Tko je na konju?

Bogdan Hmeljnicki: Ukrajinska kozačka država

Šetajući središnjim trgovima mnogih europskih gradova neizbježno ćete vidjeti spomenik na konju. U Zagrebu – bana Josipa Jelačića. U Kijevu – Bogdana Hmeljnickog. Konjanički kip hetmana Ukrajinske kozačke države krasi Sofijski trg ispred tisućljetne Sofijske katedrale.

Tko je bio Bogdan Hmeljnicki?

Bogdan Hmeljnicki je tvorac Ukrajinske kozačke države, hetman, političar, vojskovođa. Pod njegovim vodstvom sredinom 17. stoljeća nastala je, iako nakratko, suverena Ukrajina. Država sa svim atributima političke i državne vlasti, s određenim teritorijima. Njezino službeno ime bilo je Zaporoška vojska, a nazivali su je i Ukrajina, Rus’.

Povijesni značaj Hmeljnickog

Budući Hetman je predvodio i uspješno priveo kraju ustanak ukrajinskog naroda protiv vlasti Poljsko-litavske unije. Mlada Ukrajinska država bila je vrlo ranjiva. Balansirajući između Poljsko-litavske unije, Moskovije (Moskovskog carstva, kako se Rusija zvala u 17. stoljeću) i Osmanskog Carstva, Hmeljnicki je sklapao vojno-političke saveze. Jedan od njih, s Moskovijom, postao je koban za Ukrajinu.

U proljeće 1654. godine potpisan je sporazum između kozačke starješine i predstavnika Moskovskog carstva. Prema njemu, ukrajinska država je došla pod protektorat Moskovskog carstva uz zadržavanje autonomije i međunarodnog priznanja. Savez s Moskovijom Hmeljnicki je sklopio radi suprotstavljanja poljskoj državi.

Međutim, Moskovsko carstvo je brzo izigralo dogovore i sklopilo mir s Poljsko-litavskom unijom. Inkorporacija ukrajinskih zemalja u Moskovsko carstvo, a zatim i carstvo, potaknula je sve buduće sukobe. Uništenje Kozačke države, crkveni progoni, zabrane ukrajinskog jezika, uvođenje kmetstva (ropstva), uništavanje povijesnih spomenika, iznošenje kulturnih i materijalnih dobara…

Upravo na ovaj vojni sporazum pozivaju se Rusi kada pokušavaju inzistirati na zajedničkoj povijesti s Ukrajinom. Tvrde da su od tada Ukrajinci i Moskovljani (Rusi) postali “jedan narod”. Međutim, original sporazuma nije sačuvan. Nije ga ratificirala Kozačka starješina. Običaji Zaporoške vojske, države s izbornim Hetmanom, korijenito su se razlikovali od pravila Moskovskog carstva. Tako je tamo gdje je Ukrajina vidjela vojni, privremeni savez, carstvo vidjelo priliku za osvajanje susjednih teritorija. Na sastanku radili su prevoditelji, jer su strane govorile različitim jezicima.

Zanimljive činjenice iz života Hmeljnickog

O privatnom životu Bogdana Hmeljnickog ne zna se mnogo. Međutim, neki detalji njegove biografije su zapanjujući. Tako je u jednoj od bitaka poljsko-osmanskog rata još mladi Bogdan pao u osmansko zarobljeništvo. Tijekom dvije godine u Istanbulu naučio je osmanski i tatarski jezik. Iz zarobljeništva je pobjegao ili je bio otkupljen. Nakon toga je postao registrirani kozak. 

Smatra se da je početak oslobodilačkog rata za Bogdana bila pljačka njegovog imanja od strane poljskog plemića. Tada su mu nasmrt pretukli maloljetnog sina. 

Mač kojim je bio opasan Bogdan Hmeljnicki bio je posvećen na Kristovom grobu i poslan od strane carigradskog patrijarha. Bio je to blagoslov za borbu za ukrajinsku državu. 

