AP World History Exam Prep

Answer - B - The majority of people living in Russia during the 1600s were Serfs.

Key Takeaway: In the 1600s, Russian society was formed around large agricultural estates. These estates were run by nobles and members of the Russian Orthodox Church, but were farmed by the forced labor of serfs. Serfs made up the great majority of the Russian population. Free peasants only became a factor in Russia after 1861, when the serfs were emancipated.