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Catherine II signed two legislative acts ‘Charter for cities’ and ‘Charter for nobles’
On April 21 (May 2), 1785 Catherine II signed two legislative acts: ‘Charter of rights, liberties and benefits of the Russian nobility’ and ‘Charter of rights and advantages for the cities of the Russian Empire’.
‘Charter for nobility’ consisted of an introductory manifesto and four sections (92 articles): On personal benefits of nobles; On assembly of nobles, on establishment of noble society in province and on benefits of noble society; Directions for composing and keeping of noble family register in the region ruled by governor-general; Proofs of nobility.
The Charter united and fixed all the privileges of nobility. According to the Charter the nobility was granted special benefits in comparison with other estates: exemption from obligatory military service, from duties; right for ownership of serfs and subsoil within the limits of their estates. Nobles were allowed to organize manufactures, undertake industrial production and commerce, they were exempted from billeting, their estates were not subject to confiscation. For the first time the nobles were granted the right to organized noble assemblies in provinces and districts (the assemblies could report the authorities on their needs). Henceforth a noble could be deprived of his honor, life and property only having committed a crime proved by court which consisted of his equals. Henceforth the nobility was named noble.
The ‘Charter to cities’ signed the same day consisted of an introductory manifesto and fourteen sections: Municipal Statute; On city dwellers; Establishment of town society and its benefits; Directions for composing and keeping of municipal dwellers register; Evidences on city dwellers; On personal benefits of city dwellers and petty bourgeois; On guilds and its advantages in general; On the top guild; On the second guild; On the third guild; On guilds’ advantages; On visitors from other towns and foreign countries; On privileges of eminent citizens; On municipal income; On General town council and town council of six deputes.
The Charter instituted new elective municipal institutions expanding the area of voters and fixing the basis of self-government. The townsmen were divided into six categories in accordance with their social and property status: ‘real town dwellers’ – the owners of estates from nobles, officials, clergy; merchants of three guilds; artisans registered in guilds; foreigners and other towns’ dwellers; ‘eminent citizens’; ‘tradespeople’ (the rest of citizens making their living with crafts and fancywork). In accordance to the Charter once in three years’ period a meeting of the ‘city society’ including only the well-off citizens was convoked. The local authority was represented by the General town council which comprised of a town’s head and six deputes. The legal elective institutions in cities were represented by magistrates.
When Paul I mounted the throne he made significant changes to the estates’ policy. As a part of a struggle with ‘free rein of nobility’ Paul abolished a series of provisions of the Charter. Provincial noble assemblies were called off. In 1797 Paul announced the inspection of all the officers reckoned in regiments. Those who had not come for the inspection were discharged. The nobles who did not serve their country were restricted to participate in noble elections and occupy elective posts; in spite of Catherine’s II legislation corporal punishment was renewed for persons of noble origins.
Lit.: Грамота на права, вольности и преимущества благородного российского дворянства // Российское законодательство X-XX вв. Т. 5. М., 1987.; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/dv_gram.htm; Грамота на права и выгоды городам Российской Империи // Российское законодательство X-XX вв. Т. 5. М., 1987; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/gorgram.htm; Ключевский В. О. Русская история: полный курс лекций. М., 2008 // Лекция 79. Жалованные грамоты дворянству и городам; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://bibliotekar.ru/rusKluch/79.htm; Очерки истории СССР. Период феодализма. Россия во второй половине XVIII в., М., 1956; Рындзюнский П. Г., Городское гражданство дореформенной России, М., 1958.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Лаппо-Данилевский А. С. Очерк внутренней политики императрицы Екатерины II. Пг., 1898. С. 36;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи, с 1649 года. Т. 22. № 16187. СПб., 1830. С. 344, 358 .