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The Cossacks (Russian: Каза́ки́, Kazaki; Ukrainian: Козаки́, Kozaki; also known as Polish: Kozacy, originally derived from Turkic Qazaqlar) are a group of martial people living in the southern steppe regions of Eastern Europe and Asia. The Cossacks themselves make up a Cossack host, which allows individual Cossack groups to be distinguished by their location, history, traditions and even military roles. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Cossack may refer to: The Cossacks, a traditional community of people living in the southern steppe regions of Eastern Europe Cossack, Western Australia, a ghost town in the north-west of Western Australia HMS Cossack (F03), a Royal Navy destroyer Cossack motorcycle, a generic descriptor and a brand name for... Language(s) Kazakh, Russian (and/or languages in country of residence) Religion(s) Sunni Islam The Kazakhs (also spelled Kazaks, Qazaqs; Kazakh: Қазақтар IPA: ; Russian: Казахи; the English name is transliterated from Russian) are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia (largely Kazakhstan, but also found in parts of... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A Cossack host or Cossack voisko (Казачье войско, kazachye voysko, sometimes incorrectly translated as Cossack Army) was an administrative subdivision of Cossacks in Imperial Russia. ... Don Cossacks refers to cossacks that settled along the Don River, Russia it its lower and middle parts. ... The Ural Cossack Host was a cossack host formed from the Ural Cossacks -- those cossacks settled by the Ural River. ... Terek Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks resettled from Volga to Terek River. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ... The Orenburg Cossack Host (Оренбургское казачье войско in Russian), a part of the Cossack population in pre-revolutionary Russia, located in the Orenburg province (todays Orenburg Oblast, part of the Chelyabinsk Oblast and Bashkortostan). ... Astrakhan Cossack Host (Астраханское казачье войско in Russian) was a Cossack host of Imperial Russia drawn from the Cossacks of the Lower Volga region, who had been patrolling the banks of the Volga River from the time of Russias annexation of Astrakhan in 1556. ... Siberian Cossacks were Cossacks who settled in the Siberian region of Russia. ... Baikal Cossacks were cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host (Russian: Забайкальское казачье войско), a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal (hence, Transbaikal). ... The Amur Cossack Host (Амурское казачье войско in Russian), a Cossack host created in the Amur region and Primorye in the 1850s on the basis of the Cossacks relocated from the Transbaikal region and freed miners of Nerchinsk region. ... Semirechye Cossask Host (Russian: ) was a Cossack host in Imperial Russia, located in Semirechye Oblast (today comprising most of Kyrgyzstan as well as Almaty oblysy, Taldy-Korgan (Taldyqorghan) oblysy, and parts of the Taraz oblysy and Semey oblysy in Kazakhstan) with the center in Verny. ... Ussuri Cossack Host (Russian: Уссури́йское каза́чье во́йско) was a Cossack Host in Imperial Russia, located in Primorye south of Khabarovsk along the Ussuri River, the Sungari River, and around the Khanka Lake. ... The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... Azov Cossack Host was a Cossack host created in 1828 of Trans-Danubian Sich Cossacks (Задунайская Сечь) returned under the Russian patronage during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 under the command of kosh ataman Osip Hladkiy (Осип Михайлов Гладкий). When the war ended, they were given land between Berdyansk and Mariupol. ... Caucasus Line Cossack Host (Черноморское казачье войско) was a Cossack host created in 1787 in Southern Ukraine from former Zaporozhians. ... The Bug Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a Cossack host, which used to be located along the Southern Buh River. ... Caucasus Line Cossack Host (Кавказское линейное казачье войско) was a Cossack host created in 1832 in the Northern Caucasus. ... The Danubian Sich (Danube Sich, Trans-Danube Sich, Zadunayska Sich) was a fortified settlement (sich) of Zaporozhian Cossacks who fled in the territory of the Ottoman Empire after their home Zaporizhian Sich was overwhelmed by the Russian army in 1775, see, see Zaporozhian Host: Russian rule. ... Not to be confused with Danubian Sich. ... NaÄŸaybäk (; plural NaÄŸaybäklär; Russian: нагайбаки) is a group of Keräşen Tatars, frequently viewed as one of indigenous peoples of Russia. ... Nekrasov Cossacks, Nekrasovite Cossacks, Nekrasovites, Nekrasovtsy (Russian: ) are descendants of Don Cossacks which, after the defeat of the Bulavin Rebellion fled to Kuban (in September 1708), headed by Ignat Nekrasov, hence the name. ... Of the different branches of Cossacks, the only one that would allow Jews into their society were the Cossacks of Ukraine. ... The History of the Cossacks spans several centuries. