On the issue of the legal status of the head of state of the Russian empire

The article examines the evolution of the legal status of the Russian emperor in historical retrospect from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. In the context of the legal status of the head of the Russian state in the imperial period, the authoritative powers of the emperor are primarily considered, which often developed under the influence of governance traditions and were regulated by the norms of customary law. The legal consolidation of the powers of the head of state did not have a systematic character until the publication of the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire in 1906. The powers of the monarch, who had special rights in the sphere of legislation, administration (military, church, financial), foreign policy and judicial power, are analyzed. The individual privileges of the emperor as the head of state and the Imperial House are characterized. The work touches upon such powers of the emperor as the right of mercy, abolition, and dispensation. Significant changes in the powers of the emperor are noted that occurred as a result of the adoption of the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire on April 23, 1906, in particular in the legislative sphere and issues of the organization and activities of central government institutions. It is concluded that the monarch of the Russian Empire had a number of exclusive rights and privileges, and even after the emergence of legislative authorities in Russia (the creation of the State Duma and the reform of the State Council at the beginning of the twentieth century), he continued to occupy a dominant position.