cossacks

[sjoyce]

I am curious. When the Cossack people were disbanded, any idea of where they moved to within Ukraine? Did they actually disband or was this something that happened over time? Am looking for a good, history if these interesting people.
Thanks
Joyce

[dobko]

The term Cossacks (Ukrainian: Козаки́, Kozaki; Russian: Каза́ки́, Kazaki; Polish: Kozacy) is applied to specific militaristic communities of various ethnicities living in the steppe regions of Ukraine and also southern Russia.

Towards the end of the 14th century, Ukrainian migrants from Lithuania had established a "host" in the Steppes of Ukraine. In the 16th century, the Don Cossacks established another host in southern Russia.

The Dnipro Cossacks of Ukraine formed the Zaporozhian Sich. Initially a vassal of Poland-Lithuania, the increasing social and religious pressure from the Commonwealth caused them to proclaim a Cossack Hetmanate, initiating a rebellion under Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the mid-17th century. Afterwards, the Treaty of Pereyaslavl with Russia signalled the start of the Commonwealth's decline but also brought Ukraine under Russian control for the next three hundred years.

The Don Cossack Host, allied with the Tsardom of Russia, began a systematic conquest and colonization of lands to secure her borders on the Volga, the whole of Siberia, the Yaik and the Terek Rivers.

In the 18th century the rising Russian Empire's expansionist ambitions relied on ensuring the loyalty of Cossacks, which caused tension with their traditional independent lifestyle. This resulted in rebellions led by Stenka Razin, Kondraty Bulavin and Yemelyan Pugachev. In extreme cases whole Hosts could be dissolved, as was the fate of the Zaporozhian Sich in 1775. By the end of the 18th century, Cossacks became a special social estate (sosloviye), they served as border guards on national and internal ethnic borders (as was in the case in the Caucasus War) and regularly supplied men to conflicts such as the numerous Russo-Turkish Wars. In return they enjoyed vast social autonomy. This caused them to form a stereotypical portrayal of 19th century Russian Empire abroad and her government domestically.

During the Russian Civil War Cossack regions became the main centres for the Anti-Bolshevik White movement, a portion of whom would form the White emigration. At the hands of the Red Army and after its victory, the Cossack lands were subjected to famine, and suffered extensive repressions that were relaxed only in the mid-1930s. During the Second World War Cossacks fought for both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. After the Collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cossack lifestyle blossomed in Russia. Many fought in post-Soviet conflicts and there are special units in the Russian Military wholly made of them. Cossacks also have a parallel civil administration and police duties in their homelands and are now an integral part of Russian society. There are also Cossack organizations in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other countries.

Cossacks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Ak-Murza]

You forgot to mention that Cossaks hosts(Voisko) were pure democracies.At least until allying with Russian Empire,but saved some freedoms even than,such as elections of their own officials(atamans).

[bm-21Lemko]

during the Poland-Lithuanian commonwealth the ruthenians were often referred to as cossacks. The cossacks in the union mostly defended against ottoman raids.

So i believe cossacks are considered as a ethnic group as well as a band of soldiers. Hopefully someone can correct me on the matter?

[dobko]

I would have to say you are correct........

The Principality of Ruthenia (Red Ruthenian: Ruśke Knjaziwstwo, Ruthenian: Kniastwa Ruskaje, Polish: Księstwo Ruskie) was a Ruthenian state established in 1658. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth borders shifted with various wars and treaties, sometimes several times in a decade, especially in the eastern and southern regions. The Principality of Ruthenia was planned at various times. Following the death of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1657), the new Cossack commander Ivan Vyhovsky decided to renew allegiance to the Polish Commonwealth and to break with the Treaty of Pereyaslav. The result of this decision was the conclusion of the Treaty of Hadiach, which established the Great Principality of Ruthenia as a third entity alongside the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish Crown lands, within the Commonwealth. The agreement nullified the Union of Brest within the territory of the Principality of Ruthenia. The creation of Principality of Ruthenia, proposed in the 1658 Treaty of Hadiach was intended to be a full member of the Commonwealth, which would thereupon become a tripartite Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth.


The specific features of the Treaty of Hadiach were:

creation of The Principality of Ruthenia or The Grand Principality of Ruthenia (Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Ruskie) from Chernihiv Voivodeship, Kiev Voivodeship and Bratslav Voivodeship (The Cossack negotiators had originally demanded that Ruthenian Voivodeship, Wołyń Voivodeship, Bełz Voivodeship, Podole Voivodeship, Pińsk Voivodeship, Starodub Voivodeship, and Owrucz Voivodeship be included as well), which would be governed by a Cossack ataman, elected for life from among four candidates presented by the Cossacks and confirmed by the King of Poland;
creation of parallel Ruthenian offices, tribunal, academy (Kiev's Orthodox Collegium would be raised to the status of an academy; a second Orthodox higher institution of learning would be founded; and as many schools and printing presses "as were necessary" would be established), a judicial system, treasury and mint as existed in Poland and Lithuania (see Offices in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth);
the Principality would be connected with the Commonwealth by the common king. There would be only one national parliament (Sejm) and one foreign policy;
admission to the Senate of Poland of Orthodox ecclesiastic members: the Archbishop (metropolita) of Kiev and other Orthodox bishops (of Lutske, Lviv, Peremyshl, Kholm, and Mstsislau) and elevation of the Orthodox religion and Church to the same level as Catholicism. No Uniate monasteries or churches were to be built in the Principality - the Union of Brest would be dissolved on the territory of The Principality of Ruthenia;
ennoblement of Cossack elders (Cossack starshyna). Each year the ataman would recommend to the king 1,000 Cossacks to receive a patent of hereditary nobility, and up to 100 Cossacks in each military regiment could be personally-ennobled as well.
establishment of a Cossack army, in the form of the Cossack register of 30,000. The officers of these forces would be elected by their own members. The Cossacks' own forces would be supplemented by 10,000 regular mercenaries, paid from public taxes. No other Commonwealth troops were to be allowed in Rus' without the consent of the Cossack hetman, except in the event of war, and then they would come under the Cossack hetman's command;
return of land and property to Commonwealth nobility (szlachta), which had been confiscated by Cossacks after the 1648 Khmelnytsky Uprising;
a general anmesty for previous crimes would be decreed.


source Principality of Ruthenia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Lvivske]

cossack was an evolution upon the ruthenian

eventually, around when the khmelnytsky uprising came about, the ruthenian elites became poles and converted/assimilated, and those who opposed left to become cossacks

as far as ethnic group goes....its more of a nationality. they were ethnically ruthenian but once they left the PLC they joined the cossack nation, as it were.

don and kuban cossacks sometimes put themselves down as a separate ethnic group in Russia today. to do this they need to be actively in service in cossack military host, or a family member.

[bm-21Lemko]

Originally Posted by Lvivske

cossack was an evolution upon the ruthenian

eventually, around when the khmelnytsky uprising came about, the ruthenian elites became poles and converted/assimilated, and those who opposed left to become cossacks

as far as ethnic group goes....its more of a nationality. they were ethnically ruthenian but once they left the PLC they joined the cossack nation, as it were.

don and kuban cossacks sometimes put themselves down as a separate ethnic group in Russia today. to do this they need to be actively in service in cossack military host, or a family member.

ruthenian meaning present day ukrianian.