The aim of the study was to study the motives of peasants applying to the spiritual consistories to obtain divorce permits in the Yaroslavl, Tver and Tobolsk provinces in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Tasks were set to find out the number of surviving cases initiated by petitions for the termination of marriage by peasants separately for each sex and the reason for discord in the family. The source base was previously unknown archival documents of the State Institution of the Yaroslavl Region "The State Archive of the Yaroslavl Region”, the State Institution of the Tver Region “The State Archive of the Tver Region” and the State Budgetary Institution of the Tyumen Region “The State Archive in Tobolsk”. General scientific and historical methods were used, in particular historical-comparative and historical-typological, as well as methods of gender history. As a result of the analysis of archival materials, the main reasons for the desire of the peasants to dissolve the marriage were identified: adultery; link; unknown absence of a spouse; incapacity for married life; lack of desire to live with a husband / wife; beatings; mental disorder; religious differences. The hypothesis was confirmed that adultery in the studied period was the most frequent reason for drawing up petitions for divorce. However, most of the cases ended with an instruction to continue living together in peace and harmony, or refusal due to non-compliance with the requirements for filing petitions (non-payment of stamp duty, drawing up documents on plain paper instead of stamp paper, failure to provide evidence). This article is the first stage in studying the history of marital relations in the Yaroslavl, Tver and Tobolsk provinces, identifying similarities and differences in motives, types of marital conflicts, as well as determining their consequences, methods of solution and prevention.