The history of Belarus, dating back more than one millennium, is an important component of Slavic, European civilization. As part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the country mastered the achievements of Western cultures. Typical European standards of political and legal life developed on the territory of Belarus. In particular, the organization of local self-government was of great importance.
In the Middle Ages in large settlements, the composition of the inhabitants was multinational. This, of course, contributed to the development of cultural relations. In the 13-14 centuries, a lot of foreigners settled in the cities of Belarus, especially Germans. So, for example, in Polotsk there was a Hanseatic trading post. In Grodno and Brest there were many merchants and artisans from Germany. The Germans, forming a free community, used their Magdeburg Law. It gave them more advantages than other citizens.
To help large settlements to develop in the trade and craft sector, as well as to attract new residents, the Magdeburg Law began to extend by princes to all the largest settlements. Along with this, bourgeoisie were attracted by new rules. City law exempted from control and the court of the grand-ducal administration or from the land owner.
The first city to receive a diploma was Vilna (in 1387). After Magdeburg Law was enshrined in Grodno and in Brest. By the 15th century, such cities of Belarus as Minsk, Polotsk, Slutsk acquired letters.
The eastern lands received the Magdeburg Law much later than the western ones. Historians attribute this to the highly developed volost system and veche system in the Dnieper and Dnieper regions. Here, ancient territorial centers, especially Vitebsk, Polotsk and Smolensk, remained in contact with volosts for a long period.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the urban community and the volost system in the eastern part of Belarus began to decay. So, in Polotsk, the boyars began to give up duties. The social struggle has begun. In this situation, the authorities of large settlements themselves sought to obtain a letter of self-government.
German law was accepted where social forces were mainly interested in it.
After receiving letters, settlements began to develop in new conditions. However, in fact, no one gave guarantees that the elders and governors would not interfere in the life of the city.
Diplomas allowed the townspeople to engage in free trade in the country. Moreover, they were exempted from customs duties. In addition, a considerable territory around the settlement was transferred to their disposal. Petty bourgeoisie also received the right to enter private forests and waters to harvest firewood, grazing animals, fishing, and hunting. According to the Magdeburg Privilege (law), they were allowed to collect profits from shops, shops, construct public buildings, and in some cases even castles.
In large settlements located on important trade roads, guest houses were erected for foreign merchants.
At the same time, the responsibilities of the cities endowed with letters were not very extensive. Petty bourgeois had to pay taxes to the treasury of the state, including Horde and silver (fees for military needs) in the case when they were imposed on the state. Thus, residents of large cities endowed with Magdeburg law were considered a special privileged layer in medieval Belarus.
Diplomas were virtually completely removed from the settlements, both financial and legal dependence on the princely power.
From the administrative point of view, German law clearly distinguished between a village and a city. The new system has quite organically entered the life of the population of Belarus.
German law was abolished by order of Catherine II.