Theme 6. The Cossack Revolution (1648 - 1657): the Foundation of Hetmanshchyna

The purpose of this theme is connected with studying the Nation Libe­ration war of the Ukrainian people and the establishment of Hetmanshchyna (the Cossack State) in the middle 17^th century.

This theme includes the following main topics: the social conditions in Ukraine between 1638 and 1648; the personal injuries of the Cossack

Bohdan Khmelnytskyi; the first stage of the National Liberation War (1648); the Opyshky movement in Zakarpattia; the second stage of the National Liberation War (1649 - 1653) and founding the Cossack State Hetman- shchyna; the third stage of the National Liberation War (1654 - 1657).

The social conditions in Ukraine between 1638 and 1648. Between 1638 and 1648 a corvee was hard in the country. Taxes rised. From the begining of 1616 some nobles leased their lands to rich Jews, who seeking gains hardly exploited labour of peasants dwelling in the rented lands. The Magistrate of every town was managed by the Poles. The Orthodox Christians had to dwel in special town areas, pay taxes for keeping the Catholic clergy. Also Orthodox Christians could not build new tamples, make any institute of higer education, occupy any administrative post. Many people were inclined to revolt against the Polish authority. There were a lot of Cossacks among those, who desired the rebellion. The Cossacks, of course, wanted ceasing the "Ordinance..." of 1638, which declared many of them peasants [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 18; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].

The personal injuries of the Cossack Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. Mean­while, in 1647 a vice-starosta of Chyhyryn Daniel Chaplynskyi seized Subotiv farmstead of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, a captain in Chyhyryn Cossack regiment. D. Chaplinsky killed the son of B. Khmelnytskyi and took away his wife. Then B. Khmelnytskyi took refuge with the Zaporozhian Sich, which was in Mykytynskyi Rih, at the place of modern Nikopol [18; 34; 39].

The first stage of the National Liberation War (1648). B. Khmel­nytskyi with his troops fortified in the island Tomakivka and, then, attacked and crushed those Poles, who were guarding the Sich. Registered Cossacks joined the Cossacks of B. Khmelnytskyi. Very soon in Sich the Cossacks elected B. Khmelnytskyi the Hetman. He made alliance with the Crimean Tatars led by the Khan Ismail-Hirey III. The Tatars had very strong cavalry B. Khmelnytskyi needed for his purposes. In 1648 he started an uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian nobles. To borrow B. L. Davies' words, "The psychology of religious war was in fact about to turn Khmelnytskyi Cossack rebellion into a general Ukrainian revolution uniting Sich and Settled Lands, Cossacks and Ukrainian petty nobles, and peasants, and townsmen against Polish domination" [34, p. 104]. However, the hard corvee in country was another reason for the revolt, other than the religious war against the Catholicism and the Uniat faith.

In April of 1648 at the river of Zhovti Vody rebels crushed Polish army and killed its commander Stefan Potocki. In May of 1648 the Poles were defeated at Korsun. In this battle the Cossack unit led by Maksym Kryvonis became famous.

The commanders of the Poles Nicholas Potocki and Martin Kalinovski were taken prisoners and given as slaves to the Tatars. In summer of 1648 the rebels freed the whole Left-Bank Ukraine, Bratslav region, Kyiv region, Podillia, and Eastern and Southern parts of Volyn voivodeship, in the Right­Bank Ukraine. In September of 1648 the Poles were beaten at Pyliavtsi. This month insurgent army led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi besieged Lviv. In October of 1648 the Cossack unit of Maksym Kryvonis seized Lviv Castle. The Magistrate of Lviv was forced to ransom town paying 1 m of golden duckats to the rebels of B. Khmelnytskyi. In November of 1648 the rebels besieged Zamostia. Shortly after the Poles and the Lithuanians elected the new King Jan II Kazimier Waza. He was able to make a peace with Bohdan Khmel­nytskyi.

The Opyshky movement in Zakarpattia. While the above-mentioned events were going, in Zakarpattia the revolt of the paupers, who called themselves Opryshky, raised against the Hungarian ruling. The leader of the rebels was Semen Vysochan [3].

