5_Istoriia Rusov
(excerpts)
Context
- Author(s): Unknown, possibly more than one
- Date of Publishing: 1820s
- Historical Placement: The Napoleonic wars spread nationalism across Europe, and crucially, the redefinition of a nation as an ethnic community sharing values, culture religion and set of laws. This meant that even a group that currently had no national institutions of their own could see themselves as part of a nation. Romanticism created a trend where poets and writers searched the history of their community to "awaken the culture" of said group. Ukrainian elites took part in that trend by writing histories of the Cossacks (Details in 10_Birth of Nationalism), the most prominent of which is "Istoriia Rusov".
Summary
There are two excerpts in the book, one of them is about the last days of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and the second one details a speech by Ivan Mazepa, in which he outlines his path for navigating the great northern war (Check out 8_Downfall of the Hetmanate to understand the historical context).
Sensing that his death is near, Bohdan Khmelnytsky assembles the high brass of Cossack society in his house to make recommendations. The chief one of them is to vote in a new Hetman before his death so that he can transfer his knowledge to him. He recommends two experienced officers, Pushkarenko and Vyhovsky. The guests pressure him to nominate Yurii Khmelnytsky (his son), and after they assure him that his inexperience can be made up for by good advisors, he agrees. The title is given over, and after Bohdan nominates Pushkarenko and Vyhovsky, and spends some time with all three of them, he dies. After his death, nation-wide mourning ensues.
In his speech, Ivan Mazepa outlines the choices before the Little Russian people as dire. On the one hand, aligning with the Swedes might result in being subjected to Polish domination (Poland was a close ally of Sweden and had claims to the territory), on the other hand a Muscovite victory would mean a brutal and despotic reign. Thus, Ukraine must negotiate with the two and take the the least horrible path. Mazepa says that he did that and his solution is twofold:
- A deal with the Muscovites in which they have total autonomy but are militarily neutral.
- A simultaneous deal with the Swedes in which they gain protection from future attacks.
He claims this is the only way to restore Little Russian independence and in line with the Cossack tradition of allying with the Swedes.
Takeaways
- These texts aren't very historically accurate but present an interesting view of how the descendants of the Cossacks perceived these events.
- It is incredibly hard to understand the dual plan proposed by Mazepa.
- The texts unabashedly present the notion of Little Russia being distinct from the Russian Empire, often referred to as Muscovy. In fact, one passage even presents the view that Little Russia is the original Rus' and that the "Muscovites" are usurpers. This line of argumentation is very much present in the current conflict, as both sides try to claim the title of the "true heirs of Rus'"
"It is well known that we were at one time what the Muscovites are now; the government, supremacy, and the very name Rus’ came to them from us."-Towards an intellectual history of Ukraine (page 86)
- The Mazepa part effectively captures the age-old Ukrainian struggle of being constantly in the midst of greater powers and having to choose alliances carefully.
Source
Ralph Lindheim & George Luckyj (eds.), Towards an Intellectual History of Ukraine: An Anthology of Ukrainian Thought from 1710 to 1995 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996), pages (82-87) .
Academia link | DOI