The Charter for the Rights, Freedoms, and Privileges of the Noble Russian Gentry also called Charter to the Gentry or Charter to the Nobility — was a charter, issued by the Russian empress Catherine II. It recognized the corps of nobles in each province as a legal corporate body and stated the rights and privileges bestowed upon its members. Charter was divided into introduction and four sections: I. Personal rights and privileges of the gentry. II. Corporate self-organization of the gentry- Assemblies of Nobility. III. Genealogy books. IV. Documents, establishing nobility.