Ordinance on Uniformity. The year 1714

1714 in Russia is marked by the emergence of a new order. Peter I signs a new decree on "Uniformity," thereby trying to put an end to the myriad fragmentation of the noble estates and to attract new people to the service of the emperor in the army. This law prescribes to leave real estate to only one person - the eldest son or daughter, or according to the will of the owner to someone else.

An important step

In 1714, Peter adopted the law "On Uniformity" to erase the boundary between the concept of "patrimony" (land ownership, which has a feudal lord, with the right of sale, gift) and the estate. This is beneficial for the king, since he who takes the legacy must be lifelong in the service of the sovereign. This also led to a strengthening of the economy of the landlords.

Has the decree "On Uniformity" been issued under the influence of the West?

Initially, one could have thought that Peter was under the influence of Western countries, he was interested in the procedure for obtaining an inheritance in England, Venice, France. Inspired by a foreign example, Peter I determined the transition of all property to one, the eldest son.

The decree "On Uniformity" was significantly different from the European analogue, it did not leave the right to own property exclusively for the eldest son, but provided for the appointment of any heir, excluding the fragmentation of the land plot, estates.

Thus, the formation of the noble property was observed, legally it was a completely different concept of the transfer of property by inheritance. Peter created an exclusive concept of the patrimonial nest, linking for many years the permanent hereditary and hereditary service of the owner.

Decree On Uniformity: Service as a Way of Acquiring Property

In this law, the main goal remained life-long service in the army. They tried to escape from this in various ways, but the state severely punished those who did not show up at the call.

In this decree there were still cons: now the owner could not sell or mortgage the property. In fact, Peter called the difference between the fiefdom and the estate, creating a new legal form of ownership. In order for the decree "On Unified Heritage" to be respected and there were no ways to circumvent it, Peter I introduces a huge tax (duty) on the sale of landed property (even for the children of a nobleman).

Later, the law forbade the purchase of estates for younger children, if they had not served a certain period of time in the army (referring to the cadet corps). If the noble in principle did not attend service, then the acquisition of land property became impossible. This amendment could not be circumvented, since they were not taken to the army only if the person had obvious signs of dementia or serious health problems.

The order of inheritance of property

The decree of Peter "On Uniformity" dictated the age order of possession of real estate. From the age of 20 the heir could dispose of landed property, from 18 years it was allowed to manage movable property, this amendment was extended to women from the age of 17. It was this age that was considered to be marital in Russia. To some extent, this law protected the rights of minors: the heir was required to preserve the real estate of his younger brothers and sisters, to take care of them free of charge until their full acceptance of the inheritance.

The essence of the decree of Peter I

Among the nobility there was discontent, since this document was for the sake of one person, often forcing others to remain in poverty. In order for the property to pass to the daughter, her husband had to take the surname of the testator, otherwise everything passed to the state. In the case of the death of the eldest son before the father, the inheritance passed according to the seniority to the next son, and not to the grandson of the testator.

The essence of the decree "On Uniformity" was that if the nobleman had an older daughter getting married before his death, then the whole estate passed to the next daughter (also according to seniority). In the absence of children from the heir, all property was transferred to the elder relative in the nearest degree of kinship. If the heir had a widow after his death, she received a lifetime right to own her husband's property, but according to the amendment of 1716, she received one-fourth of the property.

The dissatisfaction of the nobility and the abolition of the decree

The decree of Peter I met with strong discontent in society, as it affected the interests of the nobility. The interpretations in the law contradicted themselves. The nobility did not share the monarch's views on the decree "On Uniformity." The year 1725 brought significant changes, weakening the original settings. This act provoked even greater misunderstanding, and as a result, in 1730, it was completely abolished by the Empress Anna Ioannovna. The official reason for annulling the decree was that in practice it was not possible to achieve economic justification for the heritage of immovable property.

Published by Peter I in 1714 decree "On Uniformity" led to the fact that in all possible ways the fathers tried to divide their property equally into all children.

By this law it was indicated that all sons and children of the deceased are involved in the inheritance. The grandchildren of the testator received the share of his father, who died before the testator. In particular, other relatives, and the wife of the testator, who received their part of the property, were also called to the inheritance. In the absence of close relatives, the inheritance was transferred to the brothers of the deceased by seniority. If the testator had no relatives, or if the estate was renounced, the movable and immovable property passed to the state.