Lithuanian Tribunal
Encyclopedia
The Lithuanian Tribunal was the highest appeal court for the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
. It was established by Stefan Batory
, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, in 1581 as the counterpart to the Crown Tribunal
of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom
, established in 1578. It ceased to exist after the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
in 1795.
After the legal reforms of 1563–1564, members of the Lithuanian nobility received the right to appeal to the Grand Duke. However, soon Grand Duke's court was severely backlogged and became clear that reforms are needed. The nobles themselves demanded a "supreme court". The formalities were finalized on March 1, 1581, but it is unclear when the Tribunal began to operate.
The unpaid judges were elected for one-year term around February 2. Each voivodeship and powiat provided two people for a total of 42–49 judges. The Tribunal had jurisdiction over the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Duchy of Samogitia, which had a privilege to establish its own tribunal, opted to join the Lithuanian Tribunal in 1588). It could not decide cases involving peasants, city residents, clergy, or Jews. The Tribunal accepted appeals from civil and criminal courts. Later its competency was expanded to include military and tax appeals and cases involving misconduct of lower-tier courts.
The Tribunal met initially four, later twice a year first in Vilnius
in the Cathedral Square, but later the location was alternated between Minsk
and Navahrudak. The alternating location disrupted court's work as personnel, documents, and archives had to be moved frequently. The Tribunal did not have an institution that could enforce its decisions. It delegated the enforcement to lower-tier courts. Therefore, despite penalties and other punishments for disobeying its decisions, the Tribunal had little actual power and the nobles increasingly ignored it.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
. It was established by Stefan Batory
Stefan Batory
Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family...
, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, in 1581 as the counterpart to the Crown Tribunal
Crown Tribunal
Crown Tribunal – was the highest appeal court in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom for most cases, exceptions being the cases were a noble landowner was threatened with loss of life and/or property - then he could appeal to the Sejm court .In 1578 king Stefan Batory created the...
of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom
Crown of the Polish Kingdom
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland , or simply the Crown , is the name for the unit of administrative division, the territories under direct administration of Polish nobility from middle-ages to late 18th century...
, established in 1578. It ceased to exist after the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland or Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1795 as the third and last of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Background:...
in 1795.
After the legal reforms of 1563–1564, members of the Lithuanian nobility received the right to appeal to the Grand Duke. However, soon Grand Duke's court was severely backlogged and became clear that reforms are needed. The nobles themselves demanded a "supreme court". The formalities were finalized on March 1, 1581, but it is unclear when the Tribunal began to operate.
The unpaid judges were elected for one-year term around February 2. Each voivodeship and powiat provided two people for a total of 42–49 judges. The Tribunal had jurisdiction over the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Duchy of Samogitia, which had a privilege to establish its own tribunal, opted to join the Lithuanian Tribunal in 1588). It could not decide cases involving peasants, city residents, clergy, or Jews. The Tribunal accepted appeals from civil and criminal courts. Later its competency was expanded to include military and tax appeals and cases involving misconduct of lower-tier courts.
The Tribunal met initially four, later twice a year first in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in the Cathedral Square, but later the location was alternated between Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
and Navahrudak. The alternating location disrupted court's work as personnel, documents, and archives had to be moved frequently. The Tribunal did not have an institution that could enforce its decisions. It delegated the enforcement to lower-tier courts. Therefore, despite penalties and other punishments for disobeying its decisions, the Tribunal had little actual power and the nobles increasingly ignored it.