Theme 5. The Ukrainian Lands under the Rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the Second Half of the 16th - the First Half of the 17th Centuries)

The purpose of the theme is to give an idea of Ukraine under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the role of the Lublin Union and the Brest Union in the history of Ukraine, and the importance of the Cossack Host.

This theme covers the following main topics: the Union of Lublin (1569) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; Ukraine under Polish authority; the situation of the Orthodox Christians; the Religious Union of Brest (1596); the Orthodox Church brotherhoods; the Ukrainian Cossacks; the Zaporo-zhian Sich; the Registered Cossacks; the first Cossack uprisings; the Co-ssack seafaring activities; the Cossacks and the wars of Poland; the Cossack uprising led by Marko Zhmailo; the revolt under the Hetman Taras Triasylo; "The articles for calming of Russian people"; the Cossack revolts of 1635 and 1637; the "Ordinance for Zaporozhian Registered Host that Serves the Commonwealth"; the Cossack revolt of 1638.

The Union of Liublin (1569) and the Polish-Lithuanian Common­wealth. In 1529 the ruler of Poland and Lithuania Sygmunt the Old inspired Sejm (so was called the meeting of Polish and Lithuanian nobles) to elect his son Sygmunt-August as the King of Poland. In 1548 Sygmunt the Old died and his son actually inherited the throne of Lithuania. However, at the same time Lithuania kept itself independent from Poland. The Lithuanians had their own Law, army, coinage, court and Sejm, which had the right to elect Grand Prince of Lithuania. Also Lithuanian nobles mostly occupied offices of their Principality and had the largest part of lands in Lithuania and Ukraine [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

On the contrary, Lithuanian nobles tended to make new Union with Poland because of need to defend their landholdings from Moscow aggres­sion. In turn, Polish szlachta (the nobles of Poland) too wanted the Union, desiring to possess the Ukrainian lands.

Thus, on the 1^st of July of 1596 in Liublin at the meeting of Lithuanian and Polish nobles the Union of the both States was proclaimed. The Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rzeczpospolita) was created. According to the Union treaty, nobles of Lithuania and Poland were able to elect the King of Poland, who meantime was the Grand Prince of Lithuania. Parliament (Sejm) had to be gathered from the Lithuanians and the Poles. This Sejm limited the powers of the King.

The Sejm was responsible for making laws, and taxes or armies could not be raised without its assent. To the extent that the Commonwealth had a constitutional government, an elected monarchy, and relatively broad political representation (approximately 10 % of the population could vote for the Sejm), it was a rather progressive system. The Commonwealth was a major force in European politics. It was the largest territorial State in Europe. It included virtually all territories of the modern-day Ukraine, except for the southern regions that were ruled by the Ottomans or their Crimean Tatar allies.

The Liublin Union provided single currency. Single for the both States too was their foreign policy.

The Lithuanians and the Poles got the right to hold lands both in Poland and in Lithuania. The seal, coat-of-arms, finances, administration and army were left separating for each of both States. Also Lithuania kept the Ruthenian language as the official one [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

Ukraine under the Polish authority. According to the Union of Liublin, all Ukrainian lands were passed under the authority of Poland. The Polish administration established three new Voivodeships there: Volhynia Voivode­ship (capital: Lutsk), Bratslav Voivodeship (capital: Bratslav) and Kyivan Voivodeship (capital: Kyiv). There had already been Russian Voivodeship (capital: Lviv), Belz Voivodeship (capital: Belz), Podillia Voivodeship (capital: Kamianets). Ukraine was divided into six administrative territories governed by Polish voivodes.

The situation of the Orthodox Christians. In Ukraine, probably since the Union of Krevo (1385) Catholic Polish and Lithuanian nobles had owned Orthodox churches and monasteries. The owners often leased these Christian temples. They also bought, sold and gave away the Ukrainian Orthodox churches. For example, the Polish King and the Grand Lithuanian Duke Sigmunt the Old gave some churches of Kyiv to the noble named Dyagilevych in order to repay a debt. Also in the 16^th century the King often used to sell the titles of the Orthodox bishops to secular persons. Of course, all the above-mentioned dishonoured the Holy Greek Church.

In addition, Orthodox Christians suffered due to the Polish adminis­tration prohibiting them having buildings in every town centre. Only the Catholic could be a master of Guild [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The Religious Union of Brest (1596). In the meantime Jesuits propa­gandized the notion of uniting Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Given the Orthodox Church was in a deep crisis, some Orthodox priests were inclined to support the Jesuits' ideas. In 1595 Orthodox bishops Hypatius Potii (from Volodymyr-Volynskyi) and Kyrylo Terletskyi (from Lutsk) initiated the secret negotiations with the Polish King Zygmunt III (1566 - 1632) and the Pope for the Religious Union. The next year in Brest the Union was declared by the council of Catholics and some Orthodox bishops. The new Church known as the Greek-Catholic (or Uniate) Church was created. It recognized the power of the Pope and dogmas of the Catholic Faith. Meanwhile, it kept the Orthodox ceremonies and the Church-Slavonic language as one of the divine service. Uniate priests had to be freed from paying taxes. Uniate nobles got guarantees, that they would occupy State offices, and Uniate burghers (town dwellers) got the same professional rights, which Catholic burghers had till the moment of the Brest Union (1596).

