LEGAL STATUS OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
The purpose of this article is a historical and legal analysis of the legal status of illegitimate children in the Russian Empire. The article analyzes the concept of "illegitimate" and traces its consolidation in the Russian legislation. The normative legal acts defining the legal status of illegitimate children are studied. The main features of the legal status of illegitimate children in the Russian Empire are shown. It is concluded that the ban on legalizing illegitimate children, dictated not only by the need to protect the class organization of society, but also by the need to strengthen moral principles in society, contributed to the emergence of phenomena in Russian society that are directly opposite to morality and the law. It is noted that some changes aimed at the possibility of legalizing unborn children, as well as improving their situation by the beginning of the XX century were due to the democratization and humanization of legislation under the influence of socio-political struggle, the activity of mass movements, educational activities. The methodological basis of the work consists of dialectical-materialistic, historical, formal-legal, concrete-sociological methods.