Topic summary
Zaporizhian Sich
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Zaporozhian Sich.
The establishment of the Zaporozhian Sich was an important factor in the defense of Ukraine and Russia from Crimean-Nogai raids. Simultaneously, the Cossack raids originating from it caused similar destabilising effects in the region. In c. 1650, its total population consisted of 100,000. In 1657–1687, the Zaporizhian Sich was practically independent, possessing its own administration and armed forces consisting of 12,000–20,000 Cossacks. It was reliant on population growth, mainly consisting of Ukrainian refugees from devastated lands.