Ustym Yakymovych Karmaliuk (also Karmelyuk, uk, Устим Якимович Кармалюк (Кармелюк)) (March 10, 1787 – October 22, 1835) was a Ukrainian outlaw who fought against the Russian administration and became a
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; an ...
to the commoners of Ukraine. He is often referred to as the "Ukrainian
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
" and "the last
haydamak
The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...
".
Early life
Following the
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian War ...
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. ...
including the eastern
Podillia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
.
Karmaliuk was born a serf in the settlement of Holovchyntsi in
Letychiv
Letychiv ( uk, Летичів; pl, Latyczów; russian: Летичев) is a town in the eastern part of Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. 51 km from Khmelnytskyi and 33 km from the railway station in Derazhnia. It was a ...
County (powiat latyczówski) (in some sources, Lityn County) of the
Podolian Voivodeship
The Podolian Voivodeship, uk, Подільське воєводство or Palatinate of Podolia was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland, since 1434 until 1793, except for the period of Ottoman occup ...
in 1787. There is little known about his early life except that he possessed some literacy and was fluent in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
, besides his native Ukrainian language, as attested by the police documents of the time. He was taken by his owner at the age of 17 to work as a servant in the manor, but was notoriously insolent. As a result, his owner decided to forcibly send him into Russian military service, in order to remove him from others whom he was inciting to rebellion.
Established revolutionary
Army service and desertions
Karmaliuk was enlisted to serve in the Imperial Russian Army in Kamianets-Podilskyi. He was forcibly inducted into the Russian Imperial Army, and served in the Napoleonic Wars of 1812 in an
Uhlan
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
regiment, but eventually escaped and organized rebel bands who attacked merchants and landowners, while distributing the booty between the poor. He was captured in 1814, and was sentenced in
to run a gauntlet of 500 blows, a typical military punishment. He was then sent to serve out the 25-year term of penal service in a military unit 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 pop ...
, but he fled again, returning to northern
Podolia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
.
Rebellion
In Podolia, he once again organized rebel bands in Olhopil,
Letychiv
Letychiv ( uk, Летичів; pl, Latyczów; russian: Летичев) is a town in the eastern part of Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. 51 km from Khmelnytskyi and 33 km from the railway station in Derazhnia. It was a ...
, and
Lityn
Lityn (, ) is a town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province), located in the historic region of the Podilia. It was formerly the administrative center of the Lityn Raion, but is now administered within Vinnytsia Raion. Population:
Location
The town ...
regions, attracting a wide support base among Ukrainians,
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and even
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
. The rebellions intensified over the years, and then had spread not only to other parts of
Podolia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
, but also to the neighboring provinces of
Volynia
Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
.
Karmaliuk escaped from the castle where he was held captive, but was captured yet again in 1817-18. The second time, he was sentenced to 25 blows with the
knout
A knout is a heavy scourge-like multiple whip, usually made of a series of rawhide thongs attached to a long handle, sometimes with metal wire or hooks incorporated. The English word stems from a spelling-pronunciation of a French transliterat ...
in front of the town hall and sent to far-away
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 of ...
.
In 1822, Karmaliuk was arrested yet again and jailed for the third time in the castle's Pope's Tower. On the night of March 12–13, 1823, Karmaliuk organized an escape with his fellow inmates, during which he was injured and captured just two weeks later. In April 1823, Karmaliuk was sentenced to 101 hits with the knout in front of the town hall.
With the ongoing Polish uprising of 1831, by the early 1830s Karmaliuk's guerrilla army was approximately 20,000 strong, with over 1,000 raids on the estates of the Polish and Russian landowners over a 20-year period. The response of the
tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
was to station military units in those regions hardest hit by Karmaliuk. He was caught four times and sentenced to hard labor in Siberia, but escaped each time, returning to Lityn and Letychiv districts. A tower in the
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle ( uk, links=no, Кам'янець-Подільська фортеця; pl, links=no, twierdza w Kamieńcu Podolskim) is a former Ruthenian- Lithuanian castle and a later three-part Polish fortress located in the his ...
bears the name of its famous prisoner.
