Historedia
Episode 1 of 2

Signing of the Emancipation Manifesto

When
3 March 1861
Where
Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg
Part of
Emancipation reform of 1861 abolishes serfdom in the Russian Empire

Alexander II signed the Emancipation Manifesto on 3 March 1861, formally abolishing serfdom on private estates in the Russian Empire.

The legal basis for the reform was the Tsar's Emancipation Manifesto, signed and published on 3 March 1861. This date corresponds to 19 February in the Old Style calendar. The manifesto proclaimed the emancipation of serfs on private estates and household serfs, marking a significant shift in Russian social structure.

Sources

  1. Emancipation reform of 1861 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-16
  2. Alexander II of Russia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-06

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.