Social Profile of the Pidcomoriy of the Right-Bank Ukraine (1797-1832)

Abstract

The article states that after the division of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the territories included in the Russian Empire, all-Russian judicial institutions were entered. After Pavel I came to power, certain elements of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's judicial tradition, one of which was the Pidcomorious court, headed by a pidcomoriy which was elected by the nobility and withholding on established revenues in accordance with local laws, were restored. The Supreme Council introduced a property, genealogical and official qualifications to the Polish gentry (the latter for young noblemen) during the aristocratic elections.

The necessary information on the social portrait of the pidcomoriy can be obtained from the formulary lists. It was established that there were two categories of people in the positions: the minority consisted of those who were professionally engaged in jurisprudence and constantly worked in the judicial system (professional judges), the majority were noblemen who did not have the necessary knowledge, while the service did not allow earning (no funds were allocated for the
maintenance of the premises, for office expenses, and the amounts earned were negligible). In addition, the Russian authorities constantly controlled their work and demanded a large amount of accountability.

As a result, in most of the powiats the post for pidcomoriy was held every three years by new people (casual judges). The supreme authority was not interested in creating a permanent judge's corps and didn't form it from the young nobles who were in the service. If during the times of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, candidates for positions held training and service at lower positions in the judicial system, then in the Right-bank Ukraine in the judicial authorities, basically at the posts of clerical servants landless Polish gentlemen served. In the Volhynia Main Court, according to preserved forms, only 16% of the clerks had the appropriate property qualification to apply for elective posts from the nobility. Simultaneously with the performance of the pidcomoriys' professional duties they also defended their material interests and tried to earn in other ways. After the suppression of the Polish uprising, the Russian authorities destroyed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's judicial system.