Public security and prevention of offenses in Chernivtsi, Suceava and Khotyn volosts of Moldavia and Khotyn raiyah of the Ottoman Empire

The article focuses on the understudied problem of public security and prevention of offenses in the territory between the Upper Siret, the Middle Dniester and Suceava, which from the middle of the 14th to the last quarter of the 18th century was part of Moldova and formed Tsetsin (from the middle of the 15th century Chernivtsi), Suceava and Khotyn volosts of Moldova, mainly inhabited by Orthodox Rusins and VLakhs. Having analysed written sources and scholarly literature, the author states that throughout the entire Moldavian rule in Chernivtsi (until the middle of the 15th century in Tsetsin), Suceava and Khotin volosts (tinut) there were no special police agencies in the modern sense. Until the last quarter of the 18th century, public security was ensured by Moldovan officials, curteni and various categories of service people - slujitors. Ensuring law and order and fighting against robbery on the border was assigned, mainly, to the elders-pircalabs, who in the 18th century began to be called ispravniki.They were assisted by volost elders (okolashi), vetavs of the cities, great border captains, aghas, colonels, armashes, aprods and their subordinate curteni and tinut slujitors (calarasi, arnauts, byrans, guards, armored warriors, dorobanii), as well as hired beshlis. The law and order in rural communities was maintained by dvornikis and vatamans (village elder). After the accession of the Khotyn region to the Ottoman Empire, the public security in this new Turkish raiyah was entrusted to the Janissaries of the Khotyn garrison; the commanders of the Ottoman military units - alai beys - were responsible for order in the villages of the Khotin nahiye.