Theme 8. The Liquidation of the Ukrainian Autonomies of Hetmanshchyna, Zaporozhian Host, and Sloboda Regiments by the Government of the Russian Empire in the 18th Century
The purpose of the theme is to give an idea of folding the autonomy of Hetmanshchyna by the Russian government. The policy of the last Ukrainian Hetmans and the constitutional development of the Cossack society are presented.
The theme covers the following main topics: Pylyp Orlyk, the Hetman in exile; the Hetmanate of Ivan Skoropadskyi (1708 - 1722); the Hetmanate of Pavlo Polubotok (1722 - 1723); the Hetmanate of Danylo Apostol (1727 - 1734); the Board of Hetman's Government (1734 - 1750); the Hetmanate of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi (1750 - 1764); the second Little Russian Collegiate (1764 - 1786); the folding of Sloboda Ukrainian autonomy; the Russian Empire and Zaporozhian Cossacks; the liquidation of Zaporozhian Sich (1775) and the last Cossacks; the folding of Ukrainian autonomy; the movement of Opryshky; the Koliivshchyna uprising (1768).
Pylyp Orlyk, the Hetman in exile. In 1710 in Moldavia the Cossacks- refugees elected Pylyp Orlyk their new Hetman. Before this, P. Orlyk was a Cossack Clerk. Being the Hetman P. Orlyk declared the Constitution, the first one in the world. The Act was named the "Pacts and Constitutions of Rights and Freedoms of Zaporozhian Host". Among the historians it is also known as the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk or the Bender Constitution, after the Moldavian town of Bender, where the Constitution was declared. The Constitution had 16 items. The Constitution restricted the ruling of the Hetman by introducing the General Court. The Treasure had to be managed by the Treasurer (Pidskarbii), instead of the Hetman. The important financial deals had to be managed only by the General Rada (the assembly of the Cossacks). The General Rada also might elect the polkovnyks and sotnyks. Hence, the Bender Constitution of 1710 laid down the base for the division of power into legislative (the General Rada), executive (the Hetman) and judicial (the General Court) branches.
The official religion was proclaimed the Orthodoxy.In 1711 Pylyp Orlyk, having the alliance with the Tatars, made unfortunate attempt to free Ukraine [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The Hetmanate of Ivan Skoropadskyi (1708 - 1722). While P. Orlyk was the Hetman of the Cossacks-refugees, sheltering in Moldavia, the proRussian Hetman Ivan Skoropadskiy (1708 - 1722) governed Ukraine. In 1709 he replaced the Hetman residence from Baturyn to Hlukhiv. Hetmanshchyna was included into Kyivan gubernia (the Russian province). In Ukrainian state record keeping the Russian language was introduced. In 1722 the Little Russian Collegiate was established. It managed the Ukrainian finances, gathering taxes [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The Hetmanate of Pavlo Polubotok (1722 - 1723). In 1722, after the death of Ivan Skoropadskyi, the Tsar Peter I appointed Pavlo Polubotok the next Hetman. Before 1722 P. Polubotok was the Chernihiv polkovnyk. Being the Hetman, he made the Collegiate General Court, which consisted of several judges. He also collected a large library and compiled his own chronicle he named "Khronika". The chronicle covers the period from 1452 to 1715. In 1723 P. Polubotok sent the Tsar the so-called Kolomak petition, in which he asked for renewing the Cossack liberties and abolishing excessive taxes the Little Russian Collegiate made in Ukraine. Having learned the petition, Peter I imprisoned P. Polubotok in the Peter and Paul Fortress. In 1724 P. Polubotok died in the prison [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The Hetmanate of Danylo Apostol (1727 - 1734). In 1727, given to the growing tensions of the Russian-Turkish relation, the new Russian Tsar Peter II made the policy for appeasing the Cossack starshyna. For this purpose he eliminated the Little Russian Collegiate and allowed starshyna to elect the new Hetman. The Rada elected Danylo Apostol the Hetman. In order to keep Ukraine under the authority of Russia, in 1727 Peter II declared the "Reshetylni clauses" (from the name of village Reshetylivka).
According to them, Danylo Appostol had no right to make a foreign correspondence, the Russian officers got right to gather customs. Also, the election of the Hetman and starshyna members must be approved by the Tsar only. In 1734 Danylo Apostol established the New Sich, at the Pidpilna River (Nova Sich, or Pipdpilnenska Sich). On the other hand, he made the State Treasure and confiscated the lands, which had been illegally seized by starshyna [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].The Board of Hetman’s Government (1734 - 1750). After the death of Danylo Apostol in 1734, Ukraine was ruled by the so-called Board of Hetman's Government (1734 - 1750), the Council of three Ukrainians and three Russians. This Council was managed by the Count A. Shakhovskiy [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39]. In the period the Sloboda Cossacks became famous in the battles of the Russian-Turkish war (1735 - 1739). However, the Russain soldiers, who were fighting with the Turks, supplied themselves by commandeering from the Sloboda Ukrainian people food, livestock, forage, and carts in great quantities [31, p. 43].
