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The Chief city council foundation
On February 13 (24), 1720 under the decree of Peter I in St. Petersburg was founded the Chief city council – the supreme body of the city administration of the Russian empire. It was created in order to centralize the management of the tradespeople affairs due to the increase of commerce and industry and the significant role that the merchants began to play in the national economy. Being a body of the bureaucratic machinery, the Chief city council relied though to the limited extent on the class representation of the cities.
In St. Petersburg the Chief city council fulfilled the functions of the town council headed by the president and reporting directly to tsar and the Senate. The city council board of administration consisted of burgomasters and rathmanns chosen among the wealthiest townspeople. On the whole under Peter the Great the Chief city council was the supreme body of the city administration which controlled the main spheres of the capital life.
On January 16 (27), 1721 was approved ‘The Regulations or the Charter of the Chief city council’ determining its membership and functions. According to the Regulations the townspeople were divided into two groups: ‘regular townsfolk’ (members of guilds) and ‘common people’ (working ‘for hire’ or as ‘unskilled laborer’). The order of life for both groups was regulated by town councils established locally. The Chief city council directed the town councils, examined the appeals against their court decisions including the duties collection. Other indirect duties (custom duty, salt duty, pub duty) remained under the authority of town councils. Besides it was in charge of the police and observed how town councils fulfilled the functions of police they were obliged to. It also was in authority of the trade and handicraft rights of the townsfolk, their moving to another towns, return of people from suburbs, fairs organization. The Chief city council was not subordinate to the Chamber board or other boards, which was obligatory for all town councils.
In 1727 the Chief city council was abolished by the Supreme Privy Council and in May of 1743 reestablished, this time in Moscow, as the Chief city council office. From this time on, by order of the Senat, it had been subordinate to governorate authorities and police. From 1775 it fulfilled only the functions of the judicial institution and considered criminal and civil cases of merchants and petty bourgeois. The Chief city council was completely abolished under the decree of October 2 (13), 1782.
Lit.: Водарский Я. Е. Из истории создания Главного магистрата // Вопросы социально-экономические истории и источниковедения периода феодализма в России. М., 1961; Государственные учреждения России в XVIII в. (законодательные материалы): Справочное пособие // Сост. А. В. Чернов. M., 1960; Дитятин И. Устройство и управление городов России. Т. 1. СПб., 1875; Ерошкин Н. П. Очерки истории государственных учреждений дореволюционной России. M., 1960; Регламент, или Устав Главного магистрата // Реформы Петра I: Сборник документов // Сост. В. И. Лебедев. М., 1937; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/magstrat.htm.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Legislative acts of Peter I // State Authority: [digital collection];
Альбом городских голов Российской империи. XVIII в. Спб., 1903;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи. СПб., 1830. Т. 6. № 3520 и 3708;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи. СПб., 1830. Т. 7. № 5142;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи. СПб., 1830. Т. 11. № 8734.