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Khmelnytsky Uprising (also Chmielnicki Uprising or Khmelnytsky/Chmielnicki Rebellion) refers to a rebellion in the lands of in present-day Ukraine which raged from 1648-1654. ... This is a 19th century design for a COA of a proposed Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth which never came into being. ... This article is about the Cossack republic of 1654 to 1775. ... The Bulavin Rebellion, also called the Astrakhan Rebellion (Russian: Булавинское восстание), is the name given to a violent civil uprising in Imperial Russia between the years 1707 and 1709. ... It has been suggested that Yemelyan Pugachev be merged into this article or section. ... The 1st Cavalry Army (Russian: ) was the most famous Red Army сavalry formation also known as Budyonnys Cavalry Army or simply Konarmia. ... In 1919 the Soviet engaged in a policy to eliminate the Cossack threat to proletarian power by de-Cossackization: extirpating the Cossack elite; terrorizing all other Cossacks; and bringing about the formal liquidation of the Cossackry. ... Combatants Lienz Cossacks Allied Forces Strength >50,000 Casualties 45,000 - 50,000 repatriated The Betrayal of Cossacks refers to the forced transfer of Cossacks who fought against Allied forces in World War II to the Soviet Union after the war, including those who were never Soviet citizens (having left... The XVth Cossack Cavalry Corps was a German cavalry corps during World War II. By the end of the war the Corps was placed under the Waffen-SS administration. ... Russian Cossacks in Wehmacht uniform The 1st Cossack Division (German: ) is a Russian Cossack division within the German WW II Army. ... Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi (Ukrainian: , commonly transliterated as Khmelnytsky; known in Polish as Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki; in Russian as Богда́н Хмельни́цкий, translit. ... Petro (Kononovych) Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi, Kononovych by his fathers name[1] (Ukrainian: ; Polish: ; Russian: ; 1570 in Kulchyntsi–March 20, 1622 in Kiev), was a Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host from 1614–1622, an organizer of the Ukrainian Cossack armies, and political and civic leader. ... Ataman Pyotr Krasnov Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov (Петр Николаевич Краснов in Russian) (September 22 (10 O.S.), 1869 — January 17, 1947), sometimes referred to in English as Peter Krasnov, was Lieutenant General of the Russian army when the revolution broke out in 1917, and one of the leaders of the counterrevolutionary White movement afterwards. ... Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (Ukrainian: historically spelled as Mazeppa; circa 1644—1709), Cossack Hetman (Ataman) of the Hetmanate in Left-bank Ukraine, in 1687–1708. ... Emelyan Pugachov Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev (Russian: ), born in 1740 or 1742 and executed in 1775, was a pretender to the Russian throne who led a great Cossack insurrection during the reign of Catherine II. Alexander Pushkin wrote a remarkable history of the rebellion; and he recounted some of the events... Stepan (Stenka) Timofeyevich Razin (Степан (Стенька) Тимофеевич Разин in Russian) (1630 - 6. ... Ataman Ivan Sirko Ukrainian hryvnia coin depicting Ivan Sirko Ivan Sirko (Ukrainian: Іван Сірко)(born near 1610 died in 1680), Cossack military leader, Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host and author of the famous Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks that inspired a major painting by the 19th-century artist Ilya Repin. ... Andrei Shkuro Andrei Grigoriyevich Shkuro (Shkura) (Андрей Григорьевич Шкуро (Шкура) in Russian) (January 19, 1887 (O.S.: January 7) – January 17, 1947) was a Lieutenant General (1919) of the White Army. ... Yermak Yermak Timofeyevich (Russian: Ерма́к Тимофе́евич, also Ermak) (born between 1532 and 1542 – August 5 or 6, 1585), Cossack leader and explorer of Siberia. ... Ataman Krasnoschekov by Alexei Antropov, 1761 Ataman (variants: wataman, vataman, otaman, Cyrillic: атаман (Russian), ватаман (Russian, regional), отаман (Ukrainian)) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. ... For the Ukrainian politician, see Vadym Hetman. ... Papakha (Russian: ) is a high fur hat, usually made of karakul sheep skin, worn by many peoples of the Caucasus, Don Cossacks and Russian army. ... Plastun or plastoon (Ukrainian, Russian: ) was originally a Cossack of dismounted scouting and sentry military units in Black Sea Cossack Host and later in Kuban Cossack Host in 19-20th ceturies. ... A Cossack from Orenburg, with a shashka at his side Shashka is a special kind of sabre and a very sharp type of single edged, single handed and guardless sword. ... Stanitsa (Russian: , pronounces stah-nee-tsah) is a village inside a Cossack host or Cossack voisko (Казачье войско, kazachye voysko, sometimes incorrectly translated as Cossack Army). ... This is the disambiguation page for the terms Turk, Turkey, Turkic, and Turkish. ... This article is about the ecological zone type. ... Eastern Europe is a concept that lacks one precise definition. ... A Cossack host or Cossack voisko (Казачье войско, kazachye voysko, sometimes incorrectly translated as Cossack Army) was an administrative subdivision of Cossacks in Imperial Russia. ...

