Thesystemoflandendowmentsinfavourofthehigherclergyandmonasteries，andalsoofpersonsbelongingtotheknightlyclass，hadincreasedtosuchanextentthat，accordingtomoderncalculation，two-thirdsofthecultivatedareawasalreadythepropertyeitherofecclesiasticsorofseculargrandees。Itisthereforeeasytounderstandwhy，duringthesixteenthcentury，themigratorystateoftheRussianagriculturalpopulationcametobeconsideredasarealdangertotheStatebythehigherclassesofRussiansociety。Themostpowerfulofthenoblesandgentrydidtheirbesttoretainthepeasantsontheirlands。Somewentevenfarther，and，byalleviatingtheburdensofvillein-service，andsecuringamoreefficientprotectionforthemfromadministrativeoppression，inducedthepeasantswhoinhabitedthelandsofsmallersquirestoleavetheiroldhomesandsettleontheirmanors。ItwasinordertoprotectthesmalllandownersfromthissortofoppressionthatBorisGoudonov，theall-powerfulrulerofRussiainthereignofTheodorIvanovitch，promulgatedalaw，accordingtowhicheveryonewasauthorisedtoinsistonthereturnofapeasantwholefthisabode，andthatduringthefiveyearsnextfollowinghisdeparture。Thislawwaspromulgatedin1597。AsnomentionismadeinitoftherightpreviouslyenjoyedbythepeasantsofremovingfromonemanortoanotheronSt。George’sDay，thislawof1597hasbeenconsideredbyhistoriansasthedirectcauseoftheintroductionoftheso-called\"bondagetothesoil\"（krepostnoiepravo）。Suchwascertainlynotitsobject。TherightofmigrationontheDayofSt。Georgewasopenlyacknowledgedbythelawsof1601and1602。
Thebondageofthepeasanttothesoilbecameanestablishedfactonlyintheyear1648，whenthenewcodeoflaw，theso-calledOulogienie（chap。xi），refusedtoanyonetherighttoreceiveonhislandsthepeasantwhoshouldrunawayfromamanor，andabolishedthatlimitoftimebeyondwhichthelandlordlosttherighttoreclaimthepeasantwhohadremovedfromhisancientdwelling。
Thenumberofserfsrapidlyincreasedduringthesecondhalfoftheseventeenthandtheeighteenthcenturies，owingtotheprodigalitywithwhichtheCzarsandEmperorsendowedthemembersoftheofficialclasswithlands，indisregardoftenoftheirpreviousoccupationbyfreevillagecommunities，themembersofwhichwereforcedtobecometheserfsofthepersonswhoreceivedthegrant。ItisinthiswaythatCatherineII，forinstance，duringthethirty-fouryearsofherreign，increasedthenumberofserfsby800，000newones，andthatPaulI，inaperiodoffouryears，added600，000tothenumber，whichwasalreadyenormous。
BeforethereignofCatherine，serfdomwasalmostunknowninLittleRussia，whereithadbeenabolishedbyBogdanChmelnitzky，soonaftertheseparationofLittleRussiafromPoland，andintheUkraine（themodernGovernmentofKharkov），whereithadneverbeforeexisted。In1788sherevokedtherighthithertoenjoyedbythepeasantsofthesetwoprovincestoremovefromonemanortoanother。Thesamerightoffreeremovalwasabolishedafewyearslaterinthe\"LandoftheDonKossacks\"andamongthepeasantsoftheSouthernGovernments，calledNewRussia（Novorossia）。
ButifthesecondpartoftheeighteenthcenturysawtheterritorialextensionofserfdomoveralmostalltheEmpire，itwasalsotheperiodinwhichfirstbeganthemovementwhichledtoemancipation。FromFrancecamethefirstappealsfortheliberationoftheserfs。In1766theSocietyofPoliticalEconomistsfoundedinPetersburgonthemodeloftheagriculturalsocietiesofFrancewasaskedbytheimpresstoanswerthequestion：\"WhethertheStatewouldbebenefitedbytheserfbecomingthefreeownerofhisland？\"MarmontelandVoltaireconsideredittobetheirdutytoexpressopinionsinfavourofapartialabolitionofserfdom。Marmontelthoughtthatthetimewascometosupersedevillein-servicebyasortofhereditarycopyhold。Voltairewentastepfarther，invitingtheimpresstoliberateimmediatelytheserfsontheChurchlands。Astotherest，freecontractaloneoughttosettlethequestionoftheiremancipation。AnotherFrenchmanmuchlessknown，thelegistBeardedel’Abaye，gaveitashisopinionthattheGovernmentshouldmaintainastrictneutralitytowardsthequestionofserfdom。Itoughttobeabolishedonlybyfreecontractbetweenlandlordsandserfs，theformerendowingthelatterwithsmallparcelsofland。Inthiswaytheserfwouldbecomeaprivateowner，sothatincaseheshouldrentanylandfromthesquire，thesquirewouldbeabletoseizethepeasant’splotincaseofnon-paymentofhisrent。DiderotwastheonlyFrenchmanwhoacknowledgedthenecessityofanimmediateabolitionofpersonalservitude；butinhisletterstotheEmpresshedoesnotsayasinglewordaboutthenecessityforsecuringtotheliberatedserfatleastasmallportionofthemanorialland。