<P> Just as in all aspects of a nineteenth - century Russian serf life, serfs were not free to marry whomever they desired . Serf mobility was heavily restricted, which did not leave many options in choosing a spouse . To make things harder, there were three main constraints on the marriage of serfs . The entire empire had to follow rules put into place by the Tsar and the Church, landowners imposed restrictions for their estates, and finally families and communities established certain guidelines and influence . </P> <P> The Russian Orthodox Church had many rules regarding marriage that were strictly observed by the population . For example, marriage was not allowed to take place during times of fasting, the eve or day of a holiday, during the entire week of Easter, or for two weeks after Christmas . Before the abolition of serfdom in 1861, marriage was strictly prohibited on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays . Because of these firm rules most marriages occurred in the months of January, February, October, and November . After the emancipation the most popular marrying months were July, October, and November . </P> <P> Imperial laws were very particular with the age in which serfs could marry . The minimum age to marry was 13 years old for women, and 15 for men . After 1830 the female and male ages were raised to 16 and 18 respectively . To marry over the age of 60, the serf had to receive permission, but marriage over the age of 80 was forbidden . The Church also did not approve marriages with large age differences . </P> <P> Landowners were interested in keeping all of their serfs and not losing workers to marriages on other estates . Prior to 1812 serfs were not allowed to marry serfs from other estates . After 1812 the rules relaxed slightly, but in order for a family to give their daughter to a husband in another estate they had to apply and present information to their landowner ahead of time . If a serf wanted to marry a widow, then emancipation and death certificates were to be handed over and investigated for authenticity by their owner before a marriage could take place . </P>

Compare russian serfdom to other types of labor in the early modern period