The Hetmanate of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi (1750 - 1764). Between 1750 and 1764 Kyrylo Rozumovskyi was the Hetman. His brother Oleksii Rozumovskyi was a choir singer at the court of the Empress Anna. Later on, he became a favourite of the new Empress Elizabeth. She appointed him the manager of her lands. In March of 1750 Elizabeth ordered to elect Kyrylo Rozumovskyi (1728 - 1803) the new Hetman. He was a brother of Oleksyi. Kyrylo was educated in St. Petersburg, Germany, Italy and France. Being of 17 years old, he got the title of the Count of the Russian Empire.
As soon as he had become the Hetman, Kyrylo Rozumovskiy immediately made Baturyn his residence. He got the right to appoint polkovnyks and distribute lands among his subjects. Kyrylo renewed the tradition of convening the Starshyns' Rada (Congress).
Having taken into account the request of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi, the Empress Elizabeth forbade an enserfment of the Ukrainian people.
Kyrylo made that affairs of Ukraine directed not to the Senate, as it had been, but to the Board of Foreign Affairs. Between 1760 and 1763 he had provided the judicial reform, dividing the power into the executive and judicial power branches. The highest judicial instance was the General Court, consisting of two general judges and representatives, each of which was elected by his Cossack regiment. K. Rozumovskyi made some reforms in the army and education system. All the Cossacks got the same weapons (rifle, saber, and spear) and uniform (blue coat with red collar), white trousers and colourful hats. In the each regiment a drilling was introduced. The artillery was improved. The schools were opened only for teaching children of the Cossacks. The Hetman also was going to open Universities in Kyiv and Baturyn. First of all, he updated the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In 1761 the Empress Elizabeth died. In 1762 Catherine II ascended the throne of the Russian Empire. She proposed Kyrylo Rozumovskyi to renounce the Hetman mace. When Kyrylo Rozumovskyi had done it, he got the high rank of the Field-Marshal-General and a number of new estates. On November 10, 1764 the royal decree on the liquidation of Hetman's power in Ukraine was issued. The next years, K. Rozumovskyi used to live in the Russian capital or abroad. Only in 1794 he returned to Baturyn, where he died in 1803. His body was buried in the Voskresenska Church, in Baturyn [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].The second Little Russian Collegiate (1764 - 1786). After the liquidation of the Hetmanate in 1764 the Crown introduced in Ukraine the second Little Russian Collegiate headed by Earl P. Rumiantsev (1764 - 1786). The Collegiate consisted of four Ukrainians and four Russians. Catherine II strongly recommended P. Rumiantsev to destroy all the remains of Ukrainian autonomy, to enserf peasants in order, to increase the rate of taxes, which were paid by the Ukrainian peasants [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The folding of Sloboda Ukrainian autonomy. In 1765 year the State authorities replaced Cossack regiments by the five regular hussar units of the Russian army in Sumy, Okhtyrka, Kharkiv, Ostrohozhsk and Izium [32].
In 1765 the Tsarist government created the Slobodian-Ukrainian governorate (province, Russian: guberniya). In 1780 it was transformed into Kharkiv vicegerency [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The Russian Empire and the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The Tsarist government forbade Zaporozhian Cossacks to elect the Otaman. However, the Cossacks had elected the Otaman Petro Kalnyshevskyi several times, against the will of the Empress. She was not able to force them to obey because of the strength of Sich, the Cossack fortress at the Dnieper Rapids. In order to weaken the economy and isolate Zaporozhian Cossacks, the Russian ruler surrounded Sich by the administrative-territorial regions and military districts. In 1752, at Zaporozhian lands between the Siniukha River and the Dnieper, the New Serbia was created. The next year in the southern Potava region, Donetsk and Luhansk Slavo-Serbia was established.
The New Serbia and Slavo-Serbia were rented to refugees, who had fled from the Ottoman Empire - the Serbs, the Hungarians, the Moldavians, the Greeks and the Bulgarians. Several thousand of the Russians and the Ukrainians were also settled there. The settlers of new districts used Zaporozhian fields, forest and fish lands. Sometimes it led to violent clashes between them and the Cossacks.
The traditional trade of the Cossacks with Crimean salt and other southern products was significantly limited. The Tsarist Government surrounded Zaporozhian Sich by five large regiments. They all were prepared for attack.
