Originally posted by Conrad
OK, I haven't got any references ready on this, but consider the fact that huge parts of European Russia and Siberia were colonized by serfs from nothern Russia. The Czar or his ministers sure did not have time to micromanage the colonization of every good land between the Volga and the Pacific Ocean.
I don't know about farm land, but the Tsars* micromanaged intensivly. Up untill 19-something they would sign every serf's marriage certificate personally, and that was just one of his uh, impotant duties.
*= I see Tsar spelt Tsar, Tzar, Csar and Czar on this forum and in history books, anyone know for sure which is correct?
