Jazep Jucho (19 March 1921 - 29 July 2004; also known as Iosif Jucho, ) was a prominent

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

lawyer, historian and writer and a leading Belarusian authority on the laws of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

Early years and career

Jucho was born in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

into a large working-class family on 19 March 1921. He finished a local school in 1938 and enrolled in a polytechnic.Памяць і слава: Іосіф Аляксандравіч Юхо. Да 90-годдзя з дня нараджэння
emory and Glory: Josif Aliaksandravič Jucho/ Рэдкал.: С.А. Балашэнка і інш. Мінск: БДУ, 2011 However in 1939 he was conscripted into the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

and finished

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a decorated Soviet major having been wounded in action. After the war, Jucho completed graduate and post-graduate studies at the Minsk Law Institute and the

Belarusian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB; ; , , ) is the national academy of Belarus. History Inbelkult - predecessor to the Academy The Academy has its origins in the Institute of Belarusian Culture (Inbelkult), a Belarusian acade ...

. For most of his career he worked in different positions at the Law Department of the

Belarusian State University The Belarusian State University (BSU) (, ; ) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It was founded on October 30, 1921. The university was ranked 387th in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings. History 1919–1949 On February 25, 1919, ...

. He became “the founder of the academic studies of the history of the Belarusian state and law” in Soviet Belarus.Арлоў, Уладзімер (2020). ''
МЁНЫ СВАБОДЫ (Бібліятэка Свабоды. ХХІ стагодзьдзе.)
' 'Uładzimir Arłou. The Names of Freedom (The Library of Freedom. ХХІ century.)''">Uładzimir_Arłou.html" ;"title="'Uładzimir Arłou">'Uładzimir Arłou. The Names of Freedom (The Library of Freedom. ХХІ century.)''(in Belarusian) (4-е выд., дап. ed.). Радыё Свабодная Эўропа / Радыё Свабода - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. pp. 518-519 During Gorbachev’s Perestroika, Jucho actively participated in the Belarusian national revival movement - see Belarusian democracy movement, Belarusian Democracy Movement. He took part in the drafting of the 1994 Belarusian

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

and other legislative acts of newly independent Belarus.

Leading authority on
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
laws

In 1963 Jucho began studying the period of the

(of which Belarus was part) - something he would continue for the rest of his career. He prepared a course of lectures on the subject and researched the origin of the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a 16th-century codification of the

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

of the

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Prior to the early 1800s, the only Grand duchy in Europe was located in what is now Italy: Tuscany ( ...

written in the Ruthenian language (precursor to modern Belarusian language, Belarusian). The topic of his PhD dissertation in 1980 was “The Socio-Political Order and Rights in Belarus in the 16th century” (). Jucho explored political and jurisprudential ideas of

Francis Skaryna Francysk Skaryna (alternative transcriptions of his name: ''Francišak Skaryna'' or ''Francisk Skaryna''; , ; , ; 1470 – 1551/29 January 1552) was a Belarusian humanist, physician, and translator. He is known to be one of the first book p ...

and concluded that Skaryna had a significant influence on the drafting of the first Statute. He also studied the effects of the

Union of Krewo In a strict sense, the Union of Krewo or Act of Krėva (also spelled Union of Krevo, Act of Kreva; ; ) comprised a set of prenuptial promises made at Kreva Castle on 14 August 1385 by Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in regard to his prospectiv ...

(1385), the

Pact of Vilnius and Radom The Pact of Vilnius and Radom (, ) was a set of three acts passed in Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and confirmed by the Crown Council in Radom, Kingdom of Poland in 1401. The union amended the earlier act of the Union of Krewo (1385) and con ...

(1401), the

Union of Horodło The Union of Horodło or Pact of Horodło was a set of three acts signed in the town of Horodło on 2 October 1413. The first act was signed by Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The second and thir ...

(1413), the

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin (; ) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Kingd ...

(1569) and the

Constitution of 3 May 1791 The Constitution of 3 May 1791, titled the Government Act, was a written constitution for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that was adopted by the Great Sejm that met between 1788 and 1792. The Commonwealth was a dual monarchy comprising th ...

on the sovereignty of the

Works

Yucho’s works include: * Правовое положение населения Белоруссии в ХVI ст. he Legal Status of the population of Belarus in the 16th century Minsk, 1978 (in Russian) * Францыск Скарына і яго час rancis Skaryna and His Time Minsk, 1988 (a co-author; in Belarusian) * За вольнасьць нашу і вашу or Yours and Our Freedom Minsk, 1990 (a book about the ościuszko Uprising in Belarusian) * Крыніцы беларуска-літоўскага права he Sources of Belarusian-Lithuanian Law Minsk, 1991 (in Belarusian) * Кароткі нарыс гісторыі дзяржавы і права Беларусі Short Outline of the History of the Belarusian State and Laws Minsk, 1992 (in Belarusian) * Гісторыя дзяржавы і права Беларусі (1917—1994) istory of the Belarusian State and Laws (1917-1994) Minsk, 2000 (a co-author; in Belarusian) * Статут Вялікага Княства Літоўскага 1566 года he Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1566 Minsk, 2003 (a co-author; in Belarusian)

Death

Jucho died in Minsk on 29 July 2004 and is buried in the Minsk Military Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jucho, Jazep 1921 births 2004 deaths Belarusian lawyers Academic staff of Belarusian State University 20th-century Belarusian historians Belarusian male non-fiction writers Soviet military personnel of World War II

Early years and career

Leading authority on Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ... laws

Works

Death

References

Leading authority on
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
laws