Although several theories exist on the formation of Cossacks, towards the end of the 14th century two Cossack hosts emerged: one on the Don river and the other on the lower Dnieper river. These were joined by numerous Ruthenian migrants who left the adjacent northern states of the Moscow and the Lithuania. By the start of the 16th century they swelled into large militant states. The Don Cossack Host, allied with the Tsardom of Russia, began a systematic conquest and colonization of lands to secure her borders on the Volga, the whole of Siberia, the Yaik and the Terek Rivers. There are at several rivers named Don: Don River, Russia Don River, Toronto River Don, England River Don, Aberdeenshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Dnieper River (Russian: , Dnepr; Belarusian: , Dniapro; Ukrainian: , Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... Ruthenian may refer to: Ruthenia, a name applied to various parts of Eastern Europe Ruthenians, the peoples of Ruthenia Ruthenian language, a name applied to several Slavic languages This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Coat of arms The growth of Muscovy-Russia. ... The presumable banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the coat of arms, called Пагоня in Belarusian, Vytis in Lithuanian and Pogoń in Polish The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė, Belarusian: Вялі́кае Кня́ства Літо́ўскае (ВКЛ), Ukrainian: Велике Князівство Литовське (ВКЛ), Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie) was an... Don Cossack Voisko (Don Cossack Host) is the name of a frontier military organisation of Don Cossacks (cossack host) in Imperial Russia since the end of the 16th century. ... The Tsardom of Russia (Russian: Московское царство or Царство Русское) was the official name for the Russian state between Ivan IVs assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 and Peter the Greats foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721. ... “Volga” redirects here. ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... The Ural (Russian: , Kazakh: Жайық, Jayıq or Zhayyq), known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. ... Terek River in North Georgia. ...