Openness towards other ethnicities
Karmaluk bore no ill will towards the poor of all ethnic groups and minorities in Ukraine, Jews in particular, and as a result they supported him ''en masse''. His close companions were the Poles Jan and Alex Glembovski, Feliks Jankovski and Alexander Wytwycki and Jews Avrum El Itzkovych, Abrashko Duvydovych Sokolnytsky and Aron Viniar. Many Jews were prosecuted for participating in Karmalyuk's raids and aiding and abetting him. In general, Karmalyuk inspired unprecedented loyalty in all his supporters.Volodymyr Liubchenko. Karmaliuk Ustym Yakymovych (КАРМАЛЮК УСТИМ ЯКИМОВИЧ) '. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2007
Death
The sister of a woman called Ulyana (or Olena), Warwara decided to testify against Karmalyuk. She informed the local landowners about Karmalyuk's next visit to the Warwara, and they ambushed her house. Two of the party hid in the stove and one in the halls, providing an emergency exit through the roof. Two others were scared and decided to run through the roof. Haidamka is said to have enquired what the noise was, to which Ulyana replied that the sheep were making noise. When the noise was repeated, Karmalyak decided to check what was happening and looking out he saw a frightened nobleman, Rutovsky, who shot him in the head out of fear.
According to legend, Karmalyuk was impervious to bullets, but he was killed by the only thing that could get him, a lead garment button.
In art and literature
Karmalyuk is a subject of many art- and folk-songs. He is sometimes referred to as "the
Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
of
Podilia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
", as no prison was able to hold him for very long. Affectionately, he is known as the last
Haidamak
The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...
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 inv ...
.
Karmalyuk was the subject of three portraits by Russian painter
Vasily Tropinin
Vasily Andreevich Tropinin (russian: Васи́лий Андре́евич Тропи́нин; – ) was a Russian Romantic painter. Much of his life was spent as a serf; he didn't attain his freedom until he was more than forty years old. ...
. There are a few different versions of Karmalyuk's acquaintance with the artist. According to one version Tropinin was introduced to Karmaliuk by his friend physician Prokopy Danylevsky, who had given medical help to Karmalyuk's people. According to another version, Tropinin painted Karmaliuk inside prison. Three portraits of Karmalyuk by Tropinin survive. One is kept in the
Nizhny Tagil
Nizhny Tagil ( rus, Нижний Тагил, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj tɐˈgʲil) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located east of the boundary between Asia and Europe. Population:
History
The prehistor ...
art museum, another in the
Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...
and the third is in the
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...
br>
Karmalyuk was the subject of a number of poems by the songwriter
Tomasz Padura
Tymko (Tomasz) Padura, also Padurra, ( uk, Тимко Падура; 21 December 1801 – 20 September 1871) was a Polish Romantic poet of the so-called Ukrainian school, musician-torbanist, and composer-songwriter. He was born into patriotic Po ...
, some of which became folk songs.
Faust Lopatinsky directed the silent film "Karmalyuk" in 1931.
Literary works dedicated to Ustym Karmalyuk include:
*
Marko Vovchok
Marko Vovchok ( uk, Марко́ Вовчо́к, birth name: Mariia Vilinskа, surname by the first marriage: Markovych, surname by the second marriage: Lobach-Zhuchenko, russian: Мария Александровна Вилинская; 22 Dece ...
– a historic children novella ''Karmalyuk'' (in Ukrainian, 1865);
*
Mykhailo Starytskyi
Mykhailo Petrovych Starytsky ( uk, Михайло Петрович Старицький; 14 December 1840 – 27 April 1904), in English Michael Starycky, was a Ukrainian writer, poet, and playwright.Liudmyla Starytska-Cherniakhivska – a five-act play, ''Rogue Karmelyuk'' (in Ukrainian, 1926);
* Stepan Vasylchenko – a three-act play – ''Rogue Karmelyuk'' (in Ukrainian, 1927);
* Vasyl Kucher – ''Ustym Karmalyuk'' (in Ukrainian, a novella in 1940, a novel in 1954, based on the 1940 novella);
*
Ivan Drach
Ivan Fedorovych Drach ( uk, Іва́н Фе́дорович Драч; 17 October 1936 – 19 June 2018) was a Ukrainian poet, screenwriter, literary critic, politician, and political activist.
Drach played an important role in the founding of ...
– ''The Ballad of Karmalyuk'' – a poem included in his book ''Poems'' (in Ukrainian, 1967);
* Volodymyr Gzhytskyi – ''Karmalyuk'' (in Ukrainian, 1971);
* Hyzha Oleksandra – ''Siege of Karmalyuk'' (in Ukrainian, 1990).
Footnotes
a. In honor of Karmaliuk, the Pope's Tower where he was frequently held captive in is also referred to as "Karmaliuk's Tower."