Abstract: The subject of this research is the agrarian policy of the government of the Russian Empire pertinent to the former state and appanage peasants of Arkhangelsk Governorate over the period from 1861-1917. The land reform in the aforementioned region was conducted in conjunction with the example of the central governorate with a focus on the regional specificity. The distinctness of historical legal development of the Arkhangelsk Governorate, which consisted in lack of the private feudal dependency of the majority of northern peasantry and vivid regional aspects of the peasant community, defined the peculiarities of implementation of the government agrarian policy of the late XIX – early XX centuries. Special attention is given to the problem of legal regulation of land ownership of the peasants. Particularly, the uncertainty of legal status of the historically established two forms of land ownership – civil allotments and crown lands taking for clearing under the right of 40-year use, in practice created the circumstances for abusing the ownership rights by peasants, and thus, led to litigation. Relevance of this this research topic is associated with the search for the way to develop the agrarian sector of the Russian economy in the rich experience of the reforms of the late XIX – early XX centuries. The author comes to the conclusion on the controversy and inefficiency of the policy of the Russian Empire with regards to peasants, which left unsolved led to problems of not only economic, but also political nature.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the agrarian policy of the government of the Russian Empire pertinent to the former state and appanage peasants of Arkhangelsk Governorate over the period from 1861-1917. The land reform in the aforementioned region was conducted in conjunction with the example of the central governorate with a focus on the regional specificity. The distinctness of historical legal development of the Arkhangelsk Governorate, which consisted in lack of the private feudal dependency of the majority of northern peasantry and vivid regional aspects of the peasant community, defined the peculiarities of implementation of the government agrarian policy of the late XIX – early XX centuries. Special attention is given to the problem of legal regulation of land ownership of the peasants. Particularly, the uncertainty of legal status of the historically established two forms of land ownership – civil allotments and crown lands taking for clearing under the right of 40-year use, in practice created the circumstances for abusing the ownership rights by peasants, and thus, led to litigation. Relevance of this this research topic is associated with the search for the way to develop the agrarian sector of the Russian economy in the rich experience of the reforms of the late XIX – early XX centuries. The author comes to the conclusion on the controversy and inefficiency of the policy of the Russian Empire with regards to peasants, which left unsolved led to problems of not only economic, but also political nature.