The Dnieper Cossacks of Ukraine formed the Zaporozhian Sich. Initially allied with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, increasing social and religious pressure from the Commonwealth caused the Cossacks of Ukraine to proclaim a Hetmanate and to initiate a rebellion under Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the mid-17th century. Afterward, the Treaty of Pereyaslavl with the Russia ensured that Poland would never recover from the defeat. The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the Cossack republic of 1654 to 1775. ... Combatants Cossacks Poland-Lithuania Commanders Bohdan Khmelnytsky Mikołaj Potocki, Jeremi Wiśniowiecki Khmelnytskyi Uprising (also Chmielnicki Uprising or Chmielnicki Rebellion) is the name of a civil war in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the years 1648–1654. ... Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi (Ukrainian: , commonly transliterated as Khmelnytsky; known in Polish as Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki; in Russian as Богда́н Хмельни́цкий, translit. ... Pereyaslav Rada The Treaty of Pereyaslav was concluded in 1654 in the Ukrainian city of Pereyaslav during the meeting known as Pereyaslavska Uhoda (Pereyaslav Treaty). ...

In the 18th century the rising Russian Empire's expansion ambitions relied on ensuring the loyalty of the Cossacks, and this caused tension with their traditional independent lifestyle, resulting in rebellions led by Stenka Razin, Kondraty Bulavin and Yemelyan Pugachev. In extreme cases whole Hosts could be dissolved, as was the fate of the Zaporozhian Sich in 1775. By the end of the 18th century, the Cossacks became a special social estate (sosloviye) that served as border guards on national and internal ethnic borders (as was in the case in the Caucasus War) and regularly supplied men to conflicts such as the numerous Russo-Turkish Wars. In return they enjoyed vast social autonomy. This caused them to form a stereotypical portrayal of 19th century Russian Empire abroad and her government domestically. The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ... Stepan (Stenka) Timofeyevich Razin (Степан (Стенька) Тимофеевич Разин in Russian) (1630 - 6. ... Kondraty Afanisievich Bulavin (Кондратий Афанасьевич Булавин) (1660-1708) was a Don Cossack, the leader of a Cossack-serf rebellion of commonly known as the Bulavin RebellionБулавинское восстание1707-1709. ... Emelyan Pugachov Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev (Russian: ), born in 1740 or 1742 and executed in 1775, was a pretender to the Russian throne who led a great Cossack insurrection during the reign of Catherine II. Alexander Pushkin wrote a remarkable history of the rebellion; and he recounted some of the events... Zaporizhian Sich or Zaporozhian Sech (Ukrainian: ,Zaporozka Sich) original Slavonic name Zaporizhska Sich was the center of the Cossacks of Zaporizhzhia. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Social estates in the Russian Empire were denoted by the term soslovie (sosloviye), which approximately corresponds to the notion of the estate of the realm. ... Russian Invasion of the Caucasus, better known in Russia as the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, was a series of military actions of Imperial Russia against Chechnya, Dagestan and Northwestern Caucasus aimed at conquering these territories. ... The Russo-Turkish Wars were a series of eleven wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. ...

During the Russian Civil War Cossack regions became the main centres for the Anti-Bolshevik White movement, a portion of whom would form the White Emigre. At the hands of the Red Army and after its victory, the Cossack lands were subjected to famine, and suffered extensive repressions that were relaxed only in the mid-1930s. During the Second World War Cossacks fought for both the Soviet Union and collaborated with Nazi Germany. After the Collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cossack lifestyle blossomed in Russia. Many fought in Post-Soviet Conflicts and there are special units in the Russian Military wholly made of them. Russian Cossacks also have a parallel civil administration and police duties in their homelands and are now an integral part of Russian society. There are also Cossack organizations in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and other countries. Combatants Local Soviet powers led by Russian SFSR and Red Army Chinese mercenaries White Movement Central Powers (1917-1918): Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire German Empire Allied Intervention: (1918-1922) Japan Czechoslovakia Greece  United States  Canada Serbia Romania UK  France Foreign volunteers: Polish Italian Local nationalist movements, national states, and decentralist... White Army redirects here. ... Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery near Paris, the foremost necropolis of White Russians. ... For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ... Decossackization is a term used to describe Lenins Bolsheviks policy of the systematic elimination of the Cossacks as social groups. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Betrayal of Cossacks at Lienz. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Military of Russia | Russia-related stubs ...

Etymology

The name entered the English language via French Cosaque, which was a translation from the Polish, which was derived from the Ukrainian Kozak (In Russian Kazak). It is originally a Turkic word, qazaq, which means "adventurer" or "free man".^[1][2][3] Cossacks (Qazaqlar) were also border keepers in the Khanate of Kazan. The Turkic languages constitute a language family of some thirty languages, spoken across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are traditionally considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family. ... A Kazakh and his camel The Kazakhs (Qazaq, Quazaq), (in Kazakh: Казак; in Russian: Казах; English term is the transliteration from Russian) are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia famous in the past for the fierce love of freedom, skillful horse riding, hunting with semi-domesticated... Map of Kazan Khanate, early 1500s The Kazan Khanate (Tatar: Qazan xanlığı; Russian: Казанское ханство) (1438-1552) was a Tatar state on the territory of former Volga Bulgaria with its capital in Kazan. ...

History

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since February 2008.

