The Sulyma uprising ( pl, Powstanie Sulimy, uk, Повстання Сулими, ''Povstannia Sulymy'') was a Cossack rebellion headed by

Ivan Sulyma Ivan Sulyma ( pl, Iwan Sulima, uk, Іван Михайлович Сулима – ''Ivan Mykhailovych Sulyma'') was a Senior of Registered Cossacks in 1628–29 and a Kosh Otaman in 1630–35. Life and death Son of Mykhailo Sulyma, Ivan came fr ...

(Iwan Sulima) against the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

in 1635. The rebels succeeded in taking and destroying the newly built

Kodak Fortress Kodak fortress ( uk, Кодак; pl, Kudak) was a fort built in 1635 by the order of the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa and the Sejm on the Dnieper River near what would become the town of Stari Kodaky (now near the city of Dnipro in Ukraine) ...

, but were defeated by Polish forces under

Hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

Stanisław Koniecpolski soon afterward. Sulyma was executed in December same year.

Background

The

controlled most of the Cossack territories at the time, and their

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

was trying to turn militant Cossacks into

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

s. The

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 ...

were also responsible for provoking some conflicts with 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) ...

. To secure the troublesome south-eastern border, the Commonwealth began construction of a new fortress, the

Kodak fortress Kodak fortress ( uk, Кодак; pl, Kudak) was a fort built in 1635 by the order of the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa and the Sejm on the Dnieper River near what would become the town of Stari Kodaky (now near the city of Dnipro in Ukraine) ...

, finished in July 1635.

Uprising

Soon after the Kodak fortress was finished, after returning from a raid to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

against the Ottomans, Cossack leader

decided to rebel against the Commonwealth. He took opportunity of the fact that Polish commander,

hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

Stanisław Koniecpolski, and much of the

Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, was away at the Polish-Swedish negotiations (for the

Treaty of Stuhmsdorf The Treaty of Stuhmsdorf ( sv, Stilleståndet i Stuhmsdorf), or Sztumska Wieś ( pl, Rozejm w Sztumskiej Wsi), was a treaty signed on 12 September 1635 between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Swedish Empire in the village of Stuhmsd ...

). On the night of 3 to 4 August or 11 to 12 August 1635 (sources vary) he took the newly constructed Kodak fortress by surprise and subterfuge, burning it and killing most of its crew of about 200

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

mercenaries under colonel Jean Marion. Marion, taken prisoner, was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. Subsequently Sulyma's forces attacked several other Polish outposts in the region, such as at Cherkasy and Korsun. Soon afterwards, however, his forces were defeated by the army of hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski at Ostrów Dnieprowski. Koniecpolski was also aided by the loyal

registered Cossacks Registered Cossacks (, , pl, Kozacy rejestrowi) comprised special Cossack units of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth army in the 16th and 17th centuries. Registered Cossacks became a military formation of the Commonwealth army beginning ...

. (According to other sources, there was no significant battle, and the Cossacks surrendered as soon as sizeable Polish forces entered Ukraine). During subsequent negotiations, Sulyma was turned over to the Commonwealth by Cossack elders or ''

starshina ( rus, старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or in Ukrainian transliteration) is a senior non-commissioned rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavic states, and a historical military designation. In army ...

'' (Illyash Karayimovych and Ivan Barabas). Together with five other leaders of his rebellion, Hetman Sulyma was taken to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, in time for his case to be debated by the second

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...

of 1635. Hetman Koniecpolski promised him he would not be executed, and at first, the Polish King

Władysław IV Waza Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * W ...

, known for his friendly attitude towards the

, was also hesitant to execute Sulyma, especially since he was a person upon whom the Pope himself bestowed his medal. However, pressured by the nobility who wanted to show that no rebellions against the 'established order' would be tolerated, and the Ottoman envoy, the order for an execution was given; after being tortured, Sulyma was cut to pieces and his body parts were hung on the city walls of Warsaw on 12 December 1635. Four other Cossack leaders were also executed; the only one who was pardoned, due to a request from chancellor Tomasz Zamoyski, was

Pavel Mikhnovych Pavlo Pavliuk, or Pavlo Mikhnovych (; ; died 1638 in Warsaw). He was a Colonel in the Registered Cossacks ( uk, реєстрові козаки), was appointed by Cossacks as a hetman, and was the leader of a cossack-peasant uprising (the Pavlyuk ...

References

{{Zaporozhian Cossack uprisings Conflicts in 1635 Cossack uprisings 17th century in the Zaporozhian Host 17th-century rebellions 1635 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Rebellions in Ukraine