The Orthodox Church brotherhoods. In Ukraine the so-called Church brotherhoods activated their work having the purpose of defense of the Orthodox. Among them one could define Lviv brotherhood named Uspenske, Lutsk brotherhood named Chesnohresne, Kyiv brotherhood named Bogoiav- lenske, etc. For the most part, the members of the brotherhoods were burghers (citizens). The brotherhoods watched for ornaments of the Orthodox temples, carried for sick persons and invalids. The members of brotherhoods used to organize the Orthodox holidays - "Kanoons" (Eves). Due to the time they began to send the petitions to Polish courts and even to the King of Poland. These petitions contained the demands to defend Orthodoxy. On the other hand, the brotherhoods established brother schools. Obviously, the schools of Lviv and Kyiv were the most famous ones. In 1586 the Patriarch of Antioch Joakim allowed Lviv brotherhood to make excommunication of those Orthodox parishioners and priests, who conduct themselves immorally [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The Ukrainian Cossacks. At the end of the 15^th century in the Left­Bank Ukraine the new group of the Ukrainian people, the Cossacks, emer­ged. The first evidence about them dates back to 1489. In historical sources they are called the Cossacks. The name derived from the Turkic word "qazaq", which seems to be used since 1303 for the defining of a guard. They used to live along the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, in the so-called Wild Field (dyke pole) along the periphery of Poland-Lithuania, Moscovy, and the Crimean Khanate. The group of the Cossacks consisted of former serfs, religious refugees, disaffected noblemen and common criminals. These men turned to hunting, fishing, and gathering a honey, horse-trading and some small-scale farming to supplement their livings.

Zaporozhian Sich. The formation of the Ukrainian Cossack Host came in 1556, when the marchlord Dmytro Vyshnevetskyi, alias Baida, organized the Cossacks to build Sich, or Kosh (fort). This fort was located on Khortytsa island on the lower Dnieper. But in 1557 the Tatars ruined this fort. In the 1560s D. Vyshnevetskyi was taken by the the Turks and put to death in Istanbul. After his death the Cossacks founded new Sich, on the Dnieper island Tomakivka. This one was until 1593. In 1593 - 1638 Sich was on the Dnieper island Bazavluk. Since 1580s the term "Sichovi¹' Cossacks had been used [39].

The Cossacks called their territory the Lands of Army Zaporozhian or the Liberties of Army Zaporozhian (literally, army located beyond the rapids). The Cossacks abandoned informal vataha association for more uniform organization in decuries (desiatky), centuries (sotni) and corps (polky or palanky) of three to five centuries. Each polk consisted of 6 - 7 kurins. "Kurin" is a common term used by the Cossacks for defining their barracks. Actually, Cossack Kosh (or Sich) could have up to 38 kurins. This Sich had its own assembly (called a rada, the modern Ukrainian term for parliament) and from time to time elected its own ruler, or the Hetman (also called Koshovyi Otaman). The Cossack assembly also elected officers (starshyna): a judge (suddia), a clerk (pysar), a warden (osavul; he was responsible for the fortifi­cations of Sich), the officer (oboznyi) was responsible for gunnery and orga­nization of army in a major campaign [39].

The main artifacts-symbols of power were flag (khoruhva), mace (bulava), seal (pechatka), threestick (bunchuk), kettle-drum (Iytavry), small mace (pyrnach) [39].

Registered Cossacks. The rule of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth tried to restrict number of the Cossacks by implying the registration.

During the 16^th century the Cossack group was differentiated, split into the rich and the poor (siroma) [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The first Cossack uprisings. In the late 16^th century the Cossacks and peasants revolted against the authority of the Poles, serfdom and the Catholic Faith. In 1591 the Hetman Kryshtof Kosynsky had a conflict with Yanush Ostrozkyi, the starosta of the town Bila Tserkva. Ostrozkyi seized Kosynsky's manor at the Ross River. In return, Kosynsky with Cossacks took the Bila- Tserkva castle. It was the beginning of the first Cossack rebellion, which lasted from 1591 to 1593. In the revolt, besides Cossacks, burghers and peasants took part. The revolt spread over Kyiv region, Volhynia, Bratslav region and Podillia. The rebels were crushed at Piatka near Zhytomyr. In 1593, K. Kosynsky was killed, when he had been besieging Cherkasy.

