On the basis of the archival documents’ analysis, a domestic and foreign historiography, memoirs, materials of periodicals the complex theoretical and factual analysis of the process of nobility’s formation in the South Ukrainian provinces of the Russian empire in the second half of XVIII th – the beginning of the XX th centuries is carried out in the dissertation for the first time. Legal registration of the South Ukrainian nobility occurred within the limits of the current legislation, and has been fixed in 1785 by positions by Zhalovannoj of the reading and writing to nobility. As the South Ukrainian nobility was an integral part of the imperial aristocracy, it is subject to the action of all those rights and privileges which enjoyed by the Russian nobility. However, there was a range of legislation that directly regulated the process of nobility regional aristocracy, its incorporation into the ranks of the Russian nobility. Most of the laws were aimed at eliminating the distinctive features of the estates in the development of the region, nivilyatsiyu differences and bring the social structure of the region in the line to the empire-wide standards. By the mid-nineteenth century is the completion of the process of the South Ukrainian elite nobility, the resolution of socio-political and legal status of noble families in the region. It is established that the formation of regional aristocracy of Southern Ukraine was attended by the representatives of various ethnic groups - Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovans, Poles, Serbs, Greeks, Montenegrins, Georgians, that testifies about polyethnic senior class in the region. However, it does not interfere with the unity of the birth of the nobility. A characteristic feature of the three subregions of Southern Ukraine (Ekaterinoslavsko-Kherson, Tauris, Bessarabia), the second half of XVIII - early XX centuries. was a gradual increase in the number of the nobility. The number of nobles of the Novorossiysk territory increased by Russian military men, officials, Ukrainian Cossack officers, foreign aristocracy and the landed nobility, who migrated from the central provinces of the empire. Created after turning the region into the Russian Empire noble corporate institutions were formed solely on empire-wide sample. The functioning of the provincial noble assemblies, parliamentary assemblies, provincial and district leaders of the nobility, noble guadianship was as close as possible to the activities of the similar institutions in Great Russian provinces. The structure, composition of noble meetings, functions, powers, participation of its members in the system of government are considered. The characteristics of the noblemen's provinces structure, it changes depending on the imperial policy is given. It is defined that the noble institution transformed and lost the elements of self-government, practically becoming the public authorities. Attention is also paid to the deputy of the Assembly, provincial, district marshals of the nobility and gentry county guardianship. Having given the local nobility the right to elect officials of police and judiciary and thus ensure that the functioning of the state apparatus, the empire had brought an important role in the regional corporate organisations of the South Ukrainian noblemen in integrating the region into the Russian Empire. In turn the South Ukrainian nobility sought to use the corporate bodies as an important element to maintain their class rights. It is proved that charity and patronage activities of the nobility of the Southern Ukraine was aimed at solving social problems in the region and in the development of education and cultural institutions. Among the founders of regional charities the noblemen took the first position. Purposeful formation of noble family’s landed property in the region has begun in 1764 when the government has started mass distribution of the lands. On the lands of the Tauride and Bessarabian subregions that process had a form of redistribution of land ownership. Despite certain specificity at the level of subregions, we have found many common features in the organisation of economy of the South Ukrainian noble family. All provinces of the South Ukraine were characterized by an initial dominance of livestock in farms of the nobility, which gradually gave way to agriculture. Besides such branches as wine growing, winemaking, gardening were developed. Labor shortages forced the nobles to the use of hired labor and more advanced methods of production that led to a higher level of development of capitalist relations in noble households in the region. Since the second half of XIX century the part of the South Ukrainian nobility has become the active participants in the industrial way of the economy. Among the region nobles we find a significant number of businessmen, financiers, owners of joint stock companies. This process was facilitated deep capitalization of the regional economy (especially agriculture), commoditization of nobility savings, favorable economic position of the region, the presence of untapped markets for goods, the ability to obtain credit quickly. The basis for the formation of the capital noble businessmen of the southern region was property, trading and brokerage activities, purchase and sale of agricultural products. With the production capabilities, access to transport infrastructure, the noble businessmen could have in their hands considerable financial resources The analysis of the resulted facts testifies that during the second half of ХVІІІ – early ХХ centuries the nobility of the South Ukrainian provinces played the important role in social and economic development of the region.
