The nobles of Malorossia in the Siberian penal servitude at the beginning of XIX century: the question of the present and imaginary separatism

The purpose of the study is to examine the causes, conditions and consequences of serving a penal servitude of nobles of the Malorossia in the conditions of strengthening of the Russian vicegerent of power at the beginning of XIX century. Sources of research are the materials Tyumen (in Tobolsk) and Omsk State archives. The relevance of the topic is the problem of relations between Russia and Ukraine at the present time; this problem has historical background. At the beginning of the XIX century the new territories became part of the Russian Empire. Part of the population of these territories (mostly privileged classes) did not agree to submit to the Russian authorities. The government began to actively use Siberian penal servitude and exile to punish separatism. Law enforcement agencies arrested and sent many representatives of the privileged classes to Siberia: they were Georgian princes, Astrakhan khans, Polish nobles and others. Some of the exiles came to Siberia from the Ukraine (Malorossia). The history of two such convicts of noble origin is considered in the article; these exiles served a criminal sentence on false criminal sentences. Local authorities considered them dangerous criminals, the list of their crimes included a lot of robberies and violence according to official documents. They served a long term in prisons in Nerchinsk, Tobolsk, Irkutsk and Yakut exile. However, these nobles were not separatists or criminals in reality, in different years the court sentenced these nobles to hard labor for crimes they did not commit. The reason for such sentences was the desire of corrupt Russian officials to take away land and houses from the nobles of Malorossia. Officials accused them of separatism or criminal offenses, sent to Siberia and appropriated their manors. In Siberia, the fate of such exiles developed tragically, they had no opportunity to prove their innocence. After the hard labor of such prisoners, who was exiled, the terms of reference was life, contacts with relatives and friends were torn apart. Attempts of escapes came to an end with new punishment, including tortures, branding, chaining to a wall on a chain, etc. Exiled nobles were educated people and knew the legislation. They wrote complaints to the Russian Emperor, but the letters did not reach the Tsar from Siberian prisons, as the prison administration was on the side of Russian officials of Malorossia. Exiled nobles were able to change the situation only by a successful escape, when one of them was able to get to St.-Petersburg and got to the reception to the Emperor Alexander I. The Tsar intervened in the situation and the nobles were acquitted and got their estates back. However, this story became known thanks to the help of the Emperor, and the number of other such cases is unknown. Such stories characterize the methods of the Russian punitive system and corrupt authorities. They became one of the reasons of the real separatism.

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