HISTORICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN MEDIATION COURTS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE (18th – EARLY 20th CENTURIES)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33184/pravgos-2026.3.14Keywords:
mediation courts, conciliation procedures, Russian Empire, alternative dispute resolution, Judicial reform of 1864, Charter of Civil ProcedureAbstract
The relevance of studying mediation courts in the Russian Empire is driven by several interrelated factors. In the modern Russian legal system, there is a growing interest in alternative dispute resolution, manifested in the development of the institution of mediation and the integration of conciliation procedures into civil and arbitration proceedings. However, the historical roots of these institutions remain insufficiently explored, creating a gap in the understanding of the continuity of legal traditions. Purposes: to determine the position of mediation courts within the judicial system of the Russian Empire and to identify the specific features of their legal regulation and practical application through a comprehensive historical and legal analysis. Methods: following the methodological approaches proposed by V.S. Gorban and S.V. Malikov [1], this study is based on a complex of historical and legal methods. The historical-legal method was employed to reconstruct the emergence, development, and abolition of conciliation procedures within the context of the evolution of the judicial system of the Russian Empire. The comparative legal method enabled a comparison between the institutions of the “conscience court” (sovestny sud) and mediation courts, as well as an analysis of their relationship with modern conciliation procedures. Research results: the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the procedural activities of mediation courts as an autonomous institution of conciliatory justice in the Russian Empire. It systematizes and classifies the legislation governing the activities of mediation courts during the 18th–19th centuries, identifies the specifics of their functioning in urban areas and national regions, and defines their role in integrating the traditional legal systems of the peoples of the Russian Empire into the unified imperial legal framework.
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