Za ukrajinski državni mit i nacionalni karakter, kozaci su središnja, temeljna pojava. Kozaci u Ukrajini (tada su zemlje Ukrajine pripadale Velikoj Kneževini Litavskoj i Ruskoj*, kao i Poljskom kraljevstvu) nastali su kao klasa u 15. stoljeću. Kozaci su bili ratnici, plaćenici, stražari. Na taj su način u srednjovjekovnoj Europi tog vremena činili istočnu analogiju zapadnom viteštvu.

Kako su nastali kozaci?

Najvjerojatnije je kozačka vojska, a kasnije i državna tvorevina, nastala pod utjecajem povijesnih i zemljopisnih uvjeta. Teritorij kozaka u donjem toku Dnjepra nalazio se na granici između država-antagonista. Kneževine Litavske i Ruske, Poljskog kraljevstva (kasnije će se ujediniti u Poljsko-litavsku uniju), Moskovije i Krimskog kanata. Kozaci, dobro obučeni ratnici, bavili su se i stočarstvom, ribolovom, prijevozom tereta itd. Naseljavali su se uz obale Dnjepra među otocima, kojima je to područje bilo bogato. Kozaci su živjeli iza dnjeparskih brzaka. Otuda je nastao i naziv Zaporoška vojska.

Tko je mogao postati kozak?

Kao i s vitezovima, vjerojatno su kozaci postajali mlađi sinovi plemićkih obitelji, kao i pučani. Kozaci su bili slobodan narod koji se nije pokoravao kraljevskoj vlasti. Imovina i blagostanje, a s njima i status, mogli su se steći pohodima na susjedne teritorije. U kozake su išli i obični ljudi, bježeći od vlasti.

Kako su živjeli i ratovali kozaci?

Kozačka vojska imala je jasnu organizacijsku strukturu. Važno je da je vojskom mogao upravljati samo vođa kojeg su izabrali kozaci. Ako kozaci nisu bili zadovoljni njegovim vodstvom, vođa je bio smijenjen. Administrativna vlast i vojno vodstvo bili su odvojeni. Važno mjesto zauzimala je i crkva. Kozaci su bili pravoslavni kršćani. Treba napomenuti da su na području današnje Ukrajine postojali i drugi kozaci. Ti su se kozaci pokoravali vlasti poljskog kralja i sudjelovali u njegovim vojnim pohodima.

Kozakinje – srednjovjekovne Amazonke?

Dugo je vremena postojao mit da su kozaci živjeli bez žena. Međutim, zdrav razum je sugerirao da vojni pohodi vjerojatno nisu uključivali mnogo žena. Ali u drugim razdobljima kozaci nisu mogli živjeti bez obitelji, djece i gospodarstva. Poznato je da je za vrijeme vojnih pohoda žena postajala glava obitelji i rješavala sva važna pitanja (Ukrajinci se često šale da u Ukrajini vlada “baršunasti matrijarhat”). Također, žene su sudjelovale i u vojnim akcijama. Odlikovale su se borbenim karakterom i dijelile vrijednosti kozačke vojske.

Hetmanat, država Zaporoške vojske

Sredinom 17. stoljeća u ratu protiv poljske vlasti nastao je Hetmanat. Samoupravna ukrajinska država na čelu s hetmanom bila je pod stalnim pritiskom susjeda – Poljaka i Moskovljana. Sklapala je vojne saveze sa Šveđanima, krimskim Tatarima. Izborna monarhija, ova je država postojala nešto više od stoljeća i ukinula ju je ruska carica. Nakon toga su sve vrijednosti, imovina, dokumenti, papiri uništeni ili odvezeni u Sankt Peterburg. A u povijesti kozaka i njihove države pojavilo se mnogo mitova, korisnih za carstvo. Međutim, sjećanje na kozake nije se moglo izbrisati.

Pismo turskom sultanu

Važna komponenta tog sjećanja je slika kozačkog duha, snažnog, slobodnog, nepokorenog. Na slici ukrajinskog umjetnika Ilje Repina, koja je ilustracija ovog članka, prikazana je vrlo živa scena. Prema legendi, Zaporožci su napisali drzak odgovor na ultimatum turskog sultana Mehmeda IV., u kojem se nisu pokorili njegovim prijetnjama i obećali surov odgovor. Mitsko pismo, najvjerojatnije, je umjetničko književno djelo, ali je postalo simbol snage duha kozaka-Ukrajinaca.

