Russian scientists have established that the domestic legal system originated in Veliky Novgorod

Brief retelling from RIA II

Russian scientists have established that the domestic legal system originated in Veliky Novgorod.

As evidence, scientists used chronicles, birch bark letters, treaties with foreigners and archaeological finds.

Among the finds are birch bark letters with stable legal expressions, which confirm the presence of certain rules, terminology and procedures in the Novgorod court.

MOSCOW, September 23 - RIA Novosti. Russian scientists have established that the domestic legal system originated in Veliky Novgorod, this is confirmed by chronicles, birch bark letters, agreements with foreigners and archaeological finds, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation told RIA Novosti.

“Scientists from NovSU and the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences found that Veliky Novgorod was probably not only the cradle of Russian statehood, but also the birthplace of the domestic legal system,” the report says.

Since only a small fragment from the main source of procedural law - the Novgorod judicial charter - has survived to this day, the authors of the study paid attention to other sources - chronicles, birch bark charters, treaties with foreigners and archaeological finds.

“The chronicles record the main thing - from the very beginning, the Novgorodians defended their rights before the princes, and they were forced to reckon with them and enter into agreements. We analyzed the rebellion of the Novgorodians against Yaroslav and the Varangians in 1016 and found out that the chronicle descriptions of this episode differ greatly, but the very fact of the confrontation between the city and the prince is confirmed,” said Svetlana, a teacher at the Novgorod State University Institute of Law Mitina, whose words are quoted in the message.

Moreover, among the birch bark letters found there are not only famous love letters or promissory notes, but also real “protocols” of court hearings.

“The finds of 2023 are especially valuable - letters No. 1168 and 1170. They contain stable legal expressions like “I deny the accusation”, “I have not been convicted before”. They confirm that the trial in Novgorod was conducted according to certain rules, it had its own terminology, its own procedures,” Mitina emphasized.