For the first time in Soviet historiography, the book monographically explores the history of the rural community of the Russian serf peasantry of late feudal Russia. On a large archival material of the former central provinces of the European part of the country, the author analyzes the situation of communities in landowner estates, their relationship with feudal lords and their role in the life of the peasantry. The study contains the richest material on the history of the life of the Russian village in the conditions of serfdom, its life, culture.