod; legislation; Old Believers; missionary activity