Russian peasants' uprising of 1905–06

The Russian peasants' uprising of 1905–6, also known as the Jaquerie of 1905–6 or the agrarian revolt of 1905–6, was a series of peasant uprisings and violence that broke out throughout the Russian Empire in the years of 1905–06.

The peasants uprising was connected to the 1905 Revolution and the October Manifesto, as the country was gripped by a revolutionary and rebellious atmosphere following Tsar Nicholas II reactionary policies. After Bloody Sunday in February, large instances of rebellion exploded throughout the country, initiating the 1905 Revolution. The revolution forced the reactionary Tsar to make concessions, and in October he issued a manifesto granting some civil liberties to prevent the national from slipping into chaos, trying to 'pacify' the country.

The general 'mood of rebellion' riding the country quickly spread to the provinces and the countryside. Seeing the weakness of the government, they started organising rent strikes in an effort to force the landowners to pay out higher wages. They began trespassing on the land of the gentry, chopping down trees and harvesting their hay. When early summer came and it became clear that the harvest had failed, the peasants started launching large, organised attacks on the estates; they would loot the properties, and set the manor on fire, making the landowner flee. The uprising was mainly caused by the peasants misunderstanding the October Manifesto as a license to seize the countryside from the gentry: despite some rural unrest in the spring of 1905, and more in the summer, the unrest only 'exploded' after October 17.

Several witnesses noted how the night sky was illuminated by the amount of burning manors, and how long lines of peasant carts drawn by horses filled the roads, packed with stolen items. In the violence there was also a much 'culture smashing', and peasants went out to destroy anything that 'smacked of superfluous wealth': setting fire to libraries, smashing antiques and dumping faeces on the expensive oriental carpets all took place. Some also seized the expensive works of art, the fine china, and the luxurious clothes and divided it amongst themselves along with the captured farming equipment. There was also a reported case of a group of peasants breaking apart a grand piano, sharing out the ivory keys.

Most violence occurred in the so-called 'Central Agricultural Zone', location of the largest estates and the poorest peasants. Much violence also occurred in the Baltic region, with the least violence happening in the West and South. Those most prone to become involved were young villagers and soldiers returning from the Far East. The largest destruction took place in Saratov Governorate, where more destruction of manors took place than anywhere else in the country. Once landowners had been driven out, the peasants returned to their communes, refusing to pay tax or obey government law, as well as driving out local officials and conservative priests.

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