Part 2/11:
The foundation of modern Russia can be traced back to the era when it transitioned from Mongol occupation to an independent state under Moscow's rule in 1547. The vastness of the territory created a labor problem for the nobility; if serfs, or agricultural laborers, could move freely, lords risked losing their workforce. This prompted the establishment of serfdom, a system where peasants were bound to the land and their lords, erasing mobility and autonomy.