In the early 19th century Russia, the czar was a divine-right monarch with unlimited power. In 1856 the Russians suffered defeat in the Crimean War. Czar Alexander II had to make reforms then on March 3, 1861 he issued an emancipation edict which freed serfs. Peasants could not own property and had to buy land from land lords. The new  land system however, was not very helpful to the peasants.