# Charter to the Gentry (1785)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1785-charter-to-the-gentry
Categories: main-event

Catherine's Charter to the Gentry confirmed the nobility's freedom from service and taxation, their right to corporate assemblies and exemption from corporal punishment. A Charter to the Towns was issued the same year. Nobles gained full ownership of their estates and serfs. The charter defined the privileged status of the Russian nobility until 1861.

## Why it matters
The charter defined the privileged status of the Russian nobility until 1861.

Ruler at the time: [Catherine II](https://history-russia.com/rulers/catherine-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Charter to the Gentry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_to_the_Gentry)
- [Wikipedia — Catherine the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_the_Great)
- [Wikipedia — Russian Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Charter to the Gentry](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Charter+to+the+Gentry)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)