[Decrees of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia]
Contributors: Krechetnikov, Mikhail, 1729-1793.; Pliguzov, A. I.; Russia. Sovereign (1762-1796 : Catherine II); Russia. Pravitelʹstvui͡u︡shchīĭ Senat.; Holy Roman Empire. Emperor (1765-1790 : Joseph II)
Published: 1762
Place of publication: 1762-1795
Language: rus
Number of pages: 142
Subjects: Russia. Armii͡a︡ -- Recruiting, enlistment, etc.; Delegated legislation -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Law -- Russia -- Sources.; Taxation -- Law and legislation -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Tariff -- Russia -- Law and legislation -- Early works to 1800.; Nobility -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Military law -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Maritime law -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Draft -- Law and legislation -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Prisoners -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Exports -- Law and legislation -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Imports -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Agricultural laws and legislation -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Finance -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Plague -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Cholera -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Orders of knighthood and chivalry -- Russia -- Early works to 1800.; Russia -- Politics and government -- 1689-1801 -- Sources.; Russia -- History -- Catherine II, 1762-1796 -- Sources.; Russia -- Commerce -- Law and legislation -- Early works to 1800.; Russia -- Foreign relations -- 1689-1801.; Russia -- Foreign relations -- Treaties -- Early works to 1800.; Poland -- Politics and government -- 1763-1796 -- Sources.; Russia -- Officials and employees -- Early works to 1800.
Genres: Early works to 1800.; Sources.; Treaties
Other titles: Eighteenth-century Russian imperial decrees; Decrees of Catherine II, Empress of Russia; Ukazy Ekateriny II; Ukazy Ekateriny Vtoroĭ; Ukaz Ei͡a︡ Imperatorskago Velichestva Samoderzhit͡s︡y Vserossīĭskoĭ; Bozhīei͡u︡ milostīi͡u︡ My Ekaterina Vtorai͡a︡, Imperatrit͡s︡a i Samoderzhit͡s︡a Vserossīĭskai͡a︡, i prochai͡a︡; Bozhīei͡u︡ pospi͡e︡shestvui͡u︡shchei͡u︡ milostīi͡u︡ My Ekaterina Vtorai͡a︡, Imperatrit͡s︡a i Samoderzhit͡s︡a Vserossīĭskai͡a︡; Vsepresvi͡e︡tli͡e︡ĭsheĭ, derzhavni͡e︡ĭsheĭ, Velikoĭ Gosudaryni͡e︡, Imperatrit͡s︡i͡e︡ i Samoderzhit͡s︡i͡e︡ Vserossīĭskoī (Dec. 8, 1776); Dei gratia Nos Catharina Secunda, Imperatrix et Autocrator totius Russiae [Dec. 4, 1762]; Wir Katharina die Zweite von Gottes Gnaden Kaiserinn und Selbstherrscherinn von allen Reussen [Dec. 4, 1762]; Ordonance de Sa Majesté Impériale de toutes les Russies [Oct. 23, 1772]; Ihrn Kaiserlichen Majestat Selbstherrscherin aller Reussen Befehl [Oct. 23, 1772]; Instrukt͡s︡īi͡a︡ Sanktpeterburgskago porta brakovshchikov, kotorye brak penʹki i lʹna proizvoditʹ imi͡e︡i͡u︡t [July 18, 1774]; Nastavlenīe ob otkupakh i podri͡a︡dakh [Dec. 8, 1776]; Izʺi͡a︡snitelʹnai͡a︡ konvent͡s︡īi͡a︡ zakli͡u︡chennai͡a︡ mezhdu Rossīĭskoi͡u︡ Imperīei͡u︡ i Portoi͡u︡ Ottomanskoi͡u︡ v 10 denʹ marta 1779 goda [June 24, 1779]; Convention maritime pour le maintien de la liberté de la navigation marchande neutre, concluë entre Sa Majesté Imperiale, & Sa Majesté le roi de Dannemarc & de Norvege à Copenhague ce 28 juin/9 juillet 1780 [July 21, 1780]; Acte, par lequel Luers Hautes Puissances, les Seigneurs Etats Généraux des Provinces Unies des Pais-bas, accèdent aux Conventions maritimes concluës le 28 juin/9 juillet & le 21 juillet/1 aout 1780 à Copenhague & à St. Petersbourg... [Feb. 22, 1781]; Acte pour le maintien de la liberté du commerce & de la navigation neutres, conclû entre Sa Majesté Impériale & Sa Majesté le roi de Prusse, le 8 mai 1781 [June 15, 1781]; Acte d'accession [Oct. 9, 1781]; Akt pristuplenīi͡a︡ [Oct. 9, 1781]; Acte d'acceptation [Oct. 19, 1781]; Akt prini͡a︡tīi͡a︡ [Oct. 19, 1781]; Vi͡e︡domostʹ o chisli͡e︡ vsi͡a︡kago roda voinskikh orudīĭ, kotorykh polagaetsi͡a︡  ezhegodno zagotovli͡a︡tʹ ... i za vsi͡e︡ voobshche potrebnoĭ summy [June 25, 1782]; Polozhenīe Tulʹskago oruzheĭnago zavoda [June 25, 1782]; Acte, par lequel Sa Majesté le roi des deux Siciles accède au système de neutralité sur mer, etabli en faveur de la liberté du commerce & de la navigation [July 1, 1783]; Kopīi͡a︡ Akta zakli͡u︡chennago v Konstantinopoli͡e︡ 28 dekabri͡a︡ 1783.; Gorodovoe polozhenīe [Apr. 24, 1785]; Nous Catherine Seconde par la grace de Dieu, Impératrice et Autocatrice de toutes les Russies, de Moscovie, Kiovie ... [Nov. 1, 1785]; Nous Joseph Second, par la grace de Dieu, Empéreur des romains, toujour Auguste, roi de Germanie, de Jerusalem, d'Hongrie ... ["Annexe," Nov. 1, 1785]; Polozhenīe o domi͡e︡ karantinnom na ostrovi͡e︡ Seskari͡e︡ [May 6, 1786]; Ukaz Nashemu Senatu v posobīe Medit͡s︡inskoĭ kollegīi  [July 15, 1786]; Ei͡a︡ Imperatorskago Velichestva Vsemilostivi͡e︡ĭsheĭ Gosudaryni moeĭ ot Armīi General-Anshef ... i͡a︡ Mikhail Krechetnikov ... [Mar. 27, 1793]; Forma skazki͡e︡ [1794]; Forma dli͡a︡ sochinenīi͡a︡ generalʹnykh vi͡e︡domosteĭ iz podavaemykh k nyni͡e︡shneĭ revizīi skazok [1794]
Notes: In Russian, French, German, and Latin.
