Special Tribunal of the Ruling Senate
Encyclopedia
Special Tribunal
of the Ruling Senate for Investigation of Crimes Against State and Illegal Associations was a judicial body in Imperial Russia, established on June 7 of 1872 by the order of Alexander II
due to his discontent over the sentence, awarded by the Petersburg Court of Law to the defendants of the Nechayevtsy Trial.
The Special Presence consisted of 6 senator
s (chairman and 5 members) and 3 representatives from different social estates
- Marshal of the Nobility (nobility), mayor
(urban commoners), and volost
foreman (peasants). The Special Presence conducted all of the large-scale political trials of the 1870s-1880s, such as the Trial of the 193
, Trial of the 50, trials of the South Russia Worker’s Union etc. The activity of the Special Presence decreased after the adoption of the Law on Temporary Subjection of Cases Dealing with Crimes Against State and Some Other Crimes Against Government Officials to Military Court ("О временном подчинении дел о государственных преступлениях и некоторых преступлениях против должностных лиц в ведение военного суда, установленного для военного времени"; August 9, 1878). The Special Presence reanimated its activities during the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907 and Pyotr Stolypin
’s premiership (the cases of Ivan Kalyayev
, social-democratic faction of the State Duma
etc.).
The Special Presence of the Ruling Senate existed until the February Revolution
of 1917.
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
of the Ruling Senate for Investigation of Crimes Against State and Illegal Associations was a judicial body in Imperial Russia, established on June 7 of 1872 by the order of Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
due to his discontent over the sentence, awarded by the Petersburg Court of Law to the defendants of the Nechayevtsy Trial.
The Special Presence consisted of 6 senator
Governing Senate
The Governing Senate was a legislative, judicial, and executive body of Russian Monarchs, instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the Russian Empire. It was chaired by the Ober-Procurator...
s (chairman and 5 members) and 3 representatives from different social estates
Social estates in the Russian Empire
Social estates in the Russian Empire were denoted by the term soslovie , which approximately corresponds to the notion of the estate of the realm. The system of sosloviyes was a peculiar system of social groups in the history of the Russian Empire...
- Marshal of the Nobility (nobility), mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(urban commoners), and volost
Volost
Volost was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.In earlier East Slavic history, volost was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ruler or with varying degree of autonomy from the Velikiy Knyaz...
foreman (peasants). The Special Presence conducted all of the large-scale political trials of the 1870s-1880s, such as the Trial of the 193
Trial of the 193
The Trial of the 193 was a series of criminal trials held in Russia in 1877-1878 under the rule of Tsar Alexander II. The trial consisted of 193 students and other “revolutionaries” charged with populist “unrest” and propaganda against the Russian Empire. The Trial of the 193 was the largest...
, Trial of the 50, trials of the South Russia Worker’s Union etc. The activity of the Special Presence decreased after the adoption of the Law on Temporary Subjection of Cases Dealing with Crimes Against State and Some Other Crimes Against Government Officials to Military Court ("О временном подчинении дел о государственных преступлениях и некоторых преступлениях против должностных лиц в ведение военного суда, установленного для военного времени"; August 9, 1878). The Special Presence reanimated its activities during the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907 and Pyotr Stolypin
Pyotr Stolypin
Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin served as the leader of the 3rd DUMA—from 1906 to 1911. His tenure was marked by efforts to repress revolutionary groups, as well as for the institution of noteworthy agrarian reforms. Stolypin hoped, through his reforms, to stem peasant unrest by creating a class of...
’s premiership (the cases of Ivan Kalyayev
Ivan Kalyayev
Ivan Platonovich Kalyayev was a Russian poet, a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. He is best known for his role in the assassination of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, which was an operation of the SR Combat Organization...
, social-democratic faction of the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
etc.).
The Special Presence of the Ruling Senate existed until the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
of 1917.