The Russian administration in Moldavia, held by…

The Russian administration in Moldavia, held by Russia from 1812, had at first been liberal.

Autonomy had been granted in 1818 and had remained in force until 1828; a Moldavian boyar had been made governor and a Moldavian archbishop installed.

Nevertheless, many Moldavian peasants, fearing the introduction of serfdom, had fled across the Prut River.

The introduction of the zemstvo system in 1869 provides a measure of local autonomy, but ...