Ninety-four individual documents, primarily decrees, acts, and treaties issued by the Empress Catherine II and the Russian Senate; some treaties have other signatories; one manifesto by General Krechetnikov in Catherine's name. Several decrees appear in two or three copies, bringing the total to 101 pieces.
Topics include the Empress's authority and legal and administrative procedures for activities of the nobility, civil servants, the military, Cossacks, prisoners and fugitives, merchants, peasants, and serfs. Also addressed are the orders of St. George and St. Vladimir and privileges for their holders, the rights of landowners, taxation, tariffs, currency, farming and the sale of agricultural goods, the manufacture and sale of arms, duels, navigation, and international trade (the import of French vodka, e.g.).
Other topics are the annexation of Polish provinces, economic and administrative policies for Russia's provinces and territories (especially the Baltics and Poland), border guards, rights of Austrian subjects in Russian territory, special taxes on Jews, and treaties and other political and economic agreements with the Ottoman and Holy Roman empires, Sweden (incl. declarations of war and peace), Holland, France, and Sicily. A few decrees address the cholera epidemic and plague of 1771 and again in 1786 the construction of a quarantine house and establishment of a medical board.
Most decrees published in St. Petersburg, some in Moscow; imprints vary. Decrees of May 6 and July 15, 1786 and treaty of Aug. 7, 1790 published in T͡S︡arkoe Selo. Many indicate merely "iz Senata poslany" [issued by the Senate], or issued both by the Holy Synod and the Senate. Dates of publication range from July 1762 through Oct. 12, 1795.
Some documents are printed in columns; some sheets are printed on both sides, some with numbered pages. Paper colors range from cream to brown and blue. Many leaves have watermarks.
The Paul M. Fekula Collection, a catalogue (NY, 1988), gives brief descriptions of 45 decrees and manifestos from Elizabeth's reign, with bibliographic references (Bitovt, Polnoe sobranie zakonov). Some items there match or relate to items in LC's collection. See also I͡U︡.I͡U︡. Bitovt, Ri͡e︡dkīi͡a︡ russkīi͡a︡ knigi i letuchīi͡a︡ izdanīi͡a︡ vosemnadt͡s︡atago vi͡e︡ka, 1905, repr. 1971; N.P. Likhachev, Katalog letuchikh izdaniĭ i ikh perepechatok: manifesty, ukazy ..., 1895; and Svodnyĭ katalog russkoĭ knigi grazhdanskoĭ pechati vosemnadtsatogo veka, 1962-1967. In the latter, items 7468-7499 are decrees of Catherine II.
Arranged more or less chronologically and housed in conservation box nos. 2, 3, and 4 under the general call number (given in this record) for the collection of eighteenth-century imperial Russian decrees.
Most decrees are listed and numbered, with a brief description of the content of each, in a finding aid prepared by Andrei I. Pliguzov and available in the reading room of the Law Library of Congress: Eighteenth-Century Russian Imperial Decrees in the Law Library of Congress. Elizabeth's decrees are numbers 150-237 in the list, with a few additions.
The decrees and treaties that appear in two (or more) copies are: Dec. ... 1762 (#161), Oct. 9, 1781 (3 copies, #175), Feb. 22, 1781 (#179), Oct. 19, 1781 (3 copies, #182), German translation of the Treaty of Dec. 29, 1791 (#230).
Part of a collection acquired by the Library of Congress primarily in 1931 that includes also individual decrees of Elizabeth I, Peter III, and Paul I. Search under title: Eighteenth-century Russian imperial decrees. Decrees of Catherine II have LC accession no. 408409 31 or Law Library of Congress no. LL 5641 D1, 12 Mar 45.
Paul M. Fekula Collection, catalogue, 2028
Svodnyĭ katalog russkoĭ knigi grazhdanskoĭ pechati vosemnadt͡s︡atogo veka, items 7468-7499