2020-09-24
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Soon after the death of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Russia started to interfere into Ukrainian affairs more severely, hoping not only to limit Ukraine’s autonomy but to abolish it completely. It was a natural process for such a centralized empire as was Russia. Russia could not tolerate the existence of semi-independent lands on its territory. Ukraine was supposed to be turned with time into one of Russia’s provinces.
Nevertheless, the absorption of the Hetmanate (the name of Ukrainian autonomous territory) into the Russian Empire was a long process. Because the tsarist government needed Ukrainian support during numerous wars against Turkey and Crimea, it was careful not to alienate the “Little Russians” (Malorosy), as they called the Ukrainians.
The practice of electing colonels by Cossacks was stopped; they were appointed now by the Russian government. Many Russian nobles were granted lands in Ukraine by the tsar.[15] The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was placed under the jurisdiction of Moscow patriarchate. The Russian government encouraged the marriage of members of the Ukrainian starshyna with the Russian nobility.
The Liquidation of the Hetmanate
Catherine II finished the work that her predecessors had begun in Ukraine. Although Catherine was German, she became a strict supporter of Russification and centralization.
After the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74 the Crimean Khanate got under Russia’s control. There was no need any more to have the Zaporozhian Sich and the Hetmanate as a barrier against the Tatar-Turkish threat. Thus, the Sich was destroyed in 1775. The despotic nature of the Russian empire could not tolerate such independent institution as the Sich. Catherine II even attempted to wipe the word “Zaporozhian Cossack” from popular memory, as it was a symbol of freedom and disorder. When she announced the liquidation of Sich, she warned that “the use of the word ‘Zaporozhian Cossack’ shall be considered by us as an insult to our imperial majesty”.
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The turn of Ukrainian autonomy (the Hetmanate) came in 1781. In the place of Ukrainian autonomy, three provinces (those of Kiev, Chernigov, and Novhorod-Siversky) were established. These were similar in size and organization to the thirty other provinces of the empire. In 1783 the Ukrainian peasants were enserfed.
The Ukrainian elite, in contrast, benefited from these changes. The peasants were finally placed under its complete control and it was equalized in rights with the Russian nobility. After receiving the status of the Russian nobility the former starshyna was exempted from taxes, from civil service, and from military service. Great career opportunities opened before the new nobles. Some of them even obtained the most influential posts in the imperial government in St Petersburg. For these reasons, the leadership of the former Hetmanate accepted the liquidation of its autonomy without complaints. Ukraine became an ordinary Russian province.
Southern Ukraine (the former Wild Field) was given a new name - Novorossiia (New Russia). Offering cheap land, religious toleration and exemption from military service and taxes, the Russian government attracted people from all over Europe. Many different nationalities settled Novorossiia: Russians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Moldavians, Greeks, Armenians; Jews, and especially Germans.[16]
Questions
1. What were the causes of the Khmelnytskyi uprising?
2. In whose victory were the Tatars interested: in Polish or in Ukrainian?
3. What can you tell about the cruelty of the war?
4. Why did Khmelnytskyi prefer a union with Russia to a union with Turkey?
5. Compare evaluations of Khmelnytskyi by different historians. What negative and positive sides of his activity can you distinguish?
6. Why did the starshyna decide to break the union with Moscow and conclude the Hadiach treaty with Poland?
7. What prevented Vyhovskyi from marching on Moscow after the victory of Konotop?
8. Tell about Vyhovskyi’s mistakes in social policy.
9. Analyze the assessments of Mazepa by Russian and Ukrainian historians and explain the reasons for the differences. Consider positive and negative aspects of Mazepa’s rule.
