The Ruin () is a historical term introduced by the

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

chronicle writer Samiilo Velychko (1670–1728) for the political situation in Ukrainian history during the second half of the 17th century. The timeframe of the period varies among historians: * Some

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

s such as Mykola Kostomarov define the period between 1663 and 1687, associating it with the three Moscow-appointed

hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

s of

Left-bank Ukraine The Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left (east) bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy. Left-bank Ukrain ...

( Briukhovetsky, Mnohohrishny and Samoylovych). * Other historians interpret the period between 1660 and 1687, from the Treaty of Chudnov that led to division among the Cossack community. * considered the timeframe as 1657–1687, from the death of

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms (Ruthenian language, Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern , Polish language, Polish: ; 15956 August 1657) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble ...

in 1657, particularly the

Pushkar Pushkar is a temple town near Ajmer City and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur.Barabash Mutiny, until the ascension of

Ivan Mazepa Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (; ; ) was the Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host and the Left-bank Ukraine in 1687–1708. The historical events of Mazepa's life have inspired Cultural legacy of Mazeppa, many literary, artistic and musical works. He was ...

in 1687. The period was characterised by continuous strife,

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and foreign intervention by neighbours of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. A Ukrainian saying of the time, ''Від Богдана до Івана не було гетьмана'' "From Bohdan to

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the B ...

, there was no hetman n between, accurately summarises the chaotic events of this period.

Background

The Ruin started after the death of

in 1657. Khmelnytsky had delivered Ukraine from centuries of Polish and

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n domination through the campaigns of the

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack–Polish War, Khmelnytsky insurrection, or the National Liberation War, was a Cossack uprisings, Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of the Poli ...

(1648–1657) and Ukraine's Treaty of Pereiaslav (1654) with the Tsardom of Moscow. While Khmelnytsky had operated as a charismatic and influential leader, clearly one of the prominent figures in Ukrainian history, he did not establish clear rules of succession and his will favoured his son Yurii as the new hetman. Yurii Khmelnytsky (1641–1685), young and inexperienced, clearly lacked the charisma and the leadership qualities of his father, as he showed during his attempts to rule (1657, 1659–1663, 1677–1681, 1685). At the time of Bohdan Khmelnytsky's death, the Cossack state had a territory of about and a population of around 1.2 to 1.5 million. Society consisted of the remaining non-Catholic nobles, the '' starshina'' or richer Cossack officers, the mass of the Cossacks and those peasants who did not bear arms. The Orthodox Church held 17% of the land; local nobles held 33%. The remaining 50% had been confiscated from the Poles and was up for grabs. Ukrainians comprised a frontier society with no natural borders, no tradition of statehood and a population committed to Cossack liberty or

anarchy Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...

. The confiscated lands could easily change hands in any conflict. There was an unresolved conflict between the mass of poorer cossacks and the wealthier group who aspired to semi-noble status. The state was weak and needed a protector, but of the regional powers, the Poles wanted to take the Ukrainian lands back, Muscovite-Russian autocracy fitted ill with Cossack ideals of liberty, the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

concentrated on Slavic slave-raiding and the Turks of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

showed little concern for the Ukrainian frontier. The

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

's territory remained still too far away during this period, and the

Don Cossacks Don Cossacks (, ) or Donians (, ), are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don River (Russia), Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (, ), which was either an independent or an autonomous democratic rep ...

and the Kalmucks stayed out of the conflict. The history of Ukraine in this period became very complex. Basic themes included: * the failure to find a single

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of Ukraine who could pursue a consistent policy * the constant switching of alliances with outside powers who had their own interests * conflict between richer and poorer Cossacks * the influence of the Orthodox Church, which tended to favour coreligionist Moscow

Left and right banks 1648–1663

''1648-57: Khmelnytsky: Crimea and Russia:'' Khmelnytsky started his rebellion in alliance with the Khanate of Crimea. When his acceptance of Russian overlordship in 1654 ( Treaty of Pereiaslav) led to the

Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland) and Russia (including the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, the Tsardom of Russia and the Principality of Moscow) include: : : ...

, the Crimeans switched sides and began raiding Ukraine. In his last years Khmelnytsky backed away from Russia and was negotiating with Sweden and Transylvania. ''1657-59: Vyhovsky and the Poles:'' At the time of Khmelnytsky's death his son Yurii was only 16, so the hetmanate was given to Ivan Vyhovsky (

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

). He based his power on the richer cossacks ('starshina') and sought a rapprochement with Poland. This led to a rebellion of the more democratic cossacks Martyn Pushkar and Yakiv Barabash, which was defeated in June 1658, a civil war that cost about 50,000 lives. In September 1658 he signed the

Treaty of Hadiach The Treaty of Hadiach (; ) was a treaty signed on 16 September 1658 in Hadiach (present-day Ukraine) between representatives of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ( representing Poland and representing Lithuania) and Zaporozhian Cossacks (repr ...

