The border of Ukraine until 1917 more than once became a stumbling block between the venerable professors of history, famous politicians and cultural figures. The formation of the modern state lasted for centuries, during which the ancient cities and peoples were replaced more than once or twice.
Cimmerians Parish
The first people on Ukrainian territory were the Cimmerians, who were mentioned in the reflection of the era - "Odyssey."
Ancient nomads, speaking one of the dialects of the Iranian language group, visited the Black Sea region around the 9th century BC. It is assumed that the Cimmerian-Cimmerian tribes from the Lower Volga region wandered, and the favorable climate made them linger in the wild steppes for two hundred years . The historical borders of Ukraine until 1917 were constantly changing, and it began almost 3,000 years ago, and since then the territory has repeatedly expanded, decreased and took on unimaginable shapes.
Since the nomads did not know the letters, they did not leave information about themselves, with the exception of archaeological sites and rare references in chronicles of that time. Contemporaries had something to say about the terrible savages - most historians described the Kimmers as ruthless and skilled warriors, and the customs of the tribes brought enlightened peoples to awe.
Wild Scythians
Herodotus, in his writings, ruthlessly walked the customs and social system of nomads and in paints described the ruthless extermination by the Cimmerians of the black Aboriginal people. What border of Ukraine was until 1917, we know, but it could lie anywhere if the horsemen had not driven out the less developed inhabitants of the forests.
However, the fate of the Chernolesites very quickly befell the Cimmerians. They, in turn, were unable to repulse the Scythians, who flew into the parking lot, robbed houses and led the horses away in herds.
The next wave of nomads (Scythians) reached its peak in the 5th-4th centuries BC.
The first centralized stronghold of culture in Ukraine - Great Scythia - was described by Herodotus. The borders of Ukraine until 1917 from the time of the Scythians took the form of an expanded rectangle around the Northern Black Sea Coast from the Danube in the west to the eastern part of the Sea of Azov.
From the north, space is limited to Pripyat and the line that runs along modern Chernigov catches Kursk and Voronezh. In the III century BC, the Scythians in the Black Sea steppes finally replaced the Sarmatians. On the Black Sea plains, the tribes did not hold out for about six centuries (until the first millennium BC) until they were driven out by the Goths and Huns. After their invasion on the territory of Ukraine, the Slavic tribes of the Ants and their related Sklavins prevailed.
The border of Ukraine until 1917 changed a huge number of times: at a slower pace during the time of the nomads, and then changes in the shape of the territory began to occur with cosmic speeds.
Slavs, Ants, Wends
The Gothic historian Jordan writes and often mentions the slaves. According to him, the Slavic Slavs had a common ancestor, and they live by three Vendian tribes - the brave Wends, strong Antes, their smaller brothers - the Slavs. But in the 7th century, the French chronicler and historian Fredegar said that “sklava is the essence of Wends.”
Archaeologists often find Antian treasures, consisting of gold and silver, mined during campaigns and raids in the nearby territories. Ante warriors were armed with bows and arrows, shields, long swords were also included in the standard equipment. Ants were considered the most powerful Slavic tribe: they were mercenary soldiers in the Byzantine army.
Prisoners were often used as slaves, selling them or taking ransoms from their immediate neighbors was a kind of etiquette of the time. Nevertheless, after some time, the captured slave could become a free and full member of the community. The main ant deity - Perun - was considered relatively docile. Bloodless sacrifice is a fundamental principle of beliefs; among the offerings on the altars of idols, archaeologists found only ready-made food, herbs and valuables. At the time of the Ants, the process of the birth of Kiev and Volyn began, which once again changed the borders of Ukraine. Until 1917, however, it was still far away.
The origin of Kievan Rus
The next milestone in the history of the development of the modern state was Kievan Rus. The city, which became the cultural and social center of the vast territory, was rebuilt many times, burned and destroyed. The border of Ukraine until 1917 changed with it - it covered the surrounding land, then narrowed to the suburbs of Kiev.
The state around the Kiev settlement appeared in the 9th century, when the distant eastern Slavs and the tribes of the Finno-Ugric group united under the rule of the prince of the Rurikovich dynasty. The history of Kiev as an independent city-state begins with the capture of the capital by Oleg, who led the eastern Slavic tribes.
The heyday of the state
The border of Ukraine before the revolution of 1917 (somewhere at the end of the 10th century, during the heyday of Kievan Rus) was beyond the Dniester and in the upper reaches of the Vistula River in the west, covered the Taman Peninsula in the southeast and was lost in the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina. Geography also helps to represent the cities of Kievan Rus and understand its territorial structure. The oldest of the ancient settlements is Kiev, followed by Chernigov, ancient Pereyaslavl, the famous Smolensk, promising Rostov, new Ladoga, fabulous Pskov and new Polotsk.
The rule of Princes Vladimir (960-1015) and Yaroslav (1019-1054) was the time of the greatest prosperity of the state. It is amazing what the Ukrainian border was before the 1917 revolution! Territories expanded unusually: from the Carpathians to the Baltic steppes and the Black Sea region.
