Yurii Khmelnytsky ( uk, Юрій Хмельницький, pl, Jerzy Chmielnicki, russian: Юрий Хмельницкий) (1641 – 1685(?)), younger son of the famous Ukrainian Hetman
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi ( Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern ua, Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький; 6 August 1657) was a Ukrainian military commander and ...
and brother of
Tymofiy Khmelnytsky
Tymofiy Bohdanovych Khmelnytsky or Tymish Khmelnytsky (, Tymofiej Chmielnicki; 1632 - September 15, 1653) was the eldest son of Cossack hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
Married to Moldavian princess Ruxandra Lupu (''Rozanda'' in Ukrainian), daughter ...
, was a
Zaporozhian Cossack
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 ...
political and military leader. Although he spent half of his adult life as a monk, he also was
Hetman of Ukraine
Hetman of Ukraine ( uk, Гетьман України) is a former historic government office and political institution of Ukraine that is equivalent to a head of state or a monarch.
Brief history
As a head of state the position was establi ...
on several occasions — in 1659-1660 and 1678–1681 and
starost
The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
of
Hadiach
Hadiach ( uk, Га́дяч, Hadyach, ; russian: Гáдяч, Gadyach, pl, Hadziacz), sometimes spelled Hadyach, Gadyach, Gadiach, Haditch, or Hadziacz, is a city of regional significance in Poltava Oblast (province) in the central-east part of U ...
, becoming one of the most well-known Ukrainian politicians of the
"Ruin" period for the
Cossack Hetmanate
The Cossack Hetmanate ( uk, Гетьманщина, Hetmanshchyna; or ''Cossack state''), officially the Zaporizhian Host or Army of Zaporizhia ( uk, Військо Запорозьке, Viisko Zaporozke, links=no; la, Exercitus Zaporoviensis) ...
.
Biography
Hetman of Ukraine
Yuri Khmelnytsky was born in 1641
[
] in
Subotiv
Subotiv ( uk, Суботів) is a village (''selo'') in central Ukraine. It is located in Cherkasy Raion (district) of Cherkasy Oblast (province), near the town of Chyhyryn. It belongs to Chyhyryn urban hromada, of which the administration is lo ...
near
Chyhyryn
Chyhyryn ( uk, Чигирин, ) is a city and historic site located in Cherkasy Raion of Cherkasy Oblast of central Ukraine. From 1648 to 1669 the city was a Hetman residence. After a forced relocation of the Ruthenian Orthodox metropolitan see ...
in central Ukraine. In 1659, the
Cossack Rada
Cossack Rada (, ''Kozats'ka Rada'') or General Military Council was a general Cossack assembly (council) often military in nature.
Originally established at the Zaporizhian Sich, the rada (council) was an institution of Cossack administration in U ...
elected the 17-year-old Yurii as their
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 ...
in
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...
, replacing the deposed
Ivan Vyhovsky
Ivan Vyhovsky ( uk, Іван Виговський; pl, Iwan Wyhowski / Jan Wyhowski; date of birth unknown, died 1664), a Ukrainian military and political figure and statesman, served as hetman of the Zaporizhian Host and of the Cossack Hetma ...
. The young hetman faced problems: the uneasy alliance with the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I i ...
and the ongoing wars against
Poland–Lithuania and against the
Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...
.
During the conflict against Poland–Lithuania, Yuri Khmelntsky's Cossacks were defeated near the town of
Korsun, he was captured by the Poles and later pledged loyalty to king
Jan II Kazimierz
John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
of Poland–Lithuania (reigned 1648-1668).
In 1659, the parliament (
sejm walny
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 the ...
) of 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 ...
granted him nobility.
On 24 March 1661, he became
starost
The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
of
Hadiach
Hadiach ( uk, Га́дяч, Hadyach, ; russian: Гáдяч, Gadyach, pl, Hadziacz), sometimes spelled Hadyach, Gadyach, Gadiach, Haditch, or Hadziacz, is a city of regional significance in Poltava Oblast (province) in the central-east part of U ...
.
Yuri's perceived treason provoked a civil war within Ukraine in 1661, when the new
ataman
Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; Russian: атаман, uk, отаман) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military comman ...
Yakym Somko
Yakym Somko ( uk, Яким Сомко, pl, Jakim Somko) (? in Pereiaslav – September 28, 1664), was a Ukrainian Cossack military leader of the Pereyaslav regiment and was the Acting Hetman of Left-bank Ukraine in 1660-1663, during The Ruin ...
led the pro-Moscow Cossacks against Yuri and his new Polish allies. At the battle near the town of
Pereiaslav
Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (Oblast, province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta River, Alta ...
in the summer of 1662, Somko's Cossacks and the Russians under
Grigory Romodanovsky
Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Romodanovsky (russian: Григорий Григорьевич Ромодановский) was a controversial figure of the Russian foreign policy as a member of the Razryadny Prikase, playing a key role in pursuing le ...
defeated Yuri Khmelnytsky.
After the defeat, Khmelnytsky entered an alliance with the
Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...
