- Maxym Kryvonis
Maksym Olshansky (aka "Crook-nose", Kryvonis, or Perebyinis) (???? - 1648) one of the
Cossack leaders ofKhmelnytsky Uprising . In the first stage of the uprising he was the leader of the most radical fraction of the rebels who rejected all compromises with thePolish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and wanted to drive allCatholics andJews out ofUkraine .Origins
The question about his origins remains unresolved. Polish pamphlet published in 1648 states that he was a serf of the
Nemyrych family [ Документы об освободительной войне украинского народа 1648-1654 г.г., Киев, Наукова Думка, 1965, p.70: "Nie gniewajac na siebie wlasnego dziedzica... cnego Niemierzyca" "Do not make your master, honorable Nemyrych, angry".] (a hypothesis favoured by Soviet historiography). However, a German source about a meeting with Kryvonis in 1648 says that he is of Scottish origin ("ein gebohrenen Schott") [Дмитро НАЛИВАЙКО "ОЧИМА ЗАХОДУ: Рецепція України в Західній Європі XI-XVIII ст.", КИЇВ — «Основи» — 1998, http://litopys.org.ua/ochyma/ochrus4.htm. German anonimous pamphlet "On the new rebellion of Cossacks against Poland", 1649, possibly by polish general of German origin Christopher Houvaldt. D.Nalyvayko, however, is sceptical on the matter of Scottish origins of Kryvonis. ] In this case his real name may well have been not a nickname based on his crooked or broken nose, but a translation of his Scottich family name Cameron.Khmelnytsky Uprising
Kryvonis was one of the most effective generals of the Uprising. He was awarded the rank of
colonel ofCherkasy Regiment . His actions in Korsun and Pylyavtsi battles in 1648 led to crushing Cossack victories over the Polish armies. His actions against princeJeremi Wiśniowiecki atMakhnivka andStarokostyantyniv were less successful.Kryvonis earned a reputation among the Poles and Jews for wanton cruelty as the rebels under his leadership perpetrated serious atrocities.
Also there are different accounts of Kryvonis's demise: killed (shot) during the siege of
Lviv , assassinated (poisoned) by Jesuits, killed by orders ofBogdan Khmelnytsky , or -- most probably -- perished of plague during the siege ofZamość in 1648.In Pop Culture
Kryvonis (Polish: "Maksym Krzywonos") was also a character in
With Fire and Sword , a novel byNobel -winning 19th century Polish authorHenryk Sienkiewicz . In the 1999 movie based on the novel he was played byMaciej Kozłowski .References
External links
* [http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/printable_article?art_id=65705996 Article on the Ukrainian Government Portal]
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