Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zinovii Mykhailovych Khmel'nyts'kyi (Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький in Ukrainian; known in Polish as Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki; in Russian as Bogdan Khmelnitsky) (c. 1595 – August 6, 1657) was a Polish (arguably) noble, leader of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, hetman of Ukraine, noted for his revolt against the Poland (1648 – 1654), and a Treaty of Pereyaslav which led to the annexation of Ukraine by the Russian Empire.
He was born in Chigirin (arguably) in Ukraine; it is unclear whether to a family of Ruthenian or Polish nobles who had immigrated to Ukraine from Masovia. Chmielnicki was educated by Jesuits. However, unlike many of their other pupils, he did not embrace the Roman Catholicism, but early in life became indifferent to the faith. Later he seemed to belong to the Greek Orthodox faith to which most of the Cossacks and the Ruthenian peasants belonged. While still in the subordinate position of a "sotski" (an officer over a sotnia, or hundred cavalrymen) of the Registered Cossacks, subject to the Polish magnate Stanisław Koniecpolski, he was deprived by Daniel Czapliński, the bailiff of Czehryn, of his estate of Subotovo. Czapliński availed himself of Chmielnicki's absence to raid the estate, during which Chmielnicki's young son received injuries from which he ultimately died, and Chmielnicki's (second) wife was carried off.
For centuries after the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the people of Ruthenia had felt oppressed by the nobles and Jewish traders. Although Ruthenian nobility enjoyed full rights, they were quickly polonised and therefore were alienated from the common people; the advent of the Counter-Reformation worsened the relationship between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches. Unwilling to attend to the details of administration themselves, Polish magnates made the Jewish citizens a go-between in the transactions with the peasants of Ukraine. They sold and leased certain privileges to the Jews for a lump sum, and, while enjoying themselves at the court, left it to the Jewish leaseholders and collectors to become the embodiment of hatred to the oppressed and long-suffering peasant. Although Chmielnicki's personal resentment influenced his decision to rid Ukraine of Polish and Ruthenian magnates and Jews, it seems that it was his ambition to become the ruler of Ukraine which was the main motive that led him to instigate the uprising of the Ruthenian people against the magnates and the Jews.
Chmielnicki told the people that the Poles had sold them as slaves "into the hands of the accursed Jews." With this as their battle-cry, the Cossacks massacred a huge number of Jews during the years of 1648–1649. The precise number of victims may never be known, but estimates range from a minimum of 10,000 to well over 100,000 Jews murdered.
These events also were the start of a series of campaigns (which started the period known as The Deluge in Polish history) that temporarily freed Ukraine from Polish domination. Successes at Zhovti Vody (Yellow Waters), Korsun' and Pilavtsi (Żรณłte Wody, Korsuń, and Piławce in Polish, respectively) led to Chmielnicki being paid-off by the Polish king and gaining numerous privileges for the Cossacks at the Treaty of Zborov. However when hostilities resumed Chmielnicki's forces were betrayed by their former allies Tatars, suffered a massive defeat in 1651 at the Battle of Beresteczko, and were forced at Bila Tserkva (Biała Cerkiew) to accept a loser's treaty. A year later the Cossacks had their revenge at the Battle of Batoh. Ukraine was still perilously weak and in 1654, Chmielnicki persuaded the Cossacks to ally with the Russian tsars at the Treaty of Pereyaslavl, a treaty that had tragic results for Ukraine after Chmielnicki's death (the Polish-Muscovite Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667).
In Poland, Chmielnicki's war was described in the 19th century by Henryk Sienkiewicz in his famous novel With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem). It should be noted, however, that this book was written with a clearly stated intent of raising the national spirit in Poland, and shows the story of Chmielnicki and the Cossacks from the point of view of the Polish nobles (szlachta), thus glorifying some controversial Polish commanders and vilifying the rebels.
See also: Cossacks, The Deluge
