Nobility Court in Lviv (1783 - 1855):organization, functioning, legal basis of activity

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to do analysis on the activities of the Lviv Nobility Court in the context of its origin, functioning, and organization of work. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, verification and the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization), special and historical (prosopographic, historical and typological, historical and systemic) methods. The scientific novelty: the history of establishing and functioning of the Lviv Nobility Court has been elucidated. The management apparatus has been analyzed through the prism of duties division and selection of government officials, the competences of the court have been outlined; the legal principles of the court functioning have been clarified. The Conclusion. The Lviv Nobility Court emerged as an integral part of a new judicial system that was formed during the first decades on the territory of Galicia after its entry into the Austrian Empire. The Lviv Nobility Court began its activities in 1783. In the German-language version, it was named Landrecht in Lemberg, in the Polish-language version – “sąd szlachecki”, in the Latin-language version – “Forum nobilium”. The court had a developed judicial and administrative apparatus that ensured its work. The management team was represented by the chairman and advisers. Current document circulation was provided by a large staff of secretaries, record keepers, etc. Its jurisdiction extended to the whole of Galicia, and with the creation of similar courts in Stanislaviv and Tarnów, it was limited to the territory of Berezhany, Zhovkva, Zolochiv, Lviv, Przemyśl, and Sambir povits. In each of the povits, the court had its own representation, which consisted of storekeepers, tax assessors, and inspectors. The authorities of the court created a diverse group based on their ethnic, social and religious affiliation. Obviously, they were selected based on their professional qualities primarily. The Lviv Nobility Court considered property disputes in which the nobility was one of the parties. First of all, these were the owners of domains, but the court did not refuse to consider cases in which the “free” nobility was one of the parties. Individual institutions and territorial communities could also apply to the Lviv Nobility Court. The legal activity of the court was based on Austrian legislation, since 1812 it was the civil code. Procedural issues were also regulated by a separate regulatory document. To organize work of individual employees, the court issued its own regulatory documents.