Sobornoye Ulozheniye (Council Code) of 1649
Moscow
1649
Paper, ink, cinnabar. Two-color printingBinding - wood, leather, embossing
30,9 x 19,8 cm
From: Moscow Library Department as a part of the collection of old printed books, 1918
Showcase 3
The “Sobornoye Ulozheniye” of 1649 is the legal code of the Moscow State, consisting of 25 chapters regulating various areas of life. This is the most famous monument of Russian law of the XVII century, first published in typographical way.
In 1648, the 20-year-old Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered to collect and prepare material for creating a new set of laws, which was then given for approval by the Zemsky Sobor. By January 29, 1649 the discussion was over. The “Sobornoye Ulozheniye” was adopted at the Zemsky Sobor of 1649. The final version of the document was a scroll of 959 glued narrow paper columns, 315 members of the Council affixed signatures to it. A hand-written book was made as exact copy of the manuscript and this book was used for typesetting. Printing was carried out with an surprising speed for that time: it was started on April 7, and continued only till May 22 of the same year. 1200 copies were printed in total. At the end of the book was placed information of the start and end of work on the text of the Code: “This book has been accomplished by the command of the great sovereign tsar and great prince Alexei Mikhailovich, the all-Russian autocrat, in the third year of his rule kept by God and in the first year of birth of his son tsarevich and great duke Dimitry Alekseevich. Year 7157, January, on the 29th day.”
As researchers have calculated, an average of 148 books of the “Sobornoye Ulozheniye” were sold for a month, and by August 25, 1649, 1173 copies were sold out. Moreover, Muscovites bought only half of them. The rest was bought by “guests of the capital” - representatives of more than 100 settlements of Russia. The demand was so great that in the same 1649 another two editions of the new code of laws were printed in 1200 copies.
The sample in the exhibition of the SHM refers to the rare first edition of the "Sobornoye Ulozheniye".
In 1737, during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, a new edition of the “Sobornoye Ulozheniye” was printed. It was used until 1832, when, as part of the work on the codification of the laws of the Russian Empire, conducted under the guidance of M.M. Speransky, was made the Digest of Laws of the Russian Empire.
The sample in the exhibition has possessory inscriptions.
On the back side of the cover there is a bookplate with the emblem of Baron Bode-Kolychev with the motto “Deus honor et gloria” (Honor and glory to God) and the signature “Baron Bode Kolychev”. The adjacent sheet has a stamp of the Book Fund of the Moscow Library Department with a handwritten note meaning it belonged to the Sologub library: “Sologub Library No. 6”. On the upper part of the 3 page there is an ink possessory inscription: “From the Library of Nikolai Gavrilovich Golovin”.
Golovin Nikolai Gavrilovich (died in 1865) was a historian, genealogist, collector of ancient manuscripts, documents and books, among which were many unique items. Baron Mikhail Lvovich Bode-Kolychev (1824-1888) was a Russian historian, archeologist, collector, chief master of the court.
Count Fedor Lvovich Sollogub (1848–1890) was a famous theatrical artist, teacher, actor, collector, non-professional poet.
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