One of the stages in the development of Ukrainian statehood was the epoch of the Cossacks distinguished by the establishment and functioning of the Ukrainian Cossack State – Hetmanate in the period 1649–1764. The authors of the article suggest approaching the issue of development of the national legal system in one of the milestone periods of its evolution, and using a methodological research model which accumulates the positivist approach to the understanding of law and the concept “jus naturale”.

The national legal system of the Hetmanate was formed and developed on the basis of the principles typical for national legal systems of European States of those times, the fundamental among them being primarily the historicity and continuity (succession) of law. The European legal tradition had a significant impact on the nature and development of the national legal system of the Hetmanate, in particular, by preconditioning a respective level of legal culture of the Hetmanate with its inherent legal mentality. Its essential elements, reproducing the originality and distinctive identity of the inherited legal culture, served as a deterrent to the spread of the Russian legal system which was mentally alien and backward in its essence and content.

The system of dominating legal values of the Ukrainian Cossack State was formed in a rather tough environment in which Ukrainian statehood was established and developed. Since the middle of the XVII century, the political and legal values-categories such as individual freedom, democracy, equality, national self-identification etc. gained special weight in the national consciousness of the Ukrainians. During the first half of 1649, for the first time in the history of Ukrainian socio-political thought, the Ukrainian leadership succeeded in forming the national state idea of creating an independent State within Ukraine’s ethnic borders as the key idea in the liberation struggle of the people of all subsequent centuries.

At the beginning of the XVIII century, for the first time in the history of Ukrainian law, the legal foundations of representative government and parliamentarism were created, primarily owing to the Constitution of P. Orlyk in 1710.

The development of the Hetmanate’s national legal system was positively influenced by its fairly active international legal involvement. The Ukrainian Cossack State – Hetmanate became one of the important milestones in the development of Ukrainian statehood, and its national legal system reflected the essence and content of the efforts and aspirations of the Ukrainian people for independence and self-sustainability.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Bojko I, Derzhava i pravo Hetmanshchyny: navchalnyi posibnyk dlia studentiv vyshchykh ta serednikh spetsialnykh yurydychnykh navchalnykh zakladiv i fakultetiv [State and Law of the Hetmanate: a Textbook for Students of Higher and Secondary Specialized Law Schools and Faculties] (Svit 2000) (in Ukrainian).

2. Bojko I, Istoriia pravovoho rehuliuvannia tsyvilnykh, kryminalnykh ta protsesualnykh vidnosyn v Ukraini (ІХ–ХХ st.) [History of Legal Regulation of Civil, Criminal and Procedural Relations in Ukraine (IX–XX centuries)] (Vydavnytstvo LNU im Ivana Franka 2014) (in Ukrainian).

3. Kresin O, Polityko-pravova spadshchyna ukrainskoi politychnoi emihratsii pershoi polovyny XVIII stolittia [The Political and Legal Legacy of Ukrainian Political Emigration in the First Half of the XVII Century] (Instytut derzhavy i prava imeni V M Koretskoho NAN Ukrainy 2001) (in Ukrainian).

4. Miroshnychenko M, Istoriia ukrainskoho prava. Dzherela. Chastyna persha [History of Ukrainian Law. Sources. Part One] (KNU im Tarasa Shevchenka 2015) (in Ukrainian).

5. Tkach A, Istoriia kodyfikatsii dorevoliutsiinoho prava Ukrainy [History of Codification of Pre-Revolutionary Law of Ukraine] (Vydavnytstvo Kyivskoho universytetu 1968) (in Ukrainian).

6. Yakovliv A, Ukrainskyi Kodeks 1743 r. “Prava, po kotorym sudytsia malorossyiskyi narod”. Yoho istoriia, dzherela ta systemnyi vyklad zmistu [Ukrainian Code of 1743. “Rights by Which the Malorossyiskyi People are Sued”. Its History, Sources and Systematic Presentation of the Content] (1949) (in Ukrainian).

Edited books

7. ‘Pakty y konstytutsii zakoniv ta volnostei Viiska Zaporizkoho’ [‘Covenants and Constitutions of the Laws and Liberties of the Zaporizhzhian Army’] v Istoriia ukrainskoi Konstytutsii [History of the Ukrainian Constitution] (Sliusarenko A ta Tomenko M uporiad, Pravo 1997) (in Ukrainian).

8. Matiakh V, ‘Formuvannia systemy politychnykh tsinnostei kozatskoi hromady ta yikh ukorinennia v suspilnu svidomist’ [‘History of Ukrainian Cossacks: Essays’] v Istoriia ukrainskoho kozatstva: narysy [Formation of the System of Political Values of the Cossack Community and Their Rooting in the Public Consciousness], t 1 (Smolii V redkol, KyievoMohylianska akademiia 2006) (in Ukrainian).

9. Strukevych O, ‘Pravovi pohliady ta konstytutsiini idei kozatskoi starshyny’ [‘Legal Views and Constitutional Ideas of the Cossack Starshina (Officership)’] v Istoriia ukrainskoho kozatstva: Narysy [‘History of the Ukrainian Cossacks: Essays ], t 1 (Smolii V redkol, Kyievo-Mohylianska akademiia 2006) (in Ukrainian).

10. Ukraina kriz viky [Ukraine Through the Ages], t 7: Ukrainska natsionalna revoliutsiia XVII st. (1648–1676 rr.) [Ukrainian National Revolution of the XVII Century (1648–1676)] (Smolii V zah red, Alternatyvy 1999) (in Ukrainian).

11. Vyvid prav Ukrainy [Declaration of Rights of Ukraine] (Partsei M red, Slovo 1991) (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

12. Holovatyi S, ‘Tak chym zhe napravdu ye Konstytutsiia Pylypa Orlyka?’ [‘So What is the Direction of Philip Orlyk’s Constitution?’] (2016) 1 Pravo Ukrainy 113-29 (in Ukrainian).

13. Kharytonov Ye, ‘Metodolohichni zasady doslidzhennia problem pravovoi adaptatsii Ukrainy do vnutrishnoho rynku YeS’ [‘Methodological Bases of Research of Problems of Legal Adaptation of Ukraine to the EU Internal Market’] (2015) 17 Naukovi pratsi Natsionalnoho universytetu “Odeska yurydychna akademiia” 239 (in Ukrainian).

14. Kobko-Odarii V, ‘Pravovyi mentalitet i pravova tradytsiia: spivvidnoshennia i vzaiemodiia’ [‘Legal Mentality and Legal Tradition: Relation and Interaction’] (2016) 6 Naukovyi visnyk publichnoho i pryvatnoho prava 12-5 (in Ukrainian).

15. Onishchenko N, ‘Pravova systema yak ob’iekt piznannia zahalnoteoretychnoi yurysprudentsii’ [‘The Legal System as an Object of Knowledge of General Jurisprudence’] (2012) 1-2 Pravo Ukrainy 258-72 (in Ukrainian).

16. Vovk D, ‘Pravova tradytsiia: rozuminnia u konteksti spivvidnoshennia z pravovoiu systemoiu i pravovoiu kulturoiu’ [‘Legal Tradition: Understanding in the Context of the Relationship with the Legal System and Legal Culture’] (2012) 2 Visnyk Akademii pravovykh nauk Ukrainy 42-52 (in Ukrainian).