Peter Sagaidachny left a noticeable mark on history. The struggle for the independence of Ukraine, which intensified during the reign of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, began precisely under Sagaidachny. His contribution to the country's culture, the restoration of the Orthodox Church and the strengthening of the Cossacks has yet to be evaluated by historians.
Petr Konashevich-Sagaidachny: a brief biography (until 1600)
In the historical literature there is very little information about the childhood and youth of the future hetman of Ukraine. The most complete source of information about the beginning of Sagaidachny’s life is a poem by the head of the Kiev fraternal school, Kasiyan Sakovich. Peter was born around 1570. The place of birth can be established only by focusing on the information from the poem - near the town of Przemysl. Having looked at the map of Carpathian at that time, we can assume that this is the village of Kulchintsy. Parents were quite wealthy, but, unlike most other gentry, adhered to the Orthodox faith.
Studied Peter Sagaidachny in the first higher educational institution in Eastern Europe - Ostrog Academy. After listening to the full course of the Academy, he receives an excellent education. Nothing else is known about the early life of the legendary historical figure.
The appearance of Sagaidachny in Zaporozhye
Cossacks at the beginning of the 17th century was the only pro-Ukrainian force. To achieve the effective activity of such a powerful force, the energy of the Cossacks had to be directed in the right direction. Sahaidachny initially set himself such a task and completed it.
It is difficult to judge the date of ascent to hetman, because there are several versions. The Ukrainian historian M. Melnichuk believes that in 1598 Konashevich was already elected hetman. Mikhail Grushevsky in his work "History of Ukraine-Rus" expresses the opinion that the commander only came to the Cossacks in 1601. However, blindly believing each of the above versions is also wrong.
The lack of information about the commander’s years of life after graduating from the Ostrog Academy suggests that he appeared in Zaporozhye somewhere after 1595, but he could not immediately become a hetman. It was necessary to earn the trust of the Cossacks in the battles. Most likely, Pyotr Konashevich-Sagaidachny (a photo as a portrait is attached) was elected to the post in 1602-1606.
Political Views
The first hetman who dreamed of freeing himself from Polish rule was Peter Konashevich-Sagaidachny. A statesman from him turned out to be good. How did he plan to realize his dream? The idea was to gradually strengthen the Cossacks. It was impossible to do this by revolutionary methods at that time, because both Poland and the Ottoman Empire were very strong, and the Zaporizhzhya Army was not as organized as it should be.
Sagaidachny carried out administrative reform. Now the territory of the Zaporizhzhya Army was divided into shelves with centers in large cities. At the head of the units were colonels who led the entire local government. As a result of this reform, it was possible to strengthen the vertical of power in Left-Bank Ukraine.
Petro Sagaidachny saw the political ideal as an independent Ukrainian state ruled by the Cossack political elite.
First hiking
Pyotr Sagaidachny as a commander showed himself almost immediately after taking up a leadership position. The first of the famous campaigns took place in 1605. The Zaporizhzhya army then defeated Varna (Turkish fortress). The symbolism of this victory is that on November 10, 1444, the Turks near Varna defeated the Poles. Pyotr Sagaidachny together with his warriors crept up to the city from the sea, landed troops, making this unnoticed by the Turks, which allowed them to defeat the local garrison. The goal of the campaign was achieved, because the Cossacks liberated the slaves, which were very many, and scored many trophies.
Every year after going to Varna, Peter Sagaidachny and Cossacks made sea trips. The main goal of every trip to the sea is the liberation of the Ukrainians, who were sold in slave markets in the cities of the Black Sea region, at that time controlled by the Turks and the Crimean Khan. In addition, the Cossacks brought from the campaigns a lot of different booty. 1607 was marked by attacks by the Cossacks on the Crimean Khanate (Perekop and Ochakov were burned). The following year, the Cossacks attacked the cities located in the south of the current Odessa region (Kiliya, Izmail), from where they brought many former slaves.
The legendary campaigns of 1614 and 1616
A series of sea voyages did not end. Their strength was only growing. The trip to Turkey itself was very distant and risky, but the goal was good - to damage the enemy and free the prisoners. Two thousand Cossacks on their seagulls reached the coast of Turkey. They were able to destroy the port city of Sinop. The cash equivalent of damage is estimated at 40 million zlotys. In this campaign, the Cossacks liberated several thousand prisoners of Orthodox origin.
The importance of going to Kafa in 1616 is difficult to overestimate. Peter Sagaidachny as a commander proved to be excellent, because success depended on cunning. At the exit from the Dnieper to the sea, the Cossacks stumbled upon a group of Turkish border galleys with which they had to engage in battle. The Cossacks defeated and deceived the Turks: some of the seagulls (and there were 150 in all) returned to Sich, and the rest hid near Ochakov. The Turks thought that the Cossacks left. The Cossacks had no further obstacles. The victory in the Cafe made it possible to return a huge number of Orthodox slaves to their families.
Pyotr Konashevich-Sagaidachny. Hetman's historical portrait in cultural politics
Sagaidachny was one of the most educated people of that time in Ukraine. Realizing that the Cossacks were actually the military elite of society, but not all of them had at least some kind of education, he decided to join all Cossacks to the Kiev Brotherhood. Purpose: activation of cultural life in Ukraine and raising the cultural level of Cossacks.
In addition, Petr Konashevich-Sagaidachny (a brief biography is given in the article) organized the restoration of the Orthodox chair in Kiev. After the proclamation of the Union of Brest in 1586, almost all churches and cathedrals became the property of the Greek Catholic Church. On the way from Moscow to Jerusalem in Kiev, the main Orthodox hierarch Feofil stopped, with whom the hetman met. He explained to the patriarch the situation that occurred with Ukrainian Orthodoxy. By the decision of Theophilus, adopted under the influence of the request of the hetman, in 1615 the Kiev Metropolis was restored; The Orthodox Church regained many possessions. Metropolitan of Kiev and 6 bishops were elected, who headed the local departments.
The participation of the Cossacks in a campaign in Moscow
In 1618, the Poles fought against the Moscow Principality. Realizing that they really need military assistance from Zaporozhye, the country's leadership turned to Sagaidachny. He, realizing the complexity of the situation of the Polish state, put forward serious political demands (we will consider them below), which were adopted. Only after agreeing on the ability to fulfill the requirements did the Cossack units march. The Cossacks moved to the internal territories of Muscovy rather quickly. During the campaign, 20 Russian cities were captured, some of them were burned by the Cossacks. The Zaporizhzhya army also used a trick here, constantly changing places of crossing the Oka River and not storming those fortresses, the capture of which could cause problems. Pyotr Sagaidachny (the hetman’s biography is very interesting) decided to simply go around cities such as Kolomna and Zaraysk. Before the assault on Moscow, it was reported that a peace treaty had been concluded between the Poles and Muscovites.
The political successes of the Sahaidachny
As a diplomat, this man also achieved a lot for Ukraine. The Commonwealth was forced to make concessions and fulfill the requirements of the Ukrainian side. In 1618, even before the Moscow campaign, the top of the Cossacks set the following conditions:
- the abolition of Polish supervision of the Cossacks;
- the legitimacy of the hetman’s power over the entire territory of Ukraine;
- increase in the rights of Cossacks;
- the independence of the judiciary from the Poles;
- freedom of religion of the population.
The last demand was aimed at strengthening the position of Orthodoxy in the lands of Ukraine, because the Uniate priests conducted very active propaganda.
The short life of a commander
The war of Poland and Turkey began almost immediately after the end of the military conflict with Muscovy. The Poles could not do without the Cossacks - the most serious military force in the kingdom. The fateful battle to end the life of the hetman took place near Khotyn (now the Khmelnytsky region of Ukraine), in which he was badly wounded.
A historical portrait of a commander would be incomplete without information about his family. He was married, but in general family life did not work out. Probably, such people were born not for the family, but for the country, for the homeland. After all, the hetman did not give his inheritance to his wife, but bequeathed it to the needs of churches, monasteries and the Kiev Brotherhood.
April 22, 1622 the great hetman of the Zaporizhzhya Army died from wounds received near Khotyn.
Of course, history does not know the subjunctive mood, but, analyzing the course of events of 1618-1621, we can confidently assume that during the life of Sagaidachny, if there were no unfortunate wound, Ukraine could gain independence or very broad autonomy. It is likely that this would be achieved by Pyotr Sagaidachny, whose brief biography is unlikely to show the fullness and importance of his life for the country.