PRIVATE LAND TENURE OF MERCHANTS IN THE SOUTH OF UKRAINE IN 1861-1905 (ON THE EXAMPLE OF EKATERINOSLAVSKAYA PROVINCE)
The article is dwells upon the development of private land tenure of merchantry in South Ukraine on the example of Ekaterinoslavskaya province (one of the largest Ukrainian provinces in the Russian Empire) during post reform 1861 period. This problem is rather new in historiography and has not been explored extensively, as the researchers mostly focus on the landholding of nobility and peasantry. The work is based on various statistic sources of the second half of the 19 <sup>th</sup> century and the beginning of the 20 <sup>th</sup> century. The article has a short historiographical review of the problem, a statement on the relevance of the subject and a summary. The paper outlines the general features of private landholding of this social class, and gives an attempt to identify its place in private land sector of Ekaterinoslavskaya province. The author provides the analysis of private landholding of merchantry in dynamics and in comparison with other Ukrainian regions and social groups. The research of this subject seems very important for modern Ukraine, which tries to find the optimal mode of social and economic development. It also helps to understand the social and economic processes in our country at the turn of the 20 <sup>th</sup> century.