From Viceroy to Chief Administrator: changes in the powers of the head of the Caucasus Region in the legislation of the Russian Empire (1876-1883)

The article is devoted to the changes in the powers of the head of the Caucasus Region that occurred as a result of the reorganization of the region’s administration conducted by the government of the Russian Empire in 1881-1883. The reform was aimed at centralizing and unifying the civil administration of the Caucasus with the general imperial system. As a result, the previous viceroyalty system that had existed since the mid-1840s was abolished and replaced by a new administration. Instead of the position of the Viceroy of the Caucasus, a new position of the Chief Administrator of Civil Affairs in the Caucasus was established. Thus, the subject of the research is the legal relationship of the powers of the head of the Caucasus Region before and after the administration reform of 1881-1883. The aim of the article is to determine exactly how the new position differed from the previous one and to what extent the head of the region was limited in his powers. This allows to identify the specifics of the reform itself. Using the comparative-historical method, the author analyzes and compares the powers of the Viceroy and the Chief Administrator, orders of their interaction with the supreme power, higher and central institutions and local institutions. The research is based on the materials of the legislation of the Russian Empire. The article presents the first attempt at a detailed legal comparison of the powers of the head of the Caucasus Region before and after the reform of 1881-1883. The information about this constitutes a significant basis for studying administrative practices in the Russian Empire. The author concludes that, although the powers of the Chief Administrator were significantly restricted compared to those of the Viceroy and essentially equated to those of a governors-general in inner Russia, they also included certain special rights granted specifically to him due to the local conditions of the Caucasus. Thus, despite the established policy of centralization and unification of the region’s administration, its local peculiarities nevertheless had to be taken into account when making relevant decisions. This «dual» specificity predetermined the essence of the Caucasus administration reform of 1881-1883 and its subsequent implementation for years to come.