Imperial Russian Aristocracy and Society

Russian noble families derived status from land, court service, military rank and access to the imperial capital. French language and European fashions coexisted with estates supported by peasant labour.

Marriage, adultery, inheritance and public reputation were regulated by law, religion and social custom. Men and women faced markedly different consequences for sexual conduct and separation.

War and Peace portrays aristocratic families during the Napoleonic era, while Anna Karenina examines the same social order later in the nineteenth century through marriage, scandal and estate life.