By the middle of the 12th century, a dark era of feudal fragmentation began in mighty Kievan Rus, troubles broke into a dozen separate principalities, ruled by various branches of the Rurikovich. The beginning of 1132 is considered the official beginning of family squabbles when, after the death of Mstislav the Great, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, the power of Prince Kiev ceased to recognize Polotsk and Novgorod at the same time. Kiev was not officially considered the capital right up to the Tatar-Mongol invasion (1237-1240). What would be the border of Ukraine before the 1917 revolution, if there were no Troubles? Perhaps Kievan Rus would have grown to the size of Rome and Carthage in order to fall ingloriously under the burden of problems beyond the reach of vast empires.
Crash and Troubles
Almost all South Russian princes took part in the battle with the Mongols on the Kalka river (in the territory of modern Donetsk region) at the end of May 1223, many of them, as well as many noble boyars, fell in the battle. The closest relatives, servants and older descendants were killed with the princes, which led to the bleeding of the country's best births. The victory went to the Mongols, and captives and shame awaited the survivors. With the weakening of the southern Russian principalities, the Hungarian and Lithuanian feudal lords intensified their offensive, but the influence of the princes of the Chernigov, Novgorod and Kiev regions also increased. What would be the border of Ukraine until 1917, if everything were in favor of the Russians? Historians suggest that the little princes would be bitter with each other with the same result - in the battles for power and land, the most noble and generous people of Kievan Rus would be killed.
The fall of Kiev
In 1240, the Mongols (led by Batu Khan, the grandson of the formidable Genghis Khan) turned Kiev to ashes. The rest of the city was received by Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, whom the Mongols recognized as the main one, as well as his son Alexander Nevsky. But they did not move the capital city to Kiev and remained in Vladimir - away from the wild nomads with their arrows, herds and obscure customs.
Before the revolution in 1917, where was the border? Where in the days of Kievan Rus fought. Then the tendency was firmly and finally established that every inch should be taken by force.
Principality of Galicia
In 1245, in Yaroslav during the battle (in modern Poland, the city of Yaroslav on the San River), Danila Galitsky and his army defeated the regiments of Hungarian and Polish feudal lords. Danila Galitsky on the basis of the Western alliance against the Golden Horde in 1253 received the title of king from the pope. The reign of Danil Romanovich was the period of the greatest rise of the Galician-Volyn principality. The power of the state caused concern in the Golden Horde. The Principality was forced to pay tribute to the Horde constantly, and the rulers pledged to send troops for joint campaigns with the Mongols. Nevertheless, the Galicia-Volyn principality was able to successfully solve many foreign policy issues in its favor.
The border of Ukraine before the revolution in 1917 was changing rapidly. This happened during the time of Danila Galitsky. In the second half of the XIII century, the Principality of Galicia-Volyn did not control the south of the territory, but then regained control of these lands and gained access to the Black Sea. After 1323, all newfound territories were again lost for many centuries. Polesie was annexed by Lithuania at the beginning of the 14th century in a series of wars between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The territories that left Poland in 1349 became a kind of symbol of the end of the heyday. Since this year, the Galician-Volyn principality has been in official decline.
New Territories
The border of Ukraine before the revolution of 1917, as already noted, has changed a myriad of times, and at that time, when Lithuania was able to confront the Mongols in the territory of modern Kirovograd, the outlines again changed beyond recognition.
Many Orthodox princes were not against rapprochement with Poland, although in 1381-1384, 1389-1392 and in 1432-1439. there were as many as three civil wars. Many cities, including, for example, Lviv, Kiev, Vladimir-Volynsky, received their own government in accordance with Magdeburg Law.
In the 90s of the XIV century. thanks to an alliance with the Mongols, Jagailo Vitovt’s cousin was able to peacefully annex the entire vast territory south of the vast Wild Field. This is how the historical borders of Ukraine took shape; before the 1917 revolution, they subsequently changed little. New areas allowed the economy and society of that time to gradually gain recognizable features.
Getmans and Ruins
The next reformer and iconic ruler was Bogdan Khmelnitsky. Uprising 1648-1654 under his leadership led to the emergence of an autonomous hetman. It is not known for certain before the intervention of the Cossack chieftain where the Ukrainian border passed. Until 1917, the state experienced many more significant events. Vague and fragmented information was often based only on ancient statutes and documents that had long lost their relevance. In Khmelnytsky Rada adopted a series of decisions, the result of which was the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667. Its course contributed to the unfolding of civil wars between various hetmans. Left-bank Ukraine wanted to be part of Russia, and the Right-bank sought to create a strong alliance with Poland.
The beginning of New Russia
Now you know where the Ukrainian border was until 1917 at different historical stages. During the Northern War, the hetman Mazepa unexpectedly sided with the Swedish king Charles XII, who was defeated in the battle of Poltava. As a result, the autonomy and rights of the Hetmanate were limited, and the vast territory was managed by the Little Russian Collegium. The period after the collapse of the Russian Empire did not give any special territorial acquisitions.
How the border of Ukraine was formed before the 1917 revolution depended on the foreign and domestic policies of the state. The name "New Russia" and the corresponding outlines acquired the territory of the country at the end of the 18th century.