with Poland, which would have turned Ukraine into a third member of the Polish–Lithuanian commonwealth, but the treaty was never implemented. The treaty led to a Muscovite-Ukrainian War where Russians were defeated at the Battle of Konotop on 29 June 1659. Faced with a revolt by several pro-Moscow colonels, Vyhovsky resigned and retired to Poland in October 1659. ''1659-63: Yurii Khmelnytsky: Russia and Poland:'' The hetmanate passed to Bohdan's son

Yurii Khmelnytsky Yurii Khmelnytsky ((monastic name: Hedeon), , , ) (1641 – 1685(?)), younger son of the famous Ukrainian Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky and brother of Tymofiy Khmelnytsky, was a Zaporozhian Cossack political and military leader. Although he spent hal ...

who was now about 18. In 1659 he was forced to sign the

Pereiaslav Articles The Pereyaslav Articles (, ) were concluded on 27 October 1659 between Yurii Khmelnytsky, the son of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and the Russian tsar. The treaty was an aftermath of the Treaty of Hadiach on 16 September 1658 between the Cossacks and the P ...

, which were often confused with the treaty itself. They significantly increased Russian power. The next year, fighting resumed between Russia and Poland. Yurii hung back. After a number of Polish victories, Yurii agreed to return Ukraine to the commonwealth. This led the left-bank cossacks under Yakym Somko to depose him. Depressed by this effective partition of Ukraine, in January 1663 Yurii surrendered his hetman's mace and retired to a monastery.

Polish right bank 1663–1681

''1663-65: Teteria and Poland:'' Pavlo Teteria, who held only the right bank, followed a strongly pro-Polish policy. When his invasion of the left bank failed, he returned to deal with the numerous rebellions that had broken out against the Poles. The behaviour of his Polish allies cost him what little support he had, and he resigned and fled to Poland. ''1665-76: Doroshenko and the Turks:'' The goal of Petro Doroshenko was to re-unite the two halves of Ukraine. He held frequent councils to cultivate the poorer cossacks and created a 20,000 man band of mercenaries to free himself from the starshina. In 1667, Russia and Poland, without consulting the cossacks, signed the

Treaty of Andrusovo The Truce of Andrusovo (, , also sometimes known as Treaty of Andrusovo) established a thirteen-and-a-half year truce, signed on between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had fought the Russo-Polish War sin ...

, which partitioned the cossack lands at the Dnieper river. The thinly populated southern area (Zaporozhia) was to be a Russo-Polish

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

, but it was in practice self-governing, to the extent that it had a government. In response, Doroshenko turned to the Turks ( Polish-Cossack-Tatar War (1666–1671)). In the fall of 1667 an Ottoman-Cossack force invaded Galicia and compelled the king to grant extensive autonomy to Doroshenko. He accepted a loose Ottoman overlordship, invaded the left bank, removed the rival hetman and in 1668 declared himself hetman of a united Ukraine. Crimea backed another rival hetman and the Poles backed Mykhailo Khanenko, with whom they invaded the right bank. Turning to meet the invaders, he placed Demian Mnohohrishny in control of the left bank, which quickly came under Russian control. In 1672 he helped the Turks annex

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

. During the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681) he aided the Turks against Russia. This involvement with non-Christians cost him his remaining support. On 19 September 1676, he gave up authority to Ivan Samoylovych of the left bank and went into exile in Russia. ''1678-81: Yurii Khmelnytsky and the Turks:'' In 1678 the Turks, who had a large army in the area, appointed their prisoner

as hetman. He participated in the second campaign of Chyhyryn and was deposed by the Turks in 1681. At this point, English sources become thin. The Right Bank was severely depopulated, many of those who were not killed or enslaved by the Tatars having fled to the Left Bank or

Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine, also known locally as ''Slobozhanshchyna'' or ''Slobozhanshchina'', is a historical region in northeastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia. It developed from Belgorod Razriad and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the ...

. Polish rule was gradually restored and the country began to fill up again.

