Corporate interests of the urban inhabitants of the Kama region based on the materials of the central and local institutions of the XVIII century

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-3-875-892

For citation

Kosmovskaya, Anna A. (2025). Corporate interests of the urban inhabitants of the Kama region based on the materials of central and local institutions of the XVIII century, Herald of an Archivist, no. 3, pp. 875-892, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-3-875-892

Kosmovskaya, Anna A., Perm State National Research University, Perm, Russia

Corporate interests of the urban inhabitants of the Kama region based on the materials of the central and local institutions of the XVIII century

Abstract

The article analyzes the archival collections of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA) and the State Archive of the Perm Territory (GAPK), which include materials from the Chief Magistrate, provincial and voivodeship Chancelleries of the Kama Region, and city magistrates of Solikamsk, Cherdyn, and Kungur. The author's task is to identify the corporate interests of the urban inhabitants of the Kama region, the composition of local institutions, which has not been systematically studied before. The importance of regional sources for the study of urban communities is emphasized. Materials are being introduced into scientific circulation that contain information about the work of city government bodies, the composition of employees, interaction with higher authorities, and the interests of local communities. When studying urban governance in the Kama region, the emphasis is on studying the interaction of government authorities, the posad as a community and individual representatives of urban merchants. The history of urban governance is analyzed as the process of formation of urban corporations with expressed interests, adapting to government transformations. The most promising for the researcher is the documentation of the Chief Magistrate in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and local city government bodies with denunciations, petitions, complaints and other documents originating from specific people, not institutions. The author conducted a formal analysis of typical documents of city institutions. Biographical, problem-chronological, and prosopographic methods were used. Court proceedings supplement information about the interaction of local authorities and citizens. Information about the election procedure, the recall of employees, minutes of magistrates' meetings, and complaints from local residents are contained in the funds of the Perm Territory State Archive. The archival materials introduced into scientific circulation make it possible to trace the evolution of city administration in the XVIII century. (starting from Peter the Great's reforms to the provincial reform and the creation of governorates). Special attention is paid to the activities of city magistrates as bodies with administrative, police, judicial, and financial and economic functions. Based on the revealed archival data, differences in the functioning of city and provincial magistrates are noted due to the influence of local merchant corporations. According to archival data, the relationship of urban communities with government agencies is traced. In conclusion, the author emphasizes the need to study regional urban communities capable of protecting their interests after government transformations in the field of local government. The study of archival funds makes it possible to identify general trends in the development of urban communities in the Russian Empire, as well as the peculiarities of urban life in the Kama region.

Keywords

City administration, management models, magistrate, XVIII century, Chief magistrate, denunciation, source, urban community, corporation.

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About authors

Kosmovskaya Anna A., PhD in History, Associate Professor, Perm State National Research University, Center for Digital Humanities, Department of Interdisciplinary Historical Research, Associate Professor, Perm State Institute of Culture, Researcher; Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Socio-Economic Disciplines, Associate Professor, Perm, Russian Federation, +7-912-883-74-10, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Grant information

The research was carried out at the expense of the grant of the Russian Science Foundation No. 24-28-01070, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-01070/

The article was received in the editorial office on 11.09.2024, recommended for publication on 20.06.2024.