concept
Imperial Russian Divorce by Assumed Guilt
divorce-blame bribery
also: принятие вины на себя
Under the Russian Orthodox Church's divorce procedure, a marriage could be dissolved only by proving fault (chiefly adultery) against one spouse; in practice a wealthy husband could pay his wife -- or a lawyer to pressure her -- to formally 'take the blame' upon herself, a legal fiction Shapkin brokered for a large fee in Uzelkov's divorce.
Reading notes
- Old Age §17 To bribe her into taking the blame on herself
Under the Russian Orthodox Church's exclusive jurisdiction over marriage, divorce required proving fault -- almost always adultery -- against one named party, a slow and humiliating ecclesiastical process. In practice, a couple who simply wished to separate would arrange for one spouse (commonly the wife, as here) to accept the formal blame in exchange for a cash settlement, with a lawyer like Shapkin brokering and profiting from the arrangement on both sides.
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