, but this resulted in little beyond massive looting and raiding of Ukrainian towns and villages by the Tatars. Thereupon, Yuri gave up his hetman title and became a monk at the
Mharsky Monastery
, native_name_lang =
, logo =
, logo_size =
, logo_caption =
, image = Спасо-Преображенський Мгарський монастир!.jpg
, image_size =
, image_ ...
in the autumn of 1662. Between 1664 and 1667, the hetman
Pavlo Teteria
Pavlo Teteria ( uk, Павло́ Тете́ря; russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Тете́ря, pl, Paweł Morzkowski herbu Ślepowron) (1620s–1670) was Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine (1663–1665). His real name is Pavlo Morzhkovsky. ...
imprisoned him in
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
.
Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine
After his release in 1672, he participated in a campaign against the Tatars and was captured near
Uman
Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
and brought to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, where he was allowed to live in a
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
monastery. In 1676 — after the Sultan's ally,
Petro Doroshenko
Petro Doroshenko ( uk, Петро Дорофійович Дорошенко, russian: Пётр Дорофе́евич Дороше́нко, pl, Piotr Doroszenko; 1627–1698) was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukr ...
, surrendered to the Russians — the Porte decided to use Khmelnytsky's famous name to reinforce their claim to the
Right-bank Ukraine
Right-bank Ukraine ( uk , Правобережна Україна, ''Pravoberezhna Ukrayina''; russian: Правобережная Украина, ''Pravoberezhnaya Ukraina''; pl, Prawobrzeżna Ukraina, sk, Pravobrežná Ukrajina, hu, Jobb p ...
starting the
Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681)
The Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681, a war between the Tsardom of Russia and Ottoman Empire, caused by Turkish expansionism in the second half of the 17th century.
Prelude
After having captured and devastated the region of Podolia in the cour ...
.
In 1678, the Turkish army captured Chyhyryn and declared Yuri Khmelnytsky as a new hetman of Ukraine, although in reality he was only a puppet for the Ottoman
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
. Ottoman Turkish army with Yuri in tow captured and burned down
Kaniv
Kaniv ( uk, Канів, ) city located in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper. It hosts the administration of Kaniv urb ...
and other Ukrainian towns. He then retired to his Sultan dictated capital at
Nemyriv
Nemyriv ( uk, Немирів, russian: Немирoв, pl, Niemirów) is a historic town in Vinnytsia Oblast (Oblast, province) in Ukraine, located in the historical region of Podolia. It was the Capital city, administrative center of former Nemy ...
in Turkish occupied parts of Ukraine, as a vassal of sultan
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...
until 1681, when the Turks removed him from power due to his unstable mental health and unprecedented cruelty. Two years later, he was briefly re-instated by the Poles. In 1685 it was reported that the Turks captured Yuri and executed him (strangled
) in
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...
, which became the subject of hearsay. However, later researchers denounced this version as "apocryphal", based on one witness account, and noted other possibilities.
[''Korduba M.'' Chmielnicki Jerzy (ur. 1640 † ok. 1681) // ]Polski Słownik Biograficzny
''Polski Słownik Biograficzny'' (''PSB''; Polish Biographical Dictionary) is a Polish-language biographical dictionary, comprising an alphabetically arranged compilation of authoritative biographies of some 25,000 notable Poles and of foreigners ...
. — Kraków, 1937. — T. III/1, zeszyt 11. — S. 334—336. Georgiy Konyssky Georgy (; russian: Георгий, Georgiy; bg, Георги, Georgi) is a Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Greek name Georgios. It corresponds to the English name George (given name), George. The name Georgi is the most used masculine ...
, an 18th century
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
author and religious figure, wrote on Yurii being taken to Istanbul, before eventual exile to a monastery somewhere in the Mediterranean. One of the possible locations is Malta, where a "Cossack general's" grave is being shown as a tourist attraction.
[Титаренко Л. Трагедія Юрія Хмельницького, гетьманового сина. ragedy of Yurii Khmelnytsky, Hetman's son// ''Голос України: Газета Верховної Ради України olos Ukrayiny: The Official Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Newspaper' URL: http://www.golos.com.ua/article/188483]
See also
*
Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks
Hetman of Zaporizhian Cossacks is a historical term that has multiple meanings.
Officially the post was known as Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host ( uk, Гетьман Війська Запорозького, ''Hetman Viyska Zaporozkoho'').Mytsyk, ...
*
List of Ukrainian rulers
This is a list that encompasses and includes all reigning leaders/rulers in the history of Ukraine.
This page includes the titles of the Grand Prince of Kyiv, Grand Prince of Chernigov, Grand Prince of Pereyaslavl, Grand Prince of Galicia ...
Notes
External links
Kostomarov, Mykola. "The Ruin: A Historical Monograph on the Life of Little Russia from 1663 to 1687" and "Rus’ History in the Biographies of Its Important Figures"- in Russian.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khmelnytsky, Yuri
1641 births
1685 deaths
People from Cherkasy Oblast
Hetmans of Zaporizhian Host
Russian people of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)
Executed Ukrainian people
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy alumni
17th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire
Ukrainian people executed abroad
People executed by strangulation