BIGAMY IN THE HETMANATE OF THE XVIII CENTURY
The purpose of scientific research is to study the ignorance of the Orthodox population of such a legal obstacle to a new marriage as the existence of a previous, legal marriage, that is polygamy, and to show the role of priests in the consecration of such marriages. The scientific novelty lies in the first comprehensive analysis of publications and the introduction into scientific circulation of newly discovered archival materials of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine, Kyiv. After analyzing the cases, we came to the conclusion that the laity often violated the marriage-family regulations, due to the assistance of the parish priest, who often «closed his eyes», benefiting from the violators. During the preparation of the article the author used general scientific methods of historical research. Having analyzed the cases of prolonged absence of one of the spouses as a reason for divorce, we can draw the following conclusions: according to church regulations, it was possible to apply for the possibility of remarriage five years after the disappearance of the person; prolonged absence of one of the spouses (husband or wife) was one of the main reasons for divorce and remarriage; the long absence of a man or a woman was explained by a debauched life, adultery, quarrels, coming out to make money, military service of a man, etc.; it should not be overlooked that a man and a woman could live together without asking permission from the spiritual authority for the wedding. In order to annul the first marriage and obtain the right to remarry, it must be testimonies from witnesses or relatives who would confirm the absence of the person for a certain period of time and these testimonies must be provided into spiritual administration; moreover, it must be confirmation from the parish priest and evidence that the abandoned person did not provoke the other to flee, and in the absence of one of the spouses, the other led a decent life.