| The
territories of the formerly rich Kiev were devastated by Tatar invasion,
and then fell under Polish rule. As oppression grew, enslaved peasants
fled from their landlords and became Cossacks. A number of rebellions
broke out in Polish territory. Some of them should be noted, e.g. the
Polish and Cossack war of 1625, and the rebellion led by Ivan Tryasylo
in 1630. Then a great war for the liberation of the Ukrainian people
began in 1648 under the command of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Russia joined
that war against Poland in 1654. The war ended in 1657 with the
liberation of several regions of Ukraine. A union treaty was signed
between Ukraine and Russia. Hetman Mazepa tried to separate the country
from Russia with the support of Sweden, but as Charles XII was defeated
near Poltava, Ukraine gradually fell under the rule of its northern
neighbour and later became a Russian region - Malorossia (translated
literally: "small Russia"). The core of the Ukrainian army
consisted of the Cossacks, mobile irregular troops. They successfully
accomplished military missions in their struggle against Poland, as well
as against the Turks and Tatars. In the twenties and thirties of the
17th century, Zaporizhzhya Cossacks became dominant over the Black Sea
due to their numerous brave sea campaigns. Cossacks also took part in
the Thirty Years' War as mercenaries. In the fifties and seventies, they
successfully held back attacks from the Turks and Tatars. The Cossack
armies played an essential role in the first (1676-1681) and second
(1686-1682) Russian and Turkish wars. |
