At the end of the 15th century, Russian lands experienced a new milestone in their history. At this time, the Moscow princes had to make decisions that would help hold all the lands together and hold them together. The first Code of Law was published precisely for this purpose.
State before the adoption of an important document
Since 1132, a period of fragmentation begins in Russian history. The Old Russian state with its center in Kiev virtually ceased to exist. Although the princes fought for the throne of Kiev, their victory did not mean that they would take control of all Russian lands. Very soon, Kiev possessions were looted, and the inhabitants of the city fled to other lands in order to find for themselves salvation from nomads and wars.
In a situation where a brother went to war against his brother, and his son - to his father, Russian lands were easy prey for nomad tribes. During these years, Mongol-Tatar tribes gained power. The disunity of the Russian princes and the lack of a common command helped the conquerors to enslave the Old Russian state for many years.
Over time, several cities gained enough strength to become the center of a new state. Due to its favorable geographical position, the wisdom and cunning of local princes and the support of the Orthodox Church, Moscow was able to win this confrontation.
The princes of Moscow have been gathering Russian lands for decades. Finished the design of the new state, Ivan III. This required the creation of a code of laws by which it could exist. The king was aware of this need. The first Codebook was published in 1497.
Ivan III
Ivan Vasilievich was born in Moscow in 1440. His father was Basil II, nicknamed the Dark One. Father Ivan Vasilievich took part in princely strife. It was then that he earned his nickname. In an effort to deprive Vasily of the strength and ability to fight, he was captivated and his eyes gouged out. Basil II survived and occupied the throne. But he needed help.
The assistant was the man whom Vasily the Dark one trusted as much as himself. Ivan Vasilievich, his son, began to take part in solving state problems after he turned 16 years old. 6 years after this event, Vasily the Dark died.
Ivan III was to add Novgorod, Tver and many other rich territories to his lands. It was with this ruler that the design of the Russian state ended. And it was under him that changes in management occurred that will determine the history of the Fatherland for many years.
Having buried the first spouse, Ivan III decides to marry again. This time, his chosen one is the niece of the last ruler of Byzantium, Sofia Paleolog. After long negotiations, she arrives in Moscow and becomes the wife of the Russian ruler.
Contemporaries wrote that Sophia was an unusually smart and cunning woman. She influenced her husband and inspired him that only the Byzantine way of life could be called the only right one. Ivan III liked his wife's speeches, therefore, shortly after the wedding, he set about reform.
The Byzantine court was distinguished by splendor and richness of the atmosphere. Ceremonies during which subjects recognized their worthlessness in comparison with the sovereign, exalted the ruler and emphasized the divine origin of his power. After the wedding with Sophia, the Paleologist Ivan III established the same rules in his own country. In addition to traditions, the coat of arms of Byzantium was adopted. Ivan III and his descendants were now considered the main defenders of the Orthodox faith, the heirs of Byzantium.
Preserving Traditions
Ivan III did not dare to take risks and make big changes to the established traditions of domestic politics. Many of the norms adopted in previous times, maintained their existence. Among those was "feeding." During the years of fragmentation, several small principalities appeared on the site of Kievan Rus, which differed in size and wealth. In most of them, the rulers independently controlled their lands, in some they had to consult with the boyars.
If the land was too large to manage it independently, the prince sent his governors. They did not receive a salary, but, however, led a comfortable life: they were allowed to make wealth on their lands. Viceroys without shame robbed peasants and artisans. They had the right to levy large taxes in the form of money and products.
The judicial code of 1497 kept “feeding”, despite the fact that they dealt a huge blow to the peasantry. But after the publication of the code of laws, their exact size was established, which no one could exceed.
Court and legal proceedings
Creating the first Code of Law, Ivan III ordered that special attention be paid not to laws, but to legal proceedings. Therefore, this document separately states who should make decisions and how.
They were judged by the boyars, prisoners and clerks. In the event that the crime was serious, and it was not easy to resolve it, the Grand Duke himself ruled.