10. Characterize the period of Ruin.
11. Why did Russia abolish Ukraine’s autonomy?
12. Explain why Moscow tolerated the Zaporozhian Sich till 1775?
13. Why did the Ukrainian starshyna so easily agree to the liquidation of Ukraine’s autonomy?
WORDS AND WORD COMBINATIONS TO TOPIC 3
Uprising – повстання
Serf - кріпак
Sea raids – морські походи
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Prisoner - полонений
To be taken prisoner – взятий в полон
Captivity - полон
Sword - меч
Nobleman, noble – шляхтич, знатна людина
Nobility - знать
Estate - маєток
Rebellion - повстання
Appropriated - привласнити
Abduct – викрасти (жінку, дитину)
Infuriated - розлючений
To take up arms – взятись за зброю
Alliance - союз
Tribute - данина
Famine - голод
Pillage – грабувати, грабунок
Losses - втрати
Oppression – гніт
Rebels – повстанці
Chronicles – хроніки, літописи
Skin alive – зняти шкіру живцем
Suffer - страждати
Troops - війська
Loot - грабувати
Notorious – горезвісний, що має недобру славу
Dweller - мешканець
Descend from – походити від
Magnate - магнат
Torture - тортури
Grisly - жахливий
Corpse - труп
Impale – насаджувати на палю
Principality - князівство
Reign – правити, правління
Hereditary monarchy – спадкова монархія
With varying fortune – з перемінним успіхом
Ally - союзник
Exhaust each other – виснажити одне одного
Expand territories – поширити території
Treaty - договір
To violate the rule – порушити правило
Maintain – підтримувати
To conclude an agreement – заключити договір
Deteriorate - погіршувати
To be on the verge of collapse – бути на межі краху
Circumstances - обставини
To declare war on sb/smth – об’явити війну кому-небудь
Liberate - звільнити
Assessment - оцінка
Traitor - зрадник
Betray - зраджувати
Massacre - різанина
Instigator - підбурювач
Genocide - геноцид
Suit well – цілком підходити
Artificially - штучно
Undermine - підривати
Refrain from – утримуватись від чогось
Consciousness - свідомість
Dignity - гідність
Starshyna – старшина, заможне козацтво
Disgust – відраза, викликати огиду
Concessions - поступки
To take advantage of smth – скористатись чимось
Defeat – поразка, завдавати поразки
Invade – вторгнення, вторгатись
Booty - здобич
Abandon - полишити
Defend – захищати, боронити
Colonel - полковник
Inspire - надихати
Resign – відмовлятись від посади
Envoy - посланець
Serfdom - кріпацтво
Descent – спуск, зниження
Prolonged state of chaos – довгий період хаосу
Contemporaries - сучасники
Devastate – спустошувати, розоряти
Negotiations - переговори
Instigate conflicts – провокувати конфлікти
Outstanding - видатний
Controversial - спірний
Jesuit - єзуїтський
Royal court – королівський двір
Love affair – роман, любовна пригода
Depose – усувати з посади
Associate – товариш, співучасник
Succeed – бути наступником, успадковувати
At the expense of sb – за рахунок кого-небудь
Revenge - помста
Fortified - укріплений
Reign of terror – правління терору
Execute - страчувати
Vaguely - невиразно
Suspected of smth – підозрюваний в чомусь
Excommunicate – відлучити від церкви
Escape – втекти, уникнути
Solemn funeral – урочистий похорон
Justify - виправдати
Interfere into – втручатись в що-небудь
Affairs - справи
Tolerate – бути толерантним, терпимим
Absorption - поглинання
Alienate - відчуження
Appoint – призначати на посаду
Patriarchate - патріархат
Predecessor - попередник
Attempt - спроба
Announce – об’являти, об’ява
Insult – скривджувати, образа
Peasants were enserfed – селяни були закріпачені
Benefit from smth – отримувати вигоду з чогось
To be exempted from taxes – бути звільненим від податків
Obtain - отримувати
[1]In the 17th century Jewish chronicles Khmelnytskyi is called ‘Khmel the Wicked.’ Ukrainian historians say that it was impossible for Khmelnytskyi to keep this large-scale uprising under his control and thus he cannot be blamed for all horrible crimes of that time.
[2] The most notorious executioners of the Jews were the popular Cossack colonels Maksym Kryvonis and Danylo Nechai.
[3] The ethnic composition of his army was predominantly Ukrainian, made up of the nadvirni Cossacks. The same can be said about private armies of other Polonized nobles.
[4] Nero was one of the cruelest Roman emperors. He went down into history as a symbol of extreme cruelty.
[5] This time went down into Polish history as ‘deluge’ (потоп), well described in H. Senkevich’s novels.
[6] Another conflict between Khmelnytskyi and Tsar Alexei was over Belarus. Each of them wanted to attach Belarus to his lands.
[7] During the Ruin the Ottoman Empire captured Ukrainian Podillia and kept it till 1699 when Poland returned it. Muslim cemeteries and mosques in Vinnitsa and Ternopil oblasts still remind of the period of Turkish rule.
[8] Many Ukrainians, especially from the Right Bank, abounded their lands and moved to ‘Sloboda Ukraine’ (present-day Kharkiv and Sumy regions), a territory granted by Russia to Ukrainian settlers.
[9] Catholics, Uniates (Greek Catholics), and Jews were driven out of Eastern Ukraine by the Cossacks.
[10] Mazepa was a famous womanizer. Even in his old years, when he was over sixty, Mazepa had a love affair with a 16-year girl Motria Kochubeyivna.
[11] Since no documents about the agreement between Charles and Mazepa have survived, historians propose different versions.
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[12] It was an efficient measure since excommunicated people could not attend church, marry, baptize their children, burry their relatives in cemeteries and hope to get to paradise after death.
[13] Ukrainian Cossacks (supporters of Russia and Sweden) had to fight against each other in this battle.
[14] Nations normally did not consider traitors their leaders who wanted to get independence. George Washington ‘betrayed’ Great Britain, Simon Bolivar ‘betrayed’ Spain, Khmelnytskyi ‘betrayed’ Poland, and so on. All these leaders are praised by their nations as heroes; streets, cities, and even countries named after them.
[15] They did not have local roots and did not care about Cossack autonomy.
[16] About 800 000 German colonists settled on Ukrainian territory.
