Metadata: Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 219 5320
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
- Reference number:
- 447
- Title:
- Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court
- Title (official language):
- Vilniaus jungtiniai civilinio ir baudžiamojo teismo rūmai
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court
- Date(s):
- 1486/1886
- Language:
- Russian
- Polish
- German
- French
- Hebrew
- Latin
- Extent:
- 94,456 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection consists of the Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court records. It includes the Chamber courts' reports, journals, registers, correspondence, and lists of clerks. It contains judicial materials on criminal, political, and civil cases. Accordingly, the collection contains numerous Jewish-related cases in which Jews were both plaintiffs and defendants. The materials on criminal issues include papers on murder, robbery, assault, rape, theft, smuggling, and the distribution of counterfeit money. For instance, a file from 1851 includes records on violence against the Jews [? Shmerkovich] as a result of their great power in the town of Shchuchyn (inventory 19, file 3377). A file from 1849 contains materials on a thieves' gang discovered in the Vilno and Grodno governorates which included Jews and non-Jews (inventory 19, file 3318). Many of the documents include data on horse theft by Jews, and there are also files relating to charges of stealing churches' objects by the Jews. This later issue was particularly sensitive because of its connection to the interfaith relationships of the communities (inventory 19, file 8141). Some of the files in the collection reveal internal conflicts within Jewish communities, such as those relating to the conscription of Jews into the Russian army. A file from 1874 includes charges of the Snipishki Jewish community leaders illegally conscripting a Jew (inventory 19, file 1639). The collection also contains materials on Jewish tax collectors and korobka taxes, charges of Jews smuggling alcohol, accusations of customs violations, and embezzlement in the Jewish communities by the Jewish kahal officials. A file from 1849 mentions frustration of public funds by leaders of the Jewish community in Shirvint (inventory 19, file 6287). Documents relating to some Jews’ refusal to convert to Christianity are also part of the collection. The collection includes materials about the charges against Jews for insulting Christianity and Christians. The collection also contains documents on legal disputes of Jews concerning real estate and debt collection, inheritance rights, contract violations regarding commerce, and records of different business issues involving Jews. Among the cases relating to political charges are materials on participation in strikes, smuggling weapons, insulting the Tsar and government officials, and hiding deserters.
- Archival history:
- In 1940, after the imposition of the Soviet rule in Lithuania, the Central State Archive of the Lithuanian SSR was founded in Vilnius. In 1956-1957 the archive was reorganised and divided into two separate central state archives. One archive was renamed the Central State Historical Archive of the Lithuanian SSR and was limited to the pre-1918 period. The records of the Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court were included in this archive, the predecessor of the current Lithuanian Central State Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- According to the judicial reform of 1864, the United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court was introduced after two separate departments merged: the Chamber of Criminal Court and the Chamber of Civil Court. The Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court operated from 1867 to 1883. It was the primary court for political cases. From the 1860s to the 1880s, the Vilnius United Chamber of the Civil and Criminal Court became the highest court instance in the entire Vilnius Governorate.
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of 31 inventories that arranged in thematic-chronological order. Some inventories are for civil and others for criminal records.
- Finding aids:
- Detailed inventories are available for free online access on the website of the Lithuanian Chief Archivist Service.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://eais-pub.archyvai.lt/eais/faces/pages/forms/search/F3001.jspx
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Ilya Vovshin, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2019. Edited by Aaron Lasaine, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2019