Imperial Construction of Judicial System for the Right-bank Ukraine Urban Citizens (1797–1801)

The article is devoted to the process of imperial construction of judicial system for urban citizens and merchants of the Right-Bank Ukraine by means of combining the judicial tradition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian judicial system. The aim of the research is to analyze the procedure of reestablishment/foundation of the magistrates and town halls under the rule of Pavlo I. The supreme power created a new system of judiciary by combining the traditions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian laws and consequently getting subordinate class institutions. The author investigates boundaries of compromises between urban citizens and judicial power. The methodology of the study is based on combination of general scientifi c (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic) methods with the principles of historicism, systemity and scientifi city, allowing to focus the attention on the mechanisms of constructing courts for urban citizens by the supreme power. The scientifi c novelty is reached by studying the imperial means of attaining consensus with urban citizens by means of establishing a system of magistrates and town halls, subordinate to the governorate supreme courts. Engaging Jews and Christian population to operation of the institutions helped to settle civil-legal and criminal relationships. Conclusions. Implementing/founding a system of magistrates, the supreme power acted within the framework of imperial policy of coordination of its interests with those of different social groups. One of the ways of coming to an agreement was establishing magistrates with respect to «virtual» traditions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Admission of Jewish citizens to holding positions along with prevalence of the elected Christian offi cials allowed to minimize social tension. Implementing imperial expertise and maneuvering between aspirations of the local administration, the Polish elite and the urban citizens, the supreme power reconciled different groups with the Russian reality. Further research is needed to study the staff composition and judicial practices of magistrates and town halls in the period until the November Uprising of 1830–1831.