Bohdan Khmelnytsky

Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmel'nyts'kyi (Богдан Зиновій Михайлович Хмельницький in Ukrainian, commonly transliterated as Khmelnytsky; known in Polish as Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki; in Russian as Bogdan Khmelnitsky) (c. 1595 – August 6, 1657) was a Polish (arguably) noble, leader of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, hetman of Ukraine, noted for his revolt against Poland (1648 – 1654), and a Treaty of Pereyaslav which eventually led to the annexation of Ukraine by the Russian Empire.

Khmelnytsky was born in Chigirin (arguably) in Ukraine; it is unclear whether to a family of Ruthenian or Polish nobles who had immigrated to Ukraine from Masovia. Khmelnytsky was educated by Jesuits. Unlike many of their other pupils he did not embrace Roman Catholicism, but early in life became indifferent to the faith. Later he seemed to belong to the Greek Orthodox faith to which most of the Cossacks and the Ruthenian peasants belonged. He was deprived of his estate of Subotovo by Daniel Czapliński, the bailiff of Czehryn. At this time he was still in the subordinate position of a "sotski" (an officer over a sotnia, or hundred cavalrymen) of the Registered Cossacks, subject to the Polish magnate Stanisław Koniecpolski. Czapliński availed himself of Khmelnytsky's absence to raid the estate, during which Khmelnytsky's young son received injuries from which he ultimately died, and Khmelnytsky's second wife was carried off.

For centuries after the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the people of Ruthenia had felt oppressed by the nobles and Jewish traders. Although Ruthenian nobility enjoyed full rights, they were quickly polonised and therefore were alienated from the common people; the advent of the Counter-Reformation worsened the relationship between the Orthodox and the Catholic churches. Unwilling to attend to the details of administration themselves, Polish magnates made the Jewish citizens a go-between in the transactions with the peasants of Ukraine. They sold and leased certain privileges to the Jews for a lump sum, and, while enjoying themselves at the court, left it to the Jewish leaseholders and collectors to become the embodiment of hatred to the oppressed and long-suffering peasant. Although Khmelnytsky's personal resentment influenced his decision to rid Ukraine of Polish and Ruthenian magnates and Jews, it seems that his ambition to become the ruler of Ukraine was the main motive that led him to instigate the uprising of the Ruthenian people against them.

Khmelnytsky told the people that the Poles had sold them as slaves "into the hands of the accursed Jews." With this as their battle-cry, the Cossacks killed a huge number of Jews during the years of 1648–1649. The precise number of dead may never be known, but estimates range from a minimum of 10,000 to well over 100,000 Jews killed.

These events also were the start of a series of campaigns (which started the period known as The Deluge in Polish history) that temporarily freed Ukraine from Polish domination. Successes at Zhovti Vody (Yellow Waters), Korsun' and Pilavtsi (Żółte Wody, Korsuń, and Piławce in Polish, respectively) led to Khmelnytsky being paid-off by the Polish king and gaining numerous privileges for the Cossacks at the Treaty of Zborov. However when hostilities resumed Khmelnytsky's forces were betrayed by their former allies Tatars, suffered a massive defeat in 1651 at the Battle of Beresteczko, and were forced at Bila Tserkva (Biała Cerkiew) to accept a loser's treaty. A year later the Cossacks had their revenge at the Battle of Batoh. Ukraine was still perilously weak and in 1654, Khmelnytsky persuaded the Cossacks to ally with the Russian tsars at the Treaty of Pereyaslavl, a treaty that eventually led to the subjugation of Ukraine to Russia (the Polish-Muscovite Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667).

Khmelnytsky in Fiction

In Poland, Khmelnytsky's war was described in the 19th century by Henryk Sienkiewicz in his famous novel With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem). It should be noted, however, that this book was written with a clearly stated intent of raising the national spirit in Poland, and shows the story of Khmelnytsky and the Cossacks from the point of view of the Polish nobles (szlachta), thus glorifying some controversial Polish commanders and vilifying the rebels.