The Activity of the Lutsk Government's in Conditions of the Magdeburg Law Implementation

Abstract

The political and legal analysis of the principles of organization and main directions of the city government in Lutsk activity according to the normative and legal acts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania supreme authority and materials of local administrative and judicial institutions in the conditions of the of Magdeburg lawimplementation has been carried out. Grand privilege to the city of Lutsk for the Magdeburg law in 1497 has been considered in details. The city’s government structure, its bodies’ functions: council and lava and chief officials ─ Vogt, Landvogt, burgomasters, advisers and lavnyks have been found out. The activities of the local government officials’ in the field of administration and justice, tax and customs policy, the organization of bids and fairs, support for the development of a handicraft trade, etc. has been revealed. It has been proven, that that in the middle of the 16thcentury the city government in Lutsk actually gained the value of a higher judicial and administrative body for the burghers who belonged to the jurisdiction of the city self- government. The confirmation of this was the participation of members of the city council and lava in criminal cases and taking over of such sentences as the death penalty.
 Considerable attention has been paid to the issue of the rights and freedoms of burghers’ protectiongranted to them by Magdeburg law and local customs from attacks of the landowners and city officials. The examples of the conflict’s resolution between Lutsk burghers and property owners in connection with the unauthorized placement by private landowners of private customs and the unlawful introduction of bids have been given. It has been proven, that theviolations of ancient customs and traditions in the field of customs and tax policy, as well as other abuse of local authorities and landowners met with collective resistance from the burghers of Magdeburg jurisdiction. During their appeal by the Lutsk burghers, the Grand Duke stood on the side of the burghers, confirming the authority and power of the urban community, as well as respect to the traditions and law, that was publicly demonstrated by the supreme power.
 Keywords: Grand Duchy of Lithuania, local self-government, the Magdeburg law, city, Luts’k, burghers, council, lava, administration, court