On the Issue of the Social and Legal Status of Dependent Shapsug's Population at the End of XVIII - in the First Half of the XIX Century
We research the social and legal status of dependent Shapsug's population at the end of XVIII - in the first half of the XIX century. Changes in Shapsug's society of this period were connected with social-and-legal status. The author pays attention to the using of adats in relation to peasants - «pshitlys» and to the definition of the social status slaves - «unauts». The reasons of changing the social status of dependent Shapsug's population were: the strengthening of political activity the Russian Empire in the Caucasus, organization of Russian power institutions and social and legal reforms in the Caucasus in the second half of the XIX century.