Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks

The group of Ukrainian cossack leaders.

Five hryvnia Ukrainian banknote depicting Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky

Ten hryvnia banknote depicting Hetman Ivan Mazepa

Historical map of Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate and territory of Zaporozhian Cossacks under rule of Russian Empire (1751).

Hetman of Ukrainian Cossacks as a title was not officially recognized internationally until the creation of the Ukrainian Hetmanate. With the creation of Registered Cossacks units their leaders were unofficially referred to as hetmans, however officially the title was known as the "Senior (Starshy) of His Royal Mercy of Zaporishian Host".^[1] Therefore before 1648 with the establishment of Cossack Hetmanate there were numerous regional hetmans across the Dnieper Ukraine, who usually were starostas or voivodes.

The first widely recognized hetman of Zaporizhia was Dmytro Vyshnevetsky, however later several Polish starostas were added to the Hetman registry such as Lyantskoronsky and Dashkevych who also led their own cossack formations. According to Hrushevsky they were not really considered as hetman, at least by their contemporaries. Among other such starostas were Karpo Maslo from Cherkasy, Yatsko Bilous (Pereyaslav), Andrushko (Bratslav), and many others. Even Princes Konstanty Ostrogski and Bohdan Hlinski were conducting Cossack raids on Tatar uluses (districts).

The commanders of Zaporozhian Host (the Kosh) often considered as hetmans in fact carried a title of Kosh Otaman. As from 1572^[1] hetman was unofficially name commanders of the Registered Cossack Army (Ukrainian: Реєстрове козацьке військо) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From the 1648 Bohdan Khmelnytsky uprising, Hetman was the title of the head of the Cossack state, the Cossack Hetmanate. Cossack hetmans had very broad powers and acted as supreme military commanders and executive leader (by issuing administrative decrees).

After the split of the territory of Ukraine along the Dnieper River by the Polish-Russian Treaty of Andrusovo 1667, there was an introduction of dual leadership for each bank of Dnieper Ukraine (left and right).

Eventually the state powers of Cossack Hetmans were gradually diminished in 18th century, and finally abolished by Catherine II of Russia in 1764.

Cossack leaders

• Predslav Lyantskoronsky (1506–1512), not an actual hetman, he was a starosta of Khmilnyk
• Ostap Dashkevych (1506–1536), not an actual hetman, he was a starosta in charge of a defense force approved by the Sejm near Cherkasy. Dashkevych offered to create a defense force on the banks of the Lower Dnieper^[2]
• Dmytro Vyshnevetsky (1550–1564), the first recorded Hetman of Zaporizhia, first who created a Cossack garrison at the Nyz Dnieprovski (Lower Dnieper) on the island of Khortytsia in 1552^[3][4]
• Bohdan Ruzhynsky, member of Volhynia princedom, a leader who was sponsored by Moscow^[5]
• Ivan Svirgovsky (1567–1574)
• Ivan Pidkova (1577–1578), leader
• Ivan Orishevsky (1579–1591)
• Bogdan Mikoshinsky (1586–1594)
• Kryshtof Kosynsky (1591–1593), otaman led the 1590 uprising after Janusz Ostrogski confiscated his lands near Bila Tserkva that were awarded to him by the Sejm
• Hryhory Loboda (1593–1596), Hetman of Zaporizhia
• Severyn Nalyvaiko (1596), an Ostrogski recruit who fought against the Kosiński Uprising, led his own uprising in Podolie and Volhynia independent from Hryhory Loboda
  • Lubny massacre, a massacre that was conducted by the Polish army led by Hetman Zolkiewski. After that battle cossack movement was greatly reduced within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

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    • Krempski, Hetman of Zaporizhia, was elected during the siege near Lubny and later managed to escape with a small number of other cossacks
    • Vasylevych, Hetman of Zaporizhia
    • Nechkovsky, Hetman of Zaporizhia
    • Tykhin Baybuza (1597-1598), Hetman of Zaporizhia
    • Samiylo Kishka (1599–1601), Hetman of Zaporizhia, managed to reinstate the rights of cossacks in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
    • Petro Konashevych (Sahaidachny) led successful campaigns against the Tatars and the Turks, aided the Polish army at Moscow in 1618 and at the Battle of Khotyn in 1621. He also saw Cossack interests in the independence of Ukraine from Poland.
    • Mykhailo Doroshenko (1623–1628)
      • Hryhoriy Chorny (1628–1630), elected by Registered Cossacks
      • Taras Fedorovych (1629–1630), elected by unregistered Cossacks
    • Ivan Sulyma (1630–1635)
    • Tomilenko (1635–1637)
    • Savva Kononovych (1637), former Pereyaslav polkovnyk
      • Pavel Mikhnovych, better known as Pavel Pavluk, the leader of 1637 uprising
      • Karp Skydan, Pavlyuk's assistant, headed the 1637 uprising while Pavlyuk returned to Zaporizhia
        • Battle between Moshny and Ros on December 6, 1637
    • Ilyash Karaimovych (1637), Mykola Potocki's appointee of Registered Cossacks, Bohdan Khmelnytsky was appointed a pysar of Karaimovych.
    • Dmytro Hunia (1638), leader in Zaporizhia

    Hetmans

    • Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1648–1657) was the first Hetman of the Cossack Hetmanate, who is credited for ending Poland's control of Ukraine which he placed under the protection of Russia.
    • Ivan Vyhovsky (1657–1659), elected at Starshyna council at first, later confirmed at the Sich council renouncing the hereditary succession
    • Ivan Bezpalyi (1658–1659), was appointed by Moscow in fight against Vyhovsky
    • Yurii Khmelnytsky (1659–1662)
    • Vasyl Zolotarenko (1660–1663) acting hetman until elections and opposition to Khmelnytsky
    • Pavlo Teteria (1663–1665) (in the Right-bank Ukraine)
    • Petro Doroshenko (1665–1672) (in the Right-bank Ukraine)
    • Ivan Briukhovetsky (1663–1668)
    • Demian Mnohohrishny (1669–1672)
    • Mykhailo Khanenko (1669–1674) (in the Right-bank Ukraine)
    • Yurii Khmelnytsky (1678–1681) (in the Right-bank Ukraine)
    • Ivan Samoylovych (1672–1687)
    • Ivan Mazepa (1687–1709) led a failed attempt to win Ukrainian independence from Russia by siding with the Swedes against Peter I of Russia.
    • Pylyp Orlyk Briefly successor of Hetman Ivan Mazepa.
    • Ivan Skoropadsky (1709–1722)
    • Pavlo Polubotok (1722–1724) as Acting Hetman
    • Danylo Apostol (1727–1734)
    • Kyrylo Rozumovsky (1750–1764)

    See also

    • Bulawa
    • Hetmans of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
    • Kosh otaman
    • History of Cossacks
    • Zaporizhian Host
    • Zaporizhian Sich
    • List of Ukrainian rulers

    References

    1. ^ ^{a b} (Ukrainian) Definition of Hetman in the Handbook of the History of Ukraine
    2. ^ Ostap Dashkevych
    3. ^ Hrushevsky, M. Illustrated History of Ukraine. "BAO". Donetsk, 2003. ISBN 9665485717
    4. ^ Dovidnyk z istorii Ukrainy (1st Edition ed.). 1993. http://history.franko.lviv.ua/Iv.htm. Retrieved March 30, 2007. 
    5. ^ Hrushevsky, M. Illustrated History of Ukraine. "BAO". Donetsk, 2003. ISBN 9665485717

    External links

    • Encyclopedia of Ukraine