Događaji posljednjih 11 godina, a posebno 3 godine sveobuhvatnog rata protiv većeg i jačeg susjeda, to samo dokazuju.

*Ruski znači “iz Rusi”, odnosno s područja današnje središnje i sjeverne Ukrajine. Činjenica da je Moskovija prisvojila ime ukrajinske kijevske države ranog srednjeg vijeka može zbuniti. I to je tema za naše sljedeće članke.

Cossacks: Ukrainian Knights of the Middle Ages

For the Ukrainian state myth and national character, the Cossacks are a central, fundamental phenomenon. The Cossacks in Ukraine (at that time, the lands of Ukraine belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Ruthenia*, as well as the Kingdom of Poland) emerged as a class in the 15th century. The Cossacks were warriors, mercenaries, guards. Thus, in medieval Europe of that time, they formed an eastern analogy to Western knighthood.

How did the Cossacks emerge?

Most likely, the Cossack army, and later a state formation, arose under the influence of historical and geographical conditions. The territory of the Cossacks in the lower reaches of the Dnieper was located on the border between antagonistic states. The Duchy of Lithuania and Ruthenia, the Kingdom of Poland (later they would unite into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), Muscovy, and the Crimean Khanate. The Cossacks, well-trained warriors, also engaged in cattle breeding, fishing, cargo transportation, etc. They settled along the banks of the Dnieper among the islands, which this area was rich in. The Cossacks lived beyond the Dnieper rapids, “porog” in Ukrainian. Hence the name Zaporozhian Army.

Who could become a Cossack?

Like knights, probably the younger sons of noble families, as well as commoners, became Cossacks. The Cossacks were a free people who did not submit to royal authority. Property and prosperity, and with them status, could be acquired by campaigns on neighboring territories. Ordinary people also went to the Cossacks, hiding from the authorities.

How did the Cossacks live and fight?

The Cossack army had a clear organizational structure. Importantly, only a leader elected by the Cossacks could lead the army. If the Cossacks were not satisfied with his leadership, the leader was replaced. Administrative authority and military leadership were separated. The church also occupied an important place. The Cossacks were Orthodox Christians. It should be noted that there were other Cossacks in the territory of modern Ukraine. These Cossacks obeyed the authority of the Polish king and participated in his military campaigns.

Cossack women – medieval Amazons?

For a long time, there was a myth that the Cossacks lived without women. However, common sense suggested that military campaigns probably did not involve many women. But at other times, the Cossacks could not live without families, children, and households. It is known that during military campaigns, a woman became the head of the family and solved all important issues (Ukrainians often joke that a “velvet matriarchy” prevails in Ukraine). Similarly, women also participated in military actions. They were distinguished by their fighting character and shared the values of the Cossack army.

Hetmanate, the state of the Zaporozhian Host

In the middle of the 17th century, the Hetmanate was formed in the war against Polish rule. The self-governing Ukrainian state, headed by the Hetman, was under constant pressure from its neighbors – the Poles and Muscovites. It concluded military alliances with the Swedes, Crimean Tatars. An elective monarchy, this state existed for a little over a century and was abolished by the Russian Empress. After that, all values, property, documents, papers were destroyed or taken to St. Petersburg. And in the history of the Cossacks and their state, many myths appeared, beneficial to the empire. However, the memory of the Cossacks could not be erased.

Letter to the Turkish Sultan

An important component of this memory is the image of the Cossack spirit, strong, free, unsubdued. In the painting by Ukrainian artist Ilya Repin, which is an illustration for this article, a very vivid scene is depicted. According to legend, the Zaporozhians wrote a defiant response to the ultimatum of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed IV, in which they did not succumb to his threats and promised a severe response. The mythical letter, most likely, is a work of artistic literature, but it became a symbol of the strength of the spirit of the Cossacks-Ukrainians.

The events of the last 11 years, and especially the 3 years of full-scale war against a larger and stronger neighbor, only prove this.

*Ruthenian means “from Rus/ Ruthenia'”, that is, from the territories of modern central and northern Ukraine. The fact that Muscovy appropriated the name of the Ukrainian Kyiv state of the early Middle Ages can be confusing. And this is a topic for our next articles.