Hmeljnicki se ženio tri puta i imao tri sina i četiri kćeri. Njegov najstariji sin oženio se kćeri vladara Moldavske kneževine. A mlađi sin Jurij dvaput je postao Hetman.

Danas je Bogdan Hmeljnicki nacionalni heroj Ukrajine. I kao i sve značajne ličnosti bilo kojeg naroda, može izazvati različite osjećaje kod susjeda tog naroda. Međutim, svaka nacija ima pravo ponositi se onima koje smatra toga dostojnima.

Who’s on Horseback?

Bohdan Khmelnytsky: The Ukrainian Cossack State

Strolling through the central squares of many European cities, you will invariably see a monument on horseback. In Zagreb – Ban Josip Jelačić. In Kyiv – Bohdan Khmelnytsky. The equestrian statue of the Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossack State adorns Sofiiska Square in front of the thousand-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Who was Bohdan Khmelnytsky?

Bohdan Khmelnytsky was the creator of the Ukrainian Cossack State, a hetman, politician, and military leader. Under his leadership in the mid-17th century, a sovereign Ukraine arose, albeit briefly. A state with all the attributes of political and state power, with defined territories. Its official name was the Zaporozhian Host, and it was also called Ukraine, Rus’.

The Historical Significance of Khmelnytsky’s Figure

The future Hetman led and brought to a successful conclusion the uprising of the Ukrainian people against the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The young Ukrainian state was very vulnerable. Balancing between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Muscovy (the Tsardom of Muscovy, as Russia was called in the 17th century), and the Ottoman Empire, Khmelnytsky resorted to concluding military-political alliances. One of them, with Muscovy, became fatal for Ukraine.

In the spring of 1654, an agreement was signed between the Cossack elders and representatives of the Tsardom of Muscovy. According to it, the Ukrainian state came under the protectorate of the Tsardom of Muscovy while retaining autonomy and international recognition. Khmelnytsky concluded the alliance with Muscovy in order to oppose the Polish state.

However, the Tsardom of Muscovy quickly betrayed the agreements and made peace with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The incorporation of Ukrainian lands into the Tsardom of Muscovy, and later the empire, provoked all subsequent conflicts. The destruction of the Cossack State, church persecutions, bans on the Ukrainian language, the introduction of serfdom (slavery), the destruction of historical monuments, the removal of cultural and material values…

It is precisely this military agreement that the Russians refer to when they try to insist on a shared history with Ukraine. They claim that from that time on, Ukrainians and Muscovites (Russians) became “one people.” However, the original agreement has not been preserved. It was not ratified by the Cossack elders. The customs of the Zaporozhian Host, a state with an elected Hetman, fundamentally differed from the rules of the Tsardom of Muscovy. So, where Ukraine saw a military, temporary alliance, the future empire saw a chance to seize neighboring territories. Interpreters were present at the meeting, because the parties spoke different languages.

Interesting Facts from Khmelnytsky’s Life

Little is known about Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s private life. However, some details of his biography are striking. Thus, in one of the battles of the Polish-Ottoman War, the young Bohdan was captured by the Ottomans. During his two years in Istanbul, he learned Ottoman and Tatar languages. He escaped from captivity or was ransomed. After that, he became a registered Cossack. 

It is believed that the beginning of the liberation war for Bohdan was the looting of his estate by a Polish nobleman. Then his young son was beaten to death. 

The sword with which Bohdan Khmelnytsky was girded was consecrated at the Holy Sepulchre and sent by the Patriarch of Constantinople. It was a blessing for the struggle for the Ukrainian state. 

Khmelnytsky was married three times and had three sons and four daughters. His eldest son married the daughter of the ruler of the Moldavian Principality. And his youngest son, Yuriy, twice became Hetman.

Today, Bohdan Khmelnytsky is a national hero of Ukraine. And like all prominent figures of any nation, he can stir up various feelings among the neighbors of that nation. However, every nation has the right to be proud of those they consider worthy of it.