Key Changes in the Legislation Concerning the Moscow Orphanage, 1763—1873

The paper is dedicated to the evolution of law of the Russian Empire concerning the Moscow Emperor’s Orphanage from 1763 to 1873. In 1763, the Moscow Orphanage was founded. Between 1873 and the Revolution of 1917, the law concerning the Moscow Orphanage did not change significantly. The subject is of interest to both, historians and scholars of law, as well as to those studying genealogies of particular families whose ancestors were orphans. The study of legislation creates a framework within which a future study of practices of the charity of orphans in the Russian Empire should be undertaken, primarily on the base of archival documents.