Shortly after, the uprising was started under the leading of a centurion of starosta Ostrozkyi. The leader had a name Severyn Nalyvaiko. Between 1594 and 1596 the Cossacks and peasants led by him ruined nobles' manors in Kyiv region, Volhynia, Bratslav region, Podillia and a part of Polissia. After the battle with the Poles in the tract of Hostryi Kamin, near Kyiv, the rebels retreated to Pereiaslav. In 1596 in the tract of Solonytsia, near Lubny, they fell in surrounding and suffered defeat. Severyn Nalyvaiko was behea-ded in Warsaw.

In 1597 the Warsaw Sejm declared that all the Cossacks were "the ene­mies of the State", that is why they all had to be killed [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The Cossack seafaring activities. While rebelling against the Polish authority, the Cossacks defended Ukraine from the Tatars and the Turks. The beginning of the 17^th century is the time of the Cossack seafaring activities against Ottoman ports. In the spring and summer of 1589 the Cossacks seized a Turkish merchant vessel nearby the port of Kozlov. Then, 800 - 1500 Cossacks led by the Otaman Zakhar Kulaha robbed Kozlov and freed a lot of Ukrainian prisoners. In 1599 Zaporozhian Cossacks elected Samiilo Kishka the Hetman. Between 1603 and 1604 the Cossacks led by him sailed across the Black Sea and ruined three Turkish towns. In 1606 they robbed Akerman, Kiel and Varna. Also there were seized ten Turkish galleys with rich goods. In the sea battle of Ochakiv the Cossacks defeated Turkish patrol. In 1608, 3 000 Cossacks led by the Koshovyi Otaman Mykhailo Naimanovych took Perekop, Izmail (Ishmael), Kilia (Kiel) and Akerman. There they freed a lot of Ukrainian captives. In 1614 the Cossacks plundered Sinop, in the coast of the Asia Minor. In 1615 they landed near Istanbul and robbed its outskirts. On their way home, they crushed Turkish squadron near Danube. In this battle Turkish admiral was taken prisoner. In 1616 the Cossacks led by the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi seized Kaffa, in Crimea, and freed many Ukrainians. Kaffa was well-known due to its slave markets. In the same year in Asia Minor Trebizond was taken too and its slave-markets were ruined by the Cossacks [6; 8; 16].

The Cossacks and the wars of Poland. When in 1618 the Poles were fighting with the Russians for Moscow, Petro Sahaidachnyi led 20 000 Cossacks to Moscow in order to help the Poles. This Polish-Moscow war (1612 - 1619) was successful for Poland. In 1619 the Daulin Treaty was signed. Poland was given Smolensk and Chernihiv-Siversk region. These were the lands, which had been lost by Lithuania at the beginning of the 16^th century.

In 1621 Turkey proclaimed Poland war due to the sea raids of the Cossacks, who were considered to be the subjects of Poland, and Polish in­terference into Moldavian affairs. In 1620 in Moldavia, near Lasi, on the fields of Cecora, Turkish army led by Iskander-Pasha crushed Polish forces led by Polny Koronny Hetman Stanislaw Zholkiewski. In this battle Zholkiewski was killed [6; 8].

After the defeat the Polish government asked the Cossacks for help. In return, the Poles promised to increase the Registry and to not persecute the Orthodox Christians. In 1621 Petro Sahaidachnyi gathered nearly 40 000 Cossacks and, joining with Polish army, went to Khotyn fortress, in Bukovyna. There was a greate battle with Turks, after which the Polish-Turkish treaty was signed. The next year Petro Sahaidachnyi died because of wounds he had got in the Khotyn battle [6; 8].

The next after him Olifer Holub was elected the Hetman by the Cossack Rada. Under him Cossacks went by sea to Anatolia and Istanbul to rob its outskirts and free Ukrainian captives. At the same time, O. Holub kept in Registry above 40 000 Cossacks, who had been hired in the previous Khotyn campaign. Holub refused to reduce their number to 2 000 - 3 000, as it was demanded by the Poles. However, in 1623, fulfilling the demands of the Polish government, the Cossack Rada replaced Olifer Holub by Mykhailo Doroshenko. The latter reduced the number of registered Cossacks to 2 000 - 3 000. The rest men were sent by him to Zaporozhian Sich, where the Polish administration had not power actually. Under M. Doroshenko the Cossacks continued their seafaring activity against Turks in the Black Sea. This escalated the Polish-Turkish relations because Turks considered the Cossacks as subjects of Poland. Meanwhile, virtually, the Cossacks made their own policy [6; 8].

