The Institute of Reconciliation in Russian Law of the XI-XVI Centuries

Abstract

The object of the study is pre-trial and judicial conciliation procedures in conflicts between subjects of Russian monarchs. The subject of the study is the legal norms regulating these procedures, their genesis and development since the formation of the Old Russian state, contained in the legislation of individual principalities and the Moscow State. The need to write this article is caused both by the general vector of development of the science of the history of state and law of Russia, and by not quite correct ideas about the history of the institute of reconciliation among domestic researchers, especially specialists in the field of criminal law and procedure. The purpose of this work is to restore the scientific nature of the study of the genesis of the institute of reconciliation in Russian law. Particular attention is paid to the involvement of judicial practice illustrating the widespread use of conciliation procedures, including in the commission of serious crimes. Comparative legal analysis allowed us to show the development of the institution, the persistent desire of the legislator to reconcile the parties, including in the commission of serious crimes that caused significant property damage. The conducted research allowed us to conclude that reconciliation between the conflicting parties, carried out since ancient times according to custom, has already been legally regulated in the Moscow Kingdom in three directions: 1) in a pre-trial order; 2) after applying to the court, but before the start of the consideration and 3) after the verdict, before the judicial duel.