The second stage of the National Liberation War (1649 - 1653) and founding the Cossack State - Hetmanshchyna. In spring of 1649 the Poles began hostilities in Podillia. The Cossacks were defeated by the Lithuanian army at Loiev. In the meantime cossacks besieged Zbarazh. Very soon they surrounded Polish army and the King at Zboriv. In these circumstances the Khan Ismail-Hirey III demanded that Bohdan Khmelnytskyi make peace with the Poles. The Khan desired to make weaker both rival neighbours in order to be the strongest ruler among them.

In 1649 Zboriv Treaty was signed by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and the King of Poland Jan II Kazimier. According to Zboriv Treaty, the number of registered Cossacks increased up to 40 000. The Cossacks got Kyiv, Cher­nihiv and Bratslav provinces. These lands were proclaimed territory of new Cossack State, named Zemli Viiska Zaporizkoho (literally, the Lands of Cossack Host, which was located on the rapids of the Dnieper). Later on, this State was named by modern historians Hetmanshchyna. Jews and Jesuits had to go away from these lands. In Hetmanshchyna the serfdom and 51

folwarks (the economy diversified, which was based on the labour of serfs and targeted to produce corn for sale) was ceased. The new State was structured into 16 regiments; each of them was divided into 11 or 22 centuries. Zaporozhian Sich was considered to have the self-government. The great towns kept the autonomy (according to Magdeburg Rights). Other towns were governed by otamans (chieftains), who were appointed by the Hetman [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 18; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].

In Hetmanshchyna the Cossack starshyna (Cossack officers) became privileged stratum, like nobles.

In 1650 the Cossacks led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi invaded Moldova, an alias of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Cossacks took Molda­vian Capital Iasi. The Moldavian Hospodar Vasilyi Lupul was ordered to marry his daughter Rozanda to Tymish Khmelnytskyi, the son of the Cossacks' Hetman.

In February of 1651 Polish army under Martin Kalinovski took Krasne, in Podillia and, then, steered to the Vinnytsia (Bratslav voivodeship). In the battle of Berestechko, which was between June and July 1651, the Tatars betrayed the Cossacks again.

The Cossack commander Ivan Bohun rescued the Cossacks, when he led out them from surrounding. After the battle the new Polish-Cossack Treaty was signed in the town Bila Tserkva. The Bilotserkivsk Treaty restricted the territory of Hetmanshchyna, leaving for it only Kyiv voivodeship. The number of registered Cossacks decreased to 20 000 men. The rights of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi on making a foreign policy were banned. His alliance with the Tatars was also broken.

However, in 1652 Tymish Khmelnytskyi joined his army with the Tatars. He led the forces against Moldova, which had become an ally of Poland. In the way they smashed the Poles in the battle of Batih, in Podillia. The Polish Commander Martin Kalinovski was killed in the battle. The next year Tymish Khmelnytskyi fell in the field of battle at the fortress Suceava, that is now the territory of Romania.

In autumn of 1653 the Tatars again betrayed the Cossacks, while they were fighting with the Poles at Zhvanets, near Kamianets-Podilskyi (in modern Khmelnytska Oblast) [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 18; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].

The third stage of the National Liberation War (1654 - 1657). In these circumstances Bohdan Khmelnytskyi decided to make the alliance with the Moscow State. In October of 1653 in Moscow Zemskoy Sobor (Congress) voted for the war with Poland. In March of 1654 in Pereiaslav the Cossack- Moscow alliance was proclaimed.

In July of 1655 the Sweden started war against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Poland asked Moscow for the peace and in September of 1656 these states signed the peace in Vilna. Bohdan Khmelnytskyi being betrayed by Moscow turned to make coalition with Sweden, Transylvania, Brandenburg and Wallachia. In 1657 Bohdan Khmelnytskyi died through apoplexy [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 18; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].

Questions

1. What were the reasons of the National Liberation War?

2. Name the main battles between the Cossacks and the Poles.

3. What is the historical significance of the National Liberation War of the middle 17^th century?

4. What were the terms of Zboriv Treaty?

5. Compare the terms of Zboriv Treaty and Bilotserkivsk Treaty.

6. Describe the relations between the Cossacks and the Russian State during the National Liberation War.

7. Define the foreign policy directions of the Hetman Bohdan Khmel­nytskyi.