The Cossack uprising led by Marko Zhmailo. In 1625 Polish govern­ment sent against Zaporozhian Sich Stanislaw Koniecpolski at the head of great army. The Poles demanded Cossacks became peasants. In turn, a lot of Cossacks revolted having been electing Marko Zhmailo their Hetman. The Cossacks had battles with the Poles at Kaniv and, then, at Kurukove Lake, near Kremenchuk. While fighting at Kurukove Lake, The Cossack Rada voted for replacing Marko Zhmailo by Mykhailo Doroshenko. The new Hetman signed the treaty with Poles. This Kurukiv Treaty declared that registered Cossacks had to number 6 000, other Cossacks had to become peasants. 1 000 registered Cossacks had to guard Sich and not to let non-Cossacks there. Cossacks also promised to make no enmity against Turks and Tatars. In 1625 six corps of registered Cossacks were created: Bilotserkivskyi, Kanivskyi, Korsunskyi, Pereiaslavskyi, Cherkaskyi and Chy-hyrynskyi. Each of them had 1 000 Cossacks and was divided into 10 centuries. The registered Hetman had to be elected by the Cossack Rada and approved by the Polish King. In this way Hryhoryi Chornyi was made the Hetman soon after M. Doroshenko had died [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The revolt under the Hetman Taras Triasylo. Meanwhile, only a part of starshyna was rejoicing of the Kurukiv Treaty. Many non-registered Co­ssacks did not want to be peasants as it was prescribed by the Treaty. In 1630 10 000 Cossacks rebelled and elected their own Hetman Taras Fedo- rovych, alias Triasylo. The rebels took Korsun, Kaniv and some other towns. They entered into Pereiaslav. Soon after Polish army come there too. In this battle the Cossacks were winning when a part of their starshyna elected new Hetman the Cossack named Anton Konashevych-But. He began the negotiations with Poles. During these negotiations he was also replaced by another Hetman Tymosh Orendarenko. This Hetman signed the Treaty with the Poles in Pereiaslav. According to the Pereiaslav Treaty, the number of registered Cossacks increased up to 8 000. Other Cossacks were pardoned and they had to return under ruling of the Poles. The guard in Sich increased up to 2 000 registered Cossacks [3; 5; 6; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

"The articles for calming the Russian people". Shortly after the re­bellion, in 1633 Polish Sejm accepted "The articles for calming the Russian people", which permitted the Orthodox Church. It was the victory of Cos­sacks, most of whom always demanded for the Orthodox Faith [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The Cossack revolts of 1635 and 1637. In 1635, near the first rapid of the Dnieper, the Poles built the Kodak fortress (architect Frenchman Guilla­ume Levasseur de Boplan), having purpose to close Sich for non-Cossacks. However, in the same year Cossacks led by Ivan Sulyma took the fortress and ruined its part. Later on, Sulyma was taken and put by the Poles to death. In 1637 Cossacks again revolted. Their leader was Pavlo Pavliuk (alias But). The rebels were crushed by Poles at Kumeiky. P. Pavliuk (But) was executed in Warsaw [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 12; 14; 16; 17; 23; 30; 32; 38].

"The Ordinance for Zaporozhian Registered Host that Serves the Commonwealth". In 1638 the Polish-Lithuanian Sejm voted for "The Ordinance for Zaporozhian Registered Host that Serves the Commonwealth". This Act reduced the number of registered Cossacks to 6 000 men. They could live only in border towns Cherkasy, Chyhyryn and Korsun. The "Ordinance..." banned the Cossack judiciary. The Cossacks also could not elect their starshyna without the permission of a State commissioner. Under the penalty of death nobody could live at the rapids of the Dnieper. Two corps of registered Cossacks and the Poles had to guard Zaporozhian Sich constantly [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

The Cossack revolt of 1638. Shortly after the voting of "The Coordination...", Cossacks led by Yakiv Ostrianyn, Dmytro Hunia and Karpo Skydan revolted again, defeating the Poles in battle of the Govtva River (Poltava, in Left-Bank Ukraine) and besieging Lubny (Poltava). Unfortunately, the Cossacks were beaten in the battle of Zhovnyn. K. Skydan was taken prisoner and put to death. Y. Ostryanyn with cavalry retreated to Slobozhan- shchyna (the Northern-Eastern Ukrainian region, which included modern Kharkiv region). Other Cossacks led by Dmytro Hunia had hard battle with the Poles in the tract Starets, at the mouth of Sula River (modern Sumska Oblast). Later on, they retreated to behind the rapids of the Dnieper [3; 5; 6; 7; 10; 14; 16; 17; 23; 28; 30; 32; 38].

Questions

1. What consequences did the Lublin Union have for the Ukrainian lands?

2. What were the terms of the Religious Union of Brest?

3. What consequences did the Union of Brest have for the Ukrainian people?

4. Why did the Cossack Host appear?

5. Was Zaporozhian Sich a republic or a military settlement? Name the Cossack authorities.

6. What role did Zaporozhian Sich play in the history of Ukraine?

7. Why were the Cossacks' and peasants' uprisings supressed by the Poles?