Belykh

2025. Vol.10. №3.

Pushkin as a landlord

Oct 22 2025

Belykh A. A. Pushkin as a landlord // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 80-102.

EDN: HLQTYC

Annotation

A. S. Pushkin wrote that “the spirit of literature” to some extent “depends on the financial status of writers”, which also applied to him. From an economic point of view, he played five roles: a civil servant, a writer and publisher, a card player, a landlord, and a family man. This article presents Pushkin as a landlord, although his upbringing and education did not prepare him for estate management; however, at that time, it was typical for most noblemen. The author identifies three periods in Pushkin’s activity as a landlord: 1830–1831 — landlord, 1834–1835 — manager, 1836 — heir. In 1830, Pushkin’s father gave him 200 peasants in the village Kistenevo, which was one of the factors of Pushkin’s marriage. Having pledged these peasants in the Safe Treasury for a loan of 40 thousand roubles, Pushkin was able to give a loan of 11 thousand roubles to Gonchrova’s mother, which was used as a dowry and, in addition, as a means of covering family expenses. In 1834, Pushkin realized that his family estate Boldino was in critical financial straits and decided to take over the estate management. He took another loan for the peasants already pledged by his father and changed the estate manager. However, Pushkin was not particularly successful, and in 1835 he refused to manage the Boldino estate. In 1836, his mother, the owner of Mikhailovskoye, died. Pushkin was one of the heirs and wanted to buy out the whole estate; however, financial and other circumstances did not allow him to do it. The article presents Pushkin’s income as a landlord — about 24 thousand roubles (before his landlord’s income was considered insignificant), i.e., 7.7% of his total income. Thus, Pushkin’s attempt to manage estate was a mistake, and the author shares Pushkin’s opinion that “the writer’s place is in his office”.

Keywords

Pushkin, landlord, serfdom, Boldino, Mikhailovskoye, estate management.

About the author

Andrei A. Belykh, DSc (Economics), Deputy Head of the Centre of Applied History, Institute of Social Sciences, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Full text

Additional Info

Submitted Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Reviewed Thursday, 10 July 2025
Copyright © Auhtors, 2025
Distribution Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

2024. Vol.9. №2.

What was the price of the Pushkin family estate Mikhailovskoe?

Jul 20 2024

Belykh A. A. What was the price of the Pushkin family estate Mikhailovskoe? // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №2. P. 20-38.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-2-20-38

Annotation

The article considers the history of financial relationships between A. S. Pushkin and his relatives about their family estate Mikhailovskoe, which has not been studied by Pushkinists, historians or economists despite its importance for understanding the economic life of both Pushkin and Russian nobility in the mid and late 19th century. Mikhailovskoe belonged to Pushkin’s mother, Nadezhda Osipovna. After her death in 1836, according to the law, Pushkin’s father, Sergey Lvovich received its seventh share, Pushkin’s sister Olga — its fourteenth share, while the rest was divided equally between brothers — Alexander and Lev. Pushkin’s father refused his share in favor of his daughter. The real division of the estate with 80 male serfs was complicated and economically meaningless, unlike financial settlement. Pushkin suggested to buy out Mikhailovskoe for 40 thousand rubles (500 rubles per serf). N. I. Pavlishchev, Olga’s husband, wanted to receive more money, insisting that the estate was twice more expensive. Later he reduced the price, but Pushkin did not have enough money, and it was the second half of 1936, when the events that led to Pushkin’s tragic duel were already unfolding. In February 1837, Pushkin’s widow, Natalia Nikolaevna, asked the Tsar for permission to buy out Mikhailovskoe for her children. The сustody of Pushkin’s children was appointed, and, after lengthy negotiations, in 1841 Mikhailovskoe was bought out. The heirs — Lev, Olga and Natalia Nikolaevna — received money for their shares based on the estate’s price of 34 thousand rubles. Owners of the estate with equal shares were Pushkin’s children — Maria, Alexander, Grigory and Natalia. In 1856, Pushkin’s sons bought out their sisters’ shares. In 1870, Grigory became the sole owner of Mikhailovskoe. In 1899, the estate was bought out by the Treasury for 144,600 rubles; however, this was mainly the price of forest rather than serfs.

Keywords

A. S. Pushkin, Mikhailovskoe estate, Pushkin family, evaluation methods, price of estate, custody of Pushkin’s children, G. A. Pushkin, buy out estate.