Usually-Legal Status of a Peasant Widow among the Zyryans and Votyaks in the XVIII–XIX centuries

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, a significant role in the regulation of social relations that arose among the Zyryans and Votyaks was played by customary law, based on customs verified over the centuries.It consolidated the established patterns of proper behavior in ethnic local societies.The norms of customary law among the studied peoples were widespread in the field of marriage and family relations, including the regulation of the institutions of marriage, family, the legal status of spouses in marriage, their children, widows, widowers, etc.Widows among the Zyryans and Votyaks in the period under review represented a special category of women in the peasant ethno-local society.Significant changes in their marital status occurred after the death of a spouse, due to the fact that a woman, losing the status of a married lady, passed into the state of a widow.Left without a husband, a woman could manage and dispose of a peasant economy, represent her yard at community gatherings, accept "help" organized by the community, enter into contractual relations, bequeath property to her children by drawing up a "spiritual will", apply to community government bodies and higher state bodies with petitions.The existing customs of levirate and sororate made it possible not only to keep property within the family, but also to raise children in the family of blood relatives.In the field of inheritance relations, during the period under review, the widow retained a wide range of rights, especially if she had young children in her care.She retained the opportunity after the death of her husband to inherit almost all family property, in the event that their joint children had already separated from their parents.However, by implementing the principle of protecting family property from being transferred to other persons, the widow lost her rights in relation to the property of her deceased husband in the event of remarriage.