Only the outbreak of war with Turkey in 1768 saved Sich. In 1769 the Cossacks and the local settlers prevented the invasion of the Turkish army into Ukraine. In summer the Cossacks defeated Turkish-Tatar troops on the Northern Black Sea.
the Cossacks, having joined with Russian hussars, also raided the settlements at the mouth of the Danube. The Black Sea Fleet of the Cossacks won the battle with a Turkish squadron at the Dnieper. In 1770 the Cossack fleet led by the colonel Tretiak defeated another Turkish squadron on the Black Sea [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].The Cossacks courageously participated in capturing the town of Bendery, in battles for the town of Zhurzhu, in battles for the towns of Tulcha and Isakchu, and etc. By their courage the Cossacks became such famous in the Russian army that some Russian millitary officers began to call themselves the Cossacks.
The decisive military actions were in 1774, when army under the command of Alexander Suvorov defeated the enemy in the battle of Bazardzhyk, blocked Silistria fortress and Ruschuk, crossed the Balkans and threatened Constantinople (Istanbul). The Turkish government was forced to capitulate.
According to the Kuchuk-Kaynardzhy Treaty (1774), Turkey and Russia recognized the independence of the Crimean Khanate. Only in religion, the Khanate still was the subject of Turkish Sultan. Russia got the land between the Dnieper and the Southern Buh, but a small coastal strip around Ochakiv. Russia received the right to free trade in the Black Sea and the territorial possessions elsewhere on the Northern Black Sea coast and Azov coast [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The liquidation of Zaporozhian Sich (1775) and the last Cossacks. At the last stage of the war with Turkey the Russian government started a policy of complete destruction of Zaporozhian. On April 23, 1775 it was
decided to destroy Sich. In 1775 New Sich (Pidpilnenska) was ruined by the Russian army, which was coming from the Khanate.
The Cossack Military Secretary Ivan Hloba was exiled in Tura, and the Cossack Military Judge Pavel Holovatii was sent to Tobolsk Monastery. The last Cossack Otaman Petro Kalnyshevskyi (1691 - 1803) was imprisoned in a cell of the Solovki monastery. There he had been a prisoner till 1801, when the Emperor Alexander I officially forgave him. However, Petro Kalnyshevskyi remained in the monastery, where he died, being 112 years old.
Many Cossacks fled to the Ochakiv territory, a part of Turkey. In 1788 the Russian Government maned the Cossacks into the so-called "Army of the loyal Cossacks" (Armiya Vernykh Kozakov), later renamed the Black Sea Cossack Host. The Host kept the old Cossacks' orders: the election of starshyna members, the Host was divided into kurins (barracks and army units), the Cossack Rada and so on.
Having the permission of authorities, the Cossacks elected their Otaman Sydir Bilyi, the Military Clerk - Anton Holovatyi.
Some Cossacks went at the mouth of the Danube and there founded the Zadunaiska Sich, which internal structure copied system of the Nova Sich plundered in 1775 [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The folding of Ukrainian autonomy. In 1781 Catherine II abolished the regimental system of Hetmanshchyna. In 1783 she declared the royal decree on the enserfment of peasants of the Left-Bank Ukraine and the Sloboda Ukraine. In 1785, Catherine II issued the "Grant Letter for the nobility", which gave the Ukrainian starshyna the same rights as the Russian nobility had [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
Koliivshchyna uprising (1768). Meanwhile, in the Polish Right-Bank Ukraine a hard serfdom caused so-called the Haidamak movement that spread over the lands of Volhynia, western Podillia, Kyiv region and Bratslavshchyna.
Polish noblemen called the rebels Haidamaks (from the Turkish "haida" - to chase). In 1768 Haidamaks started the uprising known as "Koliivshchyna" (from the word kil - a stake; koloty - to stab). The leaders of the rebels were the Uman sotnyk Ivan Honta and the Cossack Maksym Zalizniak. In June of 1768 Russia began to assist Poland. Very soon Zalizniak and Honta were taken. The Koliyivshchyna was suppressed in spring of 1769. Honta was tortured and quartered by the Poles. They nailed his head to the gates of Mohyliv. M. Zalizniak and 250 Haidamaks were exiled by the Russians to Siberia [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
The movement of Opryshky. Meanwhile in the Hungarian Carpathians, which were governed by Hungary and in Bukovyna, which was a part of Moldavia, another movement started. The rebels were known as Opryshky (from the Latin word "oppressor" - the destroyer). The using of the name opryshky dates back to 1529. The most famous leaders of this movement are considered to be Vysochan (1648), Olexa Dovbush (1738 - 1745), Baiurak and Boichuk (the end of the 18th century) [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 24; 28; 30; 32; 34; 38; 39].
Questions
1. What were the main political ideas of Pylyp Orlyk?
2. Describe the relations between Hetmanshchyna and the Russian Empire in the first half of the 18th century.
3. Why did the Russian Government liquidate the autonomy of Hetman- shchyna?
4. Why did the Russian Government liquidate Zaporozhian Sich?
5. Describe the features of the national-liberation and anti-serfdom movement in Ukraine of the 18th century.
Module 2. Ukraine in the Modern and Recent Periods (the 19th - the Early 21st Centuries)