The establishment of special administration of city Ismail and its role in the evolution of commercial bourgeoisie (1830-1853)

In the present article, based on unpublished archival documents and those published, it is shown that after the annexation of Bessarabia to Russia in order to confirm the strategic and commercial importance of the port Ismail in the Danube and Black Sea and employment of province through the Danube ports in European maritime trade, according to Senate decree of September 26th 1830, the Special Administration of city Ismail was established. It included the cities of Reni and Kiliya, localities Cugurlui, Sofian, Brosaca, Hadji-Kurdish, Hasan-Spaga, Câsla, Muravleovka, Cimaşir, Vylkove. Commanders of Ismail and Kilya fortresses and the Danube fleet commander were subject to the head of the Special Administration, but border service and the quarantine remained in the responsibility of the military governor. In the district which was under his subordination, the head of the Special Administration of the city Ismail was administrating the police and quarantine service, based on those provisions and instructions issued to heads of special administration of Odessa, Taganrog and Feodosia cities, being directlysubordinate to the General Governor of Novorosia and Bessarabia. Customs Service in the Special Administration of the city Ismail remained under the control of imperial institutions. Analysis of unpublished archival sources and specialized publications allows us to ascertain that special administrations created favourable conditions for business activity of commercial bourgeoisie. At the same time the special administrations was an attempted to extend the autonomy of urban municipalities to regional and central bodies of power, without carrying out a reform in this respect. This allowed the abolition of function at any time to regain authority over municipal finances. In other words, the establishment of special government was a temporary way to facilitate the development of cities-ports on the Black Sea and Azov Sea, without touching the bankrupt system Russian city found itself in first half of 19th century. In 1857, with the passage of territory in southern Bessarabia to the Principality of Moldova, Special Administrative Ismail city ceased to exist.