Pugachev's Rebellion (or the Cossack Rebellion) is the largest peasant revolt in Russia's history.

As the Russian monarchy contributes to the degradation of the serfs, peasant anger runs high.

Peter the Great had ceded entire villages to favored nobles, while Catherine the Great had confirmed the authority of the nobles over the serfs in return for the nobles' political cooperation.

The unrest had intensified as the 18th century wore on, with more than fifty peasant revolts occurring between 1762 and 1769.

These culminate in Pugachev's Rebellion, when, between 1773 and 1775, Emelyan Pugachev rallies the peasants and Cossacks and promises the serfs land of their own and freedom from their lords.