The Decline of Ukrainian Autonomy

Soon after the death of Bohdan Khmelnytsky Russia started to interfere into Ukrainian affairs more severely, hoping not only to limit Ukraine’s autonomy but to abolish it completely. It was a natural process for such a centralized empire as was Russia. Russia could not tolerate the existence of semi-independent lands on its territory. Ukraine was supposed to be turned with time into one of Russia’s provinces.

Nevertheless, the absorption of the Hetmanate (Ukrainian autonomous territory) into the Russian Empire was a long process. Because the tsarist government needed Ukrainian support during numerous wars against Turkey and Crimea, it was careful not to alienate the “Little Russians” (Malorosy), as they called the Ukrainians. In general, however, the Russians continued their policy of limiting Ukrainian self-government. Many Ukrainians were not pleased with Russian policy. Ukrainian peasants and burgers had to support Russian regiments that were stationed in the land. The practice of electing colonels by Cossacks was stopped; they were appointed now by the Russian government. Many Russian nobles were granted lands in Ukraine by the tsar.¹⁵ Thousands of Cossacks were sent to various parts of the Russian empire to work on the construction of canals, fortifications and the tsar’s new capital of St Petersburg under exceptionally harsh conditions, in which many of them died. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was placed under the jurisdiction of Moscow patriarchate. The Russian government tried to encourage the marriage of members of the Ukrainian starshyna with the Russian nobility.

After the death of hetman Danylo Apostol in 1734 the Russian government decided to stop the practice of hetmanship in Ukraine. But when Queen Elizabeth married a Ukrainian husband Oleksii Rozumovskyi (a handsome ordinary Cossack Oleksii Rozum, who had a beautiful opera voice that charmed the empress) the hetmanship was restored again. Oleksii’s brother Kyrylo was appointed hetman in 1750 at the age of 22.

In 1762 Catherine II ascended the Russian throne. She was an ardent centralizer and decided to abolish Ukrainian autonomy altogether. Rozumovsky had to resign his post on 10 November 1764.

The Liquidation of the Hetmanate

Catherine II finished the work that her predecessors had begun in Ukraine. Although Catherine was a German by nationality she became a strict supporter of Russification and centralization.

After the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74 the Crimean Khanate got under Russia’s control. There was no need any more to have the Zaporozhian Sich and the Hetmanate as a barrier against the Tatar-Turkish threat. Thus, the Sich was destroyed in 1775. The despotic nature of the Russian empire could not tolerate such independent institution as the Sich. Catherine II even attempted to wipe the word “Zaporozhian Cossack” from popular memory, as it was a symbol of freedom. When she announced the liquidation of Sich, she warned that “the use of the world ‘Zaporozhian Cossack’ shall be considered by us as an insult to our imperial majesty”.

The turn of Ukrainian autonomy (the Hetmanate) came in 1781. In the place of Ukrainian autonomy, three provinces (those of Kiev, Chernigov, and Novhorod-Siversky) were established. These were similar in size and organization to the thirty other provinces of the empire. Simultaneously, the appropriate branches of the imperial bureaucracy replaced Ukrainian administrative, judicial, and fiscal institutions. In 1783 the Ukrainian peasants were enserfed.

The Ukrainian elite, in contrast, benefited from these changes. The peasants were finally placed under its complete control and it was equalized in rights with the Russian nobility. After receiving the status of the Russian nobility the former starshyna was exempted from taxes, from government duties, and from military service. Great career opportunities opened before the new nobles. Many of them obtained influential posts in St Petersburg and other parts of the empire. For these reasons, the leadership of the former Hetmanate accepted the liquidation of its autonomy without complaints (Catherine was right saying that “high positions and money will make them forget of Ukrainian autonomy”). Ukraine became an ordinary Russian province.

Southern Ukraine (the former Wild Field) was given a new name - Novorossia (New Russia). Offering cheap land, religious toleration and exemption from military service and taxes, the Russian government attracted persecuted minorities from all over Europe. Many different nationalities settled Novorossia: Russians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Moldavians, Greeks, Armenians; Jews, and especially Germans.¹⁶

1 In 1637 and 1638 the Cossacks armies were defeated by the government troops.

2In the 17^th century Jewish chronicles Khmelnitsky is called ‘Khmel the Wicked.’ Ukrainian historians say that it was impossible for Khmelnytsky to keep this large-scale uprising under his control and thus he cannot be blamed for all horrible crimes of that time.

3 The ethnic composition of his army was predominantly Ukrainian, made up of the nadvirni Cossacks. The same can be said about private armies of other Polonized nobles.

4 Metropolitan Kosiv was opposed to the union as he feared that it would lead to his subordination to the Moscow Patriarch.

5 This time went down into Polish history as ‘deluge’ (потоп), well described in H. Senkevich’s novels.

6 Another conflict between Khmelnytsky and Tsar Alexei was over Belarus. Each of them wanted to attach Belarus to his lands.

7 A typical beginning of a boyar’s letter to the tsar sounded like this, «Твой холоп Ивашка бьет поклон». The boyars’ servile behavior in front of their monarch seemed disgusting for Cossack leaders.

8 The Ukrainian principality did not include Galicia and Volhynia.

9 During the Ruin the Ottoman Empire captured Ukrainian Podilia and kept it till 1699 when Poland returned it. Muslim cemeteries and mosques in Vinnitsa and Ternopil oblasts still remind of the period of Turkish rule.

10 Catholics, Uniates (Greek Catholics), and Jews were driven out from Eastern Ukraine by the Cossacks.

11 Since no documents about the agreement between Charles and Mazepa have survived, historians propose different versions.

12 It was an efficient measure since excommunicated people could not attend church, marry, baptize their children, burry their relatives in cemeteries and hope to get to paradise after death.

13 Ukrainian Cossacks (supporters of Russia and Sweden) had to fight against each other in this battle.

14 Nations normally did not consider traitors their leaders who wanted to get independence. George Washington ‘betrayed’ Great Britain, Simon Bolivar ‘betrayed’ Spain, Khmelnytsky ‘betrayed’ Poland, and so on. All these leaders are praised by their nations as heroes; streets, cities, and even countries named after them.

15 They did not have local roots and did not care about Cossack autonomy.

16 Over a million of German colonists settled on Ukrainian territory.

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