Russian left bank 1661–1687

''1661-63: Somko and the Starshina:'' In 1660 the left-bank Cossacks deposed Yurii Khmelnytsky because of the Polish alliance and made Yakym Somko the Acting Hetman. Yurii held on to the right bank, effectively partitioning the country. Somko favored the upper class, provoking the opposition of the Zaporozhians under Briukhovetsky. He also lost the support of Moscow. At the Chorna rada of 1663, he was replaced by Briukhovetsky and executed. ''1663-68: Briukhovetsky and the Russians 1663–1668:'' Ivan Briukhovetsky was almost completely dependent on Russia. In 1665 he went to Moscow and signed the Moscow Articles of 1665. Russian tax collectors and soldiers were allowed in, a Russian was to be head of the church, a Russian representative would be present at hetman elections and the Hetman would go to Moscow for confirmation. Soldiers and tax collectors provoked resistance and the church resisted Moscow influence. The Truce of Andrusovo (1667) seemed a Russian betrayal of Cossack interests. A series of revolts broke out. Briukhovetsky back-pedaled. In the spring of 1668, as Doroshenko's forces crossed the Dnieper, Briukhovetsky was beaten to death by a mob. ''1668-72: Mnohohrishny and Left Bank Autonomy:'' On 9 June 1668 Doroshenko proclaimed himself hetman of a united Ukraine. In 1669 the Poles set up a rival hetman, Mykhailo Khanenko, and invaded the right bank. Turning to meet the invasion, Doroshenko placed Demian Mnohohrishny as acting hetman of the left bank. As Doroshenko weakened, under Russian pressure, he accepted Russian supremacy. A stable relationship developed as Moscow moderated its demands and Mnohohrisny protected local interests. He made some progress in restoring law and order but could not control the starshina. Some of these denounced him to the Tsar, who had him arrested, tortured and exiled to Siberia. ''1672-87: Samoylovych and Russia:'' When Ivan Samoylovych was elected hetman he agreed to limited powers. He could not judge the starshina or carry on foreign relations without the consent of the starshina council. He disbanded the hired troops under the hetman's direct control. In 1674 and 1676 he and his Russian ally besieged Doroshenko at Chyhyryn. On September 19, 1676, Doroshenko surrendered to Samylovych, who declared himself hetman of a united Ukraine. But within two years the Turks drove him back across the Dnieper. Poland and Russia signed the

Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686 The Polish-Russian Peace Treaty of 1686, officially known as Treaty of Perpetual Peace , , but also known in Polish tradition Grzymułtowski Peace, ) was concluded between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth to finally ...

, which again recognized Polish rule of the right bank and removed the Poles from Zaporozhia, a major disappointment for Samoylovych. In 1687, 100,000 Russians and 50,000 Cossacks launched an attack on the Crimea ( Crimean campaigns), which failed. Samoylovych was blamed, removed, and exiled to Siberia. ''1687–1709: Mazepa and Stability:'' With the election of

as hetman, the Ruin effectively came to an end, and the history of the left bank merged with the Hetmanate as part of Russia. With the start of the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

in 1700, Russian demands began to seem excessive. In 1708 Mazepa allied himself with

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

. At the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...

, Charles, Mazepa and those cossacks that followed him were defeated and exiled to Turkey.

Results

# The attempt to create a Ruthenian Cossack state failed. # Ukraine was partitioned between Russia and Poland along the Dnieper. # Poland lost the left bank, became weakened, and declined. # Russia expanded to the south and somewhat to the southwest. # There was a major shift of Ruthenian population from the devastated right bank to the left bank and

, thereby increasing the area under peasant agriculture. # Turkey briefly expanded its power into Ukraine (Doroshenko to about 1699).

List of treaties

For reference, this is a list of treaties and agreements during the period. *1648: Ukrainian Cossacks ally with the Khanate of Crimea *1648: Truce of Zamość: short-lived compromise *1649: Treaty of Zboriv: 40,000

Registered Cossacks Registered Cossacks (, ) 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 in 1572 soon after the ...

; no Polish soldiers or Jews in central Ukraine; not implemented *1651: Treaty of Bila Tserkva: 20,000 Registered Cossacks; Jews and nobles to return; partly implemented *1654: Treaty of Pereyaslav: Cossack alliance with Russia; provokes

*1658:

: Rejects 1654; Ukraine a third member of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; 30,000 registered Cossacks; never implemented *1659: Pereyaslav Articles: re-alliance with Russia *1660: Treaty of Chudnov: re-alliance with Poland *1667: Truce of Andrusovo: Ukraine divided along Dnieper; but Kyiv to Russia, Zaporozhia a condominium; Cossacks not consulted; ends Russo-Polish War; to expire in 13 years *1672: Treaty of Buchach: During Polish–Ottoman War (1672–1676); Podolia to Turkey; right bank to Doroshenko as Turkish vassal; not implemented *1676: Treaty of Żurawno: confirms 1672 but more favorable to Poland; ends Turkish war *1686:

Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1686) The Polish-Russian Peace Treaty of 1686, officially known as Treaty of Perpetual Peace , , but also known in Polish tradition Grzymułtowski Peace, ) was concluded between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth to finally ...

confirms 1667; Zaporozhia to Russia *1699:

Treaty of Karlowitz The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy League at the Battle of Zenta, was signed in Karlowitz, in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy (present-day ...

: Poland regains Podolia

Sources

*Orest Subtelny, 'Ukraine, A History', 2000: This article is largely a summary of Chapter 9.
The Ruin (from Ukraine), Encyclopædia Britannica

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruin Military history of Ukraine 17th-century conflicts Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Europe Wars involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Wars involving the Ottoman Empire Wars involving the Tsardom of Russia Foreign intervention