The concept of «liberties» in the Ukrainian legal tradition and legal documents of the XV – early XX centuries

The article is devoted to the consideration of the legal aspect of the concept of «liberties» in the historical and legal reality of the XV – early XX centuries. Researchers’ interpretations of the meaning of the concept of «liberties» of the Middle Ages and the Cossack-Hetman era are considered. An attempt has been made to consider the notion of «liberties» in relation to the notion of «rights» and the legal tradition of the time. It is noted that by the eighteenth century. the actual meaning of the concept of «liberties» was the legal status of a person, group of persons, full status, as well as the legal regime of the territory.The concept of «liberties» for five hundred years reflected the dynamics of social values by enshrining them in legal documents and the rule of law. This concept has evolved in accordance with the transformations of legal reality and legal life of society, the genesis of legal understanding, the development of legal terminology and the conceptual apparatus. The course of the struggle of the Ukrainian population for their rights and freedoms led to the dominance of the problem of rights and freedoms in the legal consciousness and in the legal life of the then Ukrainian society. The meaning of the concept of «liberties» was formed as a result of a combination in the minds of the people of the Western philosophical tradition, religious, spiritual and legal values and ideology of the then Ukrainian politicum. For a long period from XV to XVIII centuries. in fact, the meaning of the concept of «liberties» was the legal status (scope of rights and freedoms) of a person, group of persons, estates, as well as the legal regime of the territory. In the early twentieth century. the concept of «liberties» was included in the texts of the constitutional acts of the UPR. This is explained, in our opinion, by two reasons: the authors’ attempt to emphasize the longevity and continuity of the national legal tradition and the imperfection of the terminology and the then conceptual apparatus of legal science. However, other variants of the meaning of the concept of «liberties» are not excluded, in particular, in the understanding of the political rights of a particular community. This question requires further, deeper research.Keywords: liberties, law, freedom, Ukrainian legal tradition, legal status of the Ukrainian population, legal regime of the territory of residence of the Ukrainian population, legal values