The first Code of Law was also published in order to ensure the fairness of the punishment, because the first laws against bribery were introduced. Judges were forbidden to accept gifts and money from the participants in the proceedings and make decisions based on personal preferences.
In the event that it was difficult to identify who is right and who is to blame, the court decided a duel. To determine the outcome of the case, the plaintiff and the defendant in armor fought each other until one of them won. Moreover, not one of the participants was supposed to die. This was followed by special people. In the event that one of the parties could not fight (a woman, an elderly person, a cripple), she had to find someone who would agree to defend her interests.
Penalties
Criminal Code of 1497 contained a list of punishments that criminals were subjected to. From now on, residents of the state did not have the right to independently court and punish offenders. Blood vengeance was also banned.
For the first time, the death penalty appeared among the punishments . Criminals who committed murder, arson, blasphemy, etc., were subjected to the highest degree. In addition, those who committed theft for the second time were executed. For the first, the criminal was whipped in the square so that as many people as possible could see his shame.
In the event that the guilt was practically proved, but the person refused to recognize it, the Judicial Code of 1497 allowed the use of torture. This method of obtaining a confession also appeared for the first time.
The situation of peasants
Particularly fragmented and oppressed by the Mongol-Tatars affected the peasantry. Some were taken into slavery, others were killed. Only after the Mongol-Tatars retreated, the state gradually began to revive from the ashes.
At that moment, when the first Code of Law was created, dependent peasants already existed. They were called slaves, whose position was no different from the position of slaves in other countries. Those who lost their freedom to live independently or who were captured during military operations lost their freedom. Becoming a serf, a man condemned all his descendants to slavery. This position was inherited, and the servant's child became a serf, even if his father was a free man.
Relations between peasants and landowners before the Judicial Code of 1497
Until the year when the first Code of Law was published, peasants (not serfs) had the right to transfer from one landowner to another. For work on the land, the peasant received a loan in the form of plant seeds, tools and money. Some landowners also provided housing for their workers.
For the loan received, the peasant pledged to plant seeds, take care of the plants and harvest, in order to then repay the debt to the landowner. But no one could stop him from leaving before the harvest was harvested. Then the landowner had to hurriedly search for people who would agree to harvest, so as not to suffer even greater losses. The landowners longed for the 1497 Code of Law to rectify this injustice.
St. George's Day
Ivan III could not ignore this problem. Therefore, in Sudebnik the first restriction appeared, which concerned the peasantry.
The adoption of the Code of Law established a time period when a peasant could move from one landowner to another. This period was the week before St. George's Day (October 26) and the week after it. At this time, the harvest is harvested, the peasants can pay the elderly (payment for living on a foreign land, using other people's tools) to the landowner and move on to another.
Not everyone liked this reform. Therefore, the adoption of the Judicial Code forced some peasants to flee to the Don, where a special world was formed - the Cossacks.
Consequences of adopting a document
Judicial Code is not only a collection of laws, but also a reflection of the harsh life of the Russian people at that time. It is with this document that one can study the life of state residents.
During the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, the culture of the Old Russian state fell into decay. If before the advent of nomads, the Russian people could be considered one of the most literate in all of Europe, then over the course of several centuries, everything has changed. The oppression of the Mongol-Tatars also changed the mentality of the Russian people, which can be seen in the example of Sudebnik.
The adoption of the first Code of Law meant the appearance of the death penalty, torture. Never before have there been such harsh punishments for crimes. And over the years, only more of their species will appear.
The Bolsheviks, describing the consequences of the Judicial Code of 1497, believed that it was then that the enslavement of the peasantry began. But they were wrong. Although the time for the transition of peasants from one landowner to another was limited, this fact cannot yet be called a harbinger of serfdom. It began to take shape under the heirs of Ivan III. And it was canceled only after the reform of Alexander II - a representative of another ruling dynasty.
The first Sudebnik was created in order to regulate the life of a new state with a center in Moscow. New rules first appear in the document, some were taken from the Russian truth - the first set of laws. But all the norms that the first Russian Code of Law represents are a reflection of the difficult life of the Russian land, recovering from the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars.