Inorodtsy


In the Russian Empire, inorodtsy was a special ethnicity-based category of population that received a special treatment under the law. Informally, the term referred to all non-Slavic subjects of the empire.
The term is sometimes translated as allogeneous and sometimes as "aliens". The latter translation is misleading since in most cases the term was applied to the indigenous population of Siberia, Central Asia, and Russian Far East.

History

Initially, a legal statute was introduced for special treatment of certain peoples of Russia for which some laws of the empire were deemed inappropriate. Over time, the term acquired a pejorative connotation. Privileges and special treatment for inorodtsy varied depending on the group, area, and time period, but often included exemption of military service, reduction or exemption of taxes, protection of grazing lands, and religious and governmental self-administration.
The 19th century Russian code of law distinguished the following categories of inorodtsy: