Don Cossacks (russian: Донские казаки, Donskie kazaki) or Donians (russian: донцы, dontsy) are
Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
who settled along the middle and lower
Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (russian: Донское казачье войско, translit=Donskoe kazache voysko, which was either an independent or an autonomous democratic republic in present-day Southern Russia and parts of the
Donbas
The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...
region, from the end of the 16th century until 1918. As of 1992, by presidential decree of the Russian Federation, Cossacks can be enrolled on a special register. A number of Cossack communities have been reconstituted to further Cossack cultural traditions, including those of the Don Cossack Host.
Don Cossacks have had a rich military tradition - they played an important part in the historical development of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
and participated in most of its major wars.
Etymology
The name Cossack ( ru , казак, translit = kazak; uk , козак, translit = kozak) was widely used to characterise "free people" (compare
Turkic ''
qazaq'', which means "free men") as opposed to others with different standing in feudal society (i.e., peasants, nobles, clergy, etc.). The name "cossack" was also applied to migrants, free-booters and
bandits
Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
.
It has the same etymological root as "
Kazakh", an unrelated Central Asian
Turkic people.
Origins
The exact origins of Cossacks remain unclear. In the modern view, Don Cossacks descend from Slavic people connected with Russian lands like the
Povolzhye
The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European R ...
, the
Novgorod Republic, and the
Principality of Ryazan
The Grand Duchy of Ryazan (1078–1521) was a duchy with the capital in Old Ryazan ( destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1237), and then in Pereyaslavl Ryazansky, which later became the modern-day city of Ryazan. It originally split off from t ...
, and Ukrainian lands like the
Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...
.
Gotho-
Alans could also have played a role in forming Don Cossack culture, which originated in the western part of the
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...
.
History
Early history
More than two thousand years ago the
Scythians
The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern
* : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...
lived on the banks of the river Don. Many Scythian tombs have been found in this area. Subsequently, the area was inhabited by the
Khazars
The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
and the
Polovtsians
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many sough ...
. From the 16th to the 18th centuries the steppes of the Don River were part of
"the Wild Field" ( ru , Дикое Поле). In the late Middle Ages the area was under the general control of the
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...
, and numerous
Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different (especially
Crimean Tatar) armed groups roamed there, attacking and enslaving merchants and settlers.
The first
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
to settle on the territories around the Don were the
Jassi and
Kosogi tribes of the
Khazar Kaghanate
The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...
of the 7th to 10th centuries. After the fall of the
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...
in 1480, more colonists started to expand onto this land from the
Novgorod Republic after the
Battle of Shelon (1471), and from the neighboring
Principality of Ryazan
The Grand Duchy of Ryazan (1078–1521) was a duchy with the capital in Old Ryazan ( destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1237), and then in Pereyaslavl Ryazansky, which later became the modern-day city of Ryazan. It originally split off from t ...
. Until the end of the 16th century, the Don Cossacks inhabited independent free territories.
15th–17th centuries
Cossacks of
Ryazan are mentioned in 1444 as defenders of
Pereslavl-Zalessky
Pereslavl-Zalessky ( rus, Переславль-Залесский, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈslavlʲ zɐˈlʲɛskʲɪj, lit. ''Pereslavl beyond the woods''), also known as Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the main Mos ...
against the units of
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...
and in a letter of
Ivan III of Russia from 1502. After the Golden Horde fell in 1480, the area around the
Don River was divided between the
Crimean west side and the
Nogai east side. On their border since the 14th century the vast steppe of the Don region was populated by those people who were not satisfied with the existing social order, by those who did not recognize the power of the land-owners, by runaway serfs, by those who longed for freedom. In the course of time they turned into a united community and were called "the Cossacks". At first the main occupation of these small armed detachments was hunting and fishing—as well as the constant struggle against the Turks and the Tatars who attacked them. Only later they began to settle and work on the land.
16th century
The first records relating to the Cossack villages: the "stanitsa", date back to 1549. In the year 1552 Don Cossacks under the command of Ataman
Susar Fedorov joined the Army of
Ivan the Terrible during the
Siege of Kazan
The siege of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of the Russo-Kazan Wars and led to the fall of the Khanate of Kazan. Conflict continued after the fall of Kazan, however, as rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new kha ...
in 1552. On 2 June 1556 the Cossack regiment of Ataman
Lyapun Filimonov, together with the Army of Moscovits comprising
strelets, conquered and annexed the
Astrakhan Khanate.
During the reign of
Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV), the ataman
Yermak Timofeyevich went on an expedition to conquer
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
. After defeating Khan Kuchum in the fall of 1582 and occupying
Isker, the capital of the
Siberian Khanate
The Khanate of Sibir (also Khanate of Turan,
sty, Себер ханлыгы) was a Tatar Khanate located in southwestern Siberia with a Turco-Mongol ruling class. Throughout its history, members of the Shaybanid and Taibugid dynasties often co ...
, Yermak sent a force of Cossacks down the
Irtysh in the winter of 1583. The detachment, led by Bogdan Bryazga (according to other sources, the Cossack chieftain Nikita Pan) passed through the lands of the Konda-Pelym
Vogul
The Mansi (Mansi language, Mansi: Мāньси / Мāньси мāхум, ''Māńsi / Māńsi māhum'', ) are a Ob-Ugric languages, Ugric indigenous people living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Khanty–Mansia, an Autonomous okrugs of Russi ...
s and reached the walls of the town of Samarovo. Surprised by the Cossack attack, the
Ostyaks surrendered. In fall 1585, shortly after Yermak's death, Cossacks led by voevoda (army commander) Ivan Mansurov founded the first Russian fortified town in Siberia,
Obskoy, at the mouth of the Irtysh river on the right bank of the
Ob river
}
The Ob ( rus, Обь, p=opʲ: Ob') is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia; and together with Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at . It forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins ...
. The Mansi and Khanty lands thus became part of the Russian state, finally secured by the founding of the cities of
Pelym
Pelym (russian: Пелым) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
* Pelym, Ivdel, Sverdlovsk Oblast, a work settlement under the administrative jurisdiction of the city of Ivdel, Sverdlovsk Oblast
;Rural l ...
and
Berezov in 1592 and
Surgut
Surgut ( rus, Сургу́т, p=sʊrˈgut; Khanty: Сәрханӆ, ''Sərhanł'') is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River. It is one of the few cities in Russia to be ...
in 1594. As a result of Yermak's expedition, Russia was able to annex Siberia.
17th century
In the 17th century Cossacks waged war against the
Ottomans and the
Crimean Khanate. In 1637 the Don Cossacks, joined by the
Zaporozhian Cossacks
The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...
, captured the strategic Ottoman fortress of
Azov, which guarded the Don. The defense of the
Azov Fortress in 1641 was one of the key actions in Don Cossack history. After total taking of the Free Territories of Don Cossacks under the Moscovy control, Don Cossack history became more intertwined with the history of the rest of Russia. In exchange for protection of the Southern borders of medieval Russia, the Don Cossacks were given the privilege of not paying taxes and the tsar's authority in Cossack lands was not as absolute as in other parts of Russia.
During this period, three of Russia's most notorious rebels,
Stenka Razin
Stepan Timofeyevich Razin (russian: Степа́н Тимофе́евич Ра́зин, ; 1630 – ), known as Stenka Razin ( ), was a Cossack leader who led a major uprising against the nobility and tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia in 16 ...
,
Kondraty Bulavin
The Bulavin Rebellion or Astrakhan Revolt (; Восстание Булавина, ''Vosstaniye Bulavina'') was a war which took place in the years 1707 and 1708 between the Don Cossacks and the Tsardom of Russia. Kondraty Bulavin, a democratical ...
and
Emelian Pugachev, were Don Cossacks.
18th–19th centuries
After 1786, the territory of the Don Cossacks was officially called Don Voisko Lands, and was renamed
Don Voisko Province
The Province ( Oblast) of the Don Cossack Host (, ''Oblast’ Voyska Donskogo'') of Imperial Russia was the official name of the territory of Don Cossacks, coinciding approximately with the present-day Rostov Oblast of Russia. Its site of adm ...
(''Oblast’ Voyska Donskogo'') in 1870 (presently part of the
Rostov,
Volgograd, and
Voronezh
Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...
regions of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
as well as part of the
Luhansk region of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
).
In 1805 the Don Cossack capital was shifted from Cherkassk to Novocherkassk (New Cherkassk).
Don Cossacks are credited with playing a significant part in repelling
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's
Invasion of Russia. Under the command of Count
Matvey Ivanovich Platov, the Don Cossacks fought in a number of battles against the
Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Em ...
. In the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...
, Don Cossacks made raids to the rear of the French Army. Platov commanded all the Cossack troops and successfully covered the retreat of the Russian Army to Moscow. The Don Cossacks distinguished themselves in subsequent campaigns, and took part in the
capture of Paris. Napoleon is credited with declaring, "Cossacks are the finest light troops among all that exist. If I had them in my army, I would go through all the world with them."
In the general census of 1884, the male population of the Don Cossacks was reported to number 425,000. The Don Cossacks were the largest of the ten cossack hosts then in existence, providing over a third of total cossack manpower available for military service.
20th century
World War I
On the eve of World War I, the Don Cossack Host comprised 17 regular regiments plus 6 detached sotnias (squadrons). In addition two regiments of the Imperial Guard were recruited from the Don territory. By 1916 the Don Host had expanded to 58 line regiments and 100 detached sotnias. The central location of the Don territories meant that these units were employed extensively on both the German and Austro-Hungarian fronts, though less so against the Ottoman Turks to the south. The continued value of the Don and other Cossacks as mounted troops was illustrated by the decision taken in 1916 to dismount about a third of the regular Russian cavalry, but to retain the cossack regiments in their traditional role.
February 1917 Revolution
At the outbreak of the February 1917 Revolution, three regiments of Don Cossacks (the 1st, 4th and 14th) formed part of the garrison of St. Petersburg. Consisting partly of new recruits from the poorer regions of the Host territory, these units were influenced by the general disillusionment with the Tsar's government. Accordingly, they did not act effectively when ordered to disperse the growing demonstrations in the city. Reports that the historically loyal Don Cossacks could no longer be relied on were a significant factor in the sudden collapse of the Tsarist regime.
Bolshevik persecution
The Don Cossack Host was disbanded on Russian soil in 1918, after the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
, but the Don Cossacks in the
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...
and those who emigrated abroad, continued to preserve the traditions, musical and otherwise, of their host. Many found employment as
trick riders in various
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
es throughout Europe and the United States. Admiral
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...
, one of the leaders of the
White movement during the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, was of Don Cossack descent.
Following the defeat of the White Army in the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, a policy of
decossackization
De-Cossackization (Russian: Расказачивание, ''Raskazachivaniye'') was the Bolshevik policy of systematic repressions against Cossacks of the Russian Empire, especially of the Don and the Kuban, between 1919 and 1933 aimed at the ...
("Raskazachivaniye") took place on the surviving Cossacks and their homelands, since they were viewed as a threat to the new Soviet regime.
The Cossack homelands were often very fertile, and during the
collectivisation campaign many Cossacks shared the fate of the
kulaks. According to historian Michael Kort, "During 1919 and 1920, out of a population of approximately 1.5 million Don Cossacks, the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
regime killed or deported an estimated 300,000 to 500,000". Others, such as Peter Holquist, estimate a figure of 10,000 deaths. The region also suffered greatly during the
Soviet famine of 1932–33 as a result of the
Soviet policies.
Don Cossacks in World War II
On 20 April 1936 the previous ban on Cossacks serving in the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
was lifted. Later the same year two existing Red Army cavalry divisions were re-designated as Don Cossacks. By 1939 a number of these regiments had been issued with traditional Cossack uniforms in ceremonial and field service versions. The dress of the Don Cossack units included the broad red stripes on dark-blue breeches, which had been their distinguishing feature prior to the Revolution. The Don Cossack Cavalry Corps saw extensive active service until 1943, after which its role diminished (as did that of the other remaining horse-mounted units in the Red Army). However Don Cossack cavalry was still in existence in 1945 and participated in the Victory Parade in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
.
During World War II, the Don Cossacks mustered the largest single concentration of Cossacks within the German Army, the
XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps, a great part of them being former Russian citizens. The XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps included the
1st Cossack Division and the
2nd Cossack Division.
The majority of the Cossacks remained loyal to the Red Army.
In the earliest battles, particularly the
encirclement of Belostok Cossack units such as the 94th Beloglisnky, 152nd Rostovsky and 48th Belorechensky regiments fought to their death.
In the opening phase of the war, during the German advance towards Moscow, Cossacks became extensively used for the raids behind enemy lines. The most famous of these took place during the
Battle of Smolensk under the command of
Lev Dovator
Lev Mikhaylovich Dovator ( 19 December 1941) was a famous Soviet major-general who was killed in action during World War II and posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Life
Born in 1903, Dovator came from a Belarusian Jew ...
, whose 3rd Cavalry Corps consisted of the 50th and 53rd Cavalry divisions from the Kuban and Terek Cossacks, which were mobilised from the Northern Caucasus. The raid, which in ten days covered 300 km and destroyed the hinterlands of the 9th German Army, before successfully breaking out. Whilst units under the command of General Pavel Belov, the 2nd Cavalry Corps made from Don, Kuban and Stavropol Cossacks spearheaded the counter-attack onto the right flank of the 6th German Army delaying its advance towards Moscow.
The high professionalism that the Cossacks under Dovator and Belov (both generals would later be granted the title
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
and their units raised to a
Guards
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
(elite) status) ensured that many new units would be formed. In the end, the Germans during the whole war only managed to form two Cossack Corps, while the Red Army in just 1942 alone had 17.
Many of the newly formed units were filled with ethnically Cossack volunteers. The Kuban Cossacks were allocated to the 10th, 12th and 13th Corps. However, the most famous Kuban Cossack unit would be the 17th Cossack Corps under the command of general
Nikolay Kirichenko.
During one particular attack, Cossacks destroyed up to 1,800 enemy soldiers and officers, they took 300 prisoners, seized 18 artillery pieces and 25 mortars. The 5th and 9th Romanian Cavalry divisions fled in panic, and the 198th German Infantry division, carrying large losses, hastily departed to the left bank of the river Ei.
During the opening phase of the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later r ...
, when the Germans overran the Kuban, the majority of the Cossack population, long before the Germans began their agitation with Krasnov and Shkuro, became involved in
Partisan activity. Raids onto the German positions from the Caucasus mountains became commonplace. After the German defeat at
Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...
, the 4th Guards Kuban Cossack Corps, strengthened by tanks and artillery, broke through the German lines and liberated
Mineralnye Vody, and
Stavropol.
21st century
Modern Don Cossacks
The Don Cossacks were revived in the early 1990s and were officially recognised by the Russian Government in 1997, its Ataman holding the rank, insignia and uniform of a full Marshal.
In 1992 they joined the separatist forces during the
Transnistria War.
Don Cossacks volunteered by hundreds to fight in
South Ossetia during the 2008
Russo-Georgian war.
In 2009, the Ukrainian Security Service banned a leader of the Don Cossacks from entering Ukraine in order to prevent the creation of an illegal parliamentary formation on Ukrainian territory.
Since 2014, members of Don Cossacks have participated in the
war in Eastern Ukraine as independent volunteers for the pro-Russian Donbass militias.
Reportedly several military formations were formed though most of these groups were subsequently disbanded and integrated into the armed forces of the
DPR and
LPR.
National symbols of Don Cossacks
Flag of Don Cossacks
The Don Cossacks flag 3:4 was inaugurated during the Don Cossacks assembly in
Novocherkassk
Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as ...
,
Don Republic, on 4 May 1918 under chiefing of Ataman
Pyotr Krasnov. The flag has three colours: blue, yellow, and red. The flag is similar to that of the
Ukrainian State, also established in 1918, which the Don Republic bordered to its west.
Coat of arms
The Don Cossacks Coat of Arms was known from the 17th century. It was adopted as a symbol of the
Don Republic on 15 September 1918.
Uniform
Until 1914 the distinguishing colour of the Don Cossack Host was red: worn on the cap bands and wide trouser stripes of a dark blue uniform of the loose-fitting cut common to the Steppe Cossacks. Tall lambskin hats were worn on occasion, with red cloth tops edged in white lace. Silver metal scrolls were worn on the headdress to denote the distinguished conduct of individual regiments. Officers had silver braiding on their collars and epaulettes plus silver/black girdles. Shoulder-straps of other ranks were the same dark blue as the caftan (coat). A whip was used instead of spurs. Prior to 1908, individual cossacks from all Hosts were required to provide their own uniforms (together with horses and harness). However the size and relative affluence of the Don Cossack Host permitted the setting up of communally owned clothing factories.
A khaki field tunic was adopted in 1908, replacing the dark blue coats or white (summer) blouses previously worn for ordinary duties. However the blue riding breeches with broad red stripes long characteristic of the Don Host, continued to be worn even on active service during both World Wars.
The Don Cossack Battery of the Imperial Guard wore a "Tsar's green" (a dark shade common to the army) uniform, with the black and red distinctions of the artillery as a branch.
Anthem of Don Cossacks
''Всколыхнулся, взволновался православный Тихий Дон'' written by Fedor Anisimov in 1853.
Religion
Most Don Cossacks are
Russian Orthodox, who consider themselves guardians of the faith. However, a large percentage of Don Cossacks were
Starovers. Even in 1903, a minimum of 150,000 from a total of the 2,500,000 parish members of the Don
Eparchy were Starovers. Ataman count
Matvei Platov
Count Matvei Ivanovich Platov (8 (19) August 1753 – 3 (15) January 1818) was a Russian general who commanded the Don Cossacks in the Napoleonic wars and founded Novocherkassk as the new capital of the Don Host Province.
Biography
Platov ...
was of a
Popovtsy
The Popovtsy ( rus, поповцы, p=pɐˈpoft͡sɨ, "priested ones") or Popovschina (russian: поповщина) were from the 17th century one of the two main factions of Old Believers, along with the Bezpopovtsy ("priestless ones").
Historic ...
Old Believers
Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow b ...
Family. Don Cossacks were tolerant of other religions – with the exception of Jews – and accepted Buddhists, Muslims,
Old Believers
Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow b ...
, and pagans into their communities.
Traditions and culture
The Cossacks had a democratic society where the most important decisions were made during a Common Assembly (Казачий Круг). The assembly elected temporary authorities —
atamans.
Don Cossacks were skilled horsemen and experienced warriors, due to their long conflict with the
Crimean Khanate and the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
. They sold their military services to different powers in Eastern Europe. Together with the Polish King, they raided Moscow during the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
(Смутное Время) and, under Russian authority, carried out raids and expeditions against
Ottoman Turkey and
Qajar Persia.
Isolated between Russian and Muslim territory, the Don Cossacks developed a distinct culture and language which fused Ukrainian, Russian, Kalmyk, and Tatar elements.
[Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: D-K, By James Minahan. page 540]
The Don Cossacks have a tradition of
choral singing
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
and many of their songs, such as ''Chyorny Voron'' (Black Raven) and ''Lyubo, Bratsi, Lyubo'' (It's good, brothers, good) became popular throughout the rest of Russia. Many of the songs are about death in war.
Up to the 18th century marriages and divorces were held in the Common Assembly (Казачий Круг). If a Cossack wanted to marry a woman he was expected to bring her to the Common Assembly for presentation. If the Common Assembly gave approval, the marriage followed. The same procedure took place if there was a divorce.
Peter I Peter I may refer to:
Religious hierarchs
* Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus
* Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint
* Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholicos ...
banned these practices in the Common Assembly, requiring Cossacks to marry only in church.
A Cossack marriage is a complex ritual, accompanied by songs, dances and performances. A bridegroom arrives on horseback and takes his bride to the church, followed by a marriage train. After the wedding all present would adjourn to the bridegroom's house. There, the parents would bless the couple, break a loaf of bread above their heads, and sprinkle them with wheat, nuts, sweets and hops. The bride's hair would then be unbraided according to traditional rites.
When a son was born to a Cossack family, his relatives presented him with an arrow, a bow, a cartridge, a bullet and a gun. All of these items were hung on the wall, over the boy's bed. At the age of three, the boy began to ride a horse. At the age of 7 to 8 he was allowed to ride in the street, to go fishing and hunt with adults.
Horse racing was a popular pastime with Don Cossacks. Riders competed to hit a target, firing weapons from horseback. The most dexterous were able to do this standing on the horses back. It was traditional practice for Cossack families to provide a young Cossack with two horses, a uniform and weapons.
Cossack leave-taking was always festive. All departing Cossacks would gather in the church, then hang a small bag around their necks containing a pinch of their native soil before setting off singing. Having left their
stanitsa, they drank a cup of vodka and said good-bye to their native land.
Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff
The
Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff was a group of former officers of the
Russian Imperial Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian A ...
who were discovered singing in Çilingir (near Constantinople), where they had fled after the defeat of their army in the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
. They made their formal concert debut in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1923, led by their founder, conductor and composer,
Serge Jaroff
Serge Alexis Jaroff (russian: Серге́й Алексе́евич Жа́ров) ( – 5 October 1985) was the founder, conductor and composer of the Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff.
Biography
Jaroff was born in Makaryev, Kostroma Governora ...
.
The choir became popular in America, Japan and Europe, touring the world in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, till today. The men, dressed as Cossacks, sang
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
in a repertory of Russian sacred and secular music, army, folk and art songs. Cossack dancing was eventually added to their programme.
In popular culture
Mikhail Sholokhov
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov ( rus, Михаил Александрович Шолохов, p=ˈʂoləxəf; – 21 February 1984) was a Russian novelist and winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is known for writing about life ...
's monumental work, ''"
And Quiet Flows the Don
''And Quiet Flows the Don'' (''Quiet Flows the Don'' or ''The Silent Don'', russian: Тихий Дон, literally ''The Quiet Don'') is a novel in four volumes by Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov. The first three volumes were written from 192 ...
"'', deals sympathetically with the Don Cossacks and depicts the destruction of their way of life as a result of World War I and the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
.
See also
*
Azov Sea Region Museum of Cossacks
*
Repatriation of Cossacks after World War II
Notable Don Cossacks
*
Don Cossacks noble families
*
Kondraty Bulavin
The Bulavin Rebellion or Astrakhan Revolt (; Восстание Булавина, ''Vosstaniye Bulavina'') was a war which took place in the years 1707 and 1708 between the Don Cossacks and the Tsardom of Russia. Kondraty Bulavin, a democratical ...
*
Alexei Kaledin
*
Pyotr Krasnov
*
Matvei Platov
Count Matvei Ivanovich Platov (8 (19) August 1753 – 3 (15) January 1818) was a Russian general who commanded the Don Cossacks in the Napoleonic wars and founded Novocherkassk as the new capital of the Don Host Province.
Biography
Platov ...
*
Stepan Razin
*
Yermak Timofeyevich
*
Ivan Turchaninov
Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov (rus. Иван Васильевич Турчанинов); December 24, 1822 – June 18, 1901) better known by his Anglicised name of John Basil Turchin, was a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civ ...
— ''Union army brigadier general in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
''.
*
Aleksandr Khanzhonkov
Don Cossacks government and policy
*
Don Republic
*
Don Army
The Don Army (russian: Донская армия, ) was the military of the short lived Don Republic and a part of the White movement in the Russian Civil War. It operated from 1918 to 1920, in the Don region and centered in the town of Novocher ...
*
Cossacks in Turkey
*
List of Imperial Russian Army Don Cossack regiments
Don Cossack books
* ''"
And Quiet Flows the Don
''And Quiet Flows the Don'' (''Quiet Flows the Don'' or ''The Silent Don'', russian: Тихий Дон, literally ''The Quiet Don'') is a novel in four volumes by Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov. The first three volumes were written from 192 ...
"''
Genocide and Don Cossacks
*
Kiev pogroms of 1919 ''"Carried by Don Cossacks"''.
*
Decossackization
De-Cossackization (Russian: Расказачивание, ''Raskazachivaniye'') was the Bolshevik policy of systematic repressions against Cossacks of the Russian Empire, especially of the Don and the Kuban, between 1919 and 1933 aimed at the ...
*
Repatriation of Cossacks after World War II — ''"betrayal of the Cossacks"''.
** ''"
Victims of Yalta"'' — ''1977 book''.
*
Ethnic Cleansing of Circassians
*
Genocides in history
*
Human rights in the Soviet Union
*
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Footnotes
Further reading
*
* Peter Holquist, "'Conduct Merciless Mass Terror': Decossackization on the Don, 1919," ''Cahiers du Monde russe,'' vol. 38, no. 1/2(Jan.-June 1997), pp. 127–162
In JSTOR*Noël Bonneuil, Elena Fursa. 2020.
Nuptiality to regulate the commons? The case of the Don Cossacks (South Russia), 1867–1916. Oxford Economic Papers
External links
Doncossacks.ru: The Don Cossack Museum— ''in Novocherkassk''.
Novocherkassk.net: Novocherkassk—the Capital of Don Cossacks
{{Authority control
Separatist forces of the war in Donbas
Cossack hosts
Don Host Oblast
Don basin
Euromaidan