Main article: History of the Cossacks

It is not clear when the Slavic people started settling in the lower reaches of major rivers such as the Don and the Dnieper. It is unlikely it could have happened before the 13th century, when the Mongol hordes broke the power of the Cumans and other Turkic tribes on that territory. It is known that they inherited a lifestyle that persisted there long before, such as those of the Turkic Cumans and the Circassian Kassaks (also spelled Kassogs)^[4] Image File history File links Question_book-new. ... The History of the Cossacks spans several centuries. ... Countries with dominating Slavic ethnicities  West Slavic  East Slavic  South Slavic Slav redirects here. ... The Don (Дон) is one of the major rivers of Russia. ... The Dnieper River (Russian: , Dnepr; Belarusian: , Dniapro; Ukrainian: , Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... For other uses, see Mongols (disambiguation). ... Cuman, also called Polovtsy, Polovtsian, or the Anglicized Polovzian (Russian: , Ukrainian: , Turkish: , Bulgarian: , Romanian: , Hungarian: ), is a Western European exonym for the western Kipchaks. ... Cuman, also called Polovtsy, Polovtsian, or the Anglicized Polovzian (Russian: , Ukrainian: , Turkish: , Bulgarian: , Romanian: , Hungarian: ), is a Western European exonym for the western Kipchaks. ... Circassia, also known as Cherkessia in Russian, is a region in Caucasia. ...

Proto-Cossack groups most likely came into existence within the territories of today's Ukraine in the mid-13th century. In 1261 some Slavic people living in the area between the Dniester and the Volga were mentioned in Ruthenian chronicles. Historical records of the Cossacks before the 16th century are scant. It is known that Don Cossacks in 1380 gave the icon of Virgin Mary to the Dmitry Donskoy. In the 15th century, the Cossack society was described as a loose federation of independent communities, often forming local armies, entirely separate from the neighbouring states (of, e.g, Poland, Grand Duchy of Moscow or the Khanate of Crimea).^[5] The Dniester (Ukrainian: translit. ... “Volga” redirects here. ... Grand Prince (Velikiy Kniaz) Dmitri Ivanovich Donskoi (Дмитрий Донской, in Russian) (October 12, 1350 - 1389) was a Russian ruler (1359 - 1389). ... This article is about federal states. ... Flag Crimean Khanate in 1600 Capital Bakhchisaray Government Monarchy History  - Established 1441  - Annexed to Russia 1783 The Crimean Khanate or the Khanate of Crimea (Crimean Tatar: ; Russian: - Krymskoye khanstvo; Ukrainian: - Krymske khanstvo; Turkish: ) was a Crimean Tatar state from 1441 to 1783. ...

By the 16th century these Cossack societies merged into two independent territorial organisations as well as other smaller, still detached groups.

• The Cossacks of Zaporizhia, centred around the lower bends of Dnieper, inside the territory of modern Ukraine, with the fortified capital of Zaporozhian Sich. They were formally recognised as a state, the Zaporozhian Host, by a treaty with Poland in 1649.
• The Don Cossack State, on the river Don, separating the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the Nogai states, vassals of the Ottoman Empire. The capital of the Don Cossack State was Cherkassk, later moved to Novocherkassk.

Less well-known are the Polish Cossacks (Kozacy) and the Tatar Cossacks (Nağaybäklär). The name 'Cossacks' was also given to a kind of light cavalry in the army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For other uses, see Zaporizhia (disambiguation). ... Zaporizhian Sich or Zaporozhian Sech (Ukrainian: ,Zaporozka Sich) original Slavonic name Zaporizhska Sich was the center of the Cossacks of Zaporizhzhia. ... The Nogai Horde was the Tatar horde that controlled the Caucasus Mountain region after the Mongol invasion. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Ä°stanbul (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320... Starocherkasskaya. ... Roads leading to Novocherkassk are graced by triumphal arches, erected to commemorate the Cossack victory over Napoleon. ... This article is about the people. ... NaÄŸaybäk (; plural NaÄŸaybäklär; Russian: нагайбаки) is a group of Keräşen Tatars, frequently viewed as one of indigenous peoples of Russia. ... An army unit consisting of mounted soldiers are commonly known as cavalry. ...

Zaphorozhian Cossacks

Main article: Zaporozhian Host

Zaporozhian Cossack.

Colonel of Zaporozhian Cossack.

The Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host, who lived on the steppes of Ukraine, are another well known group of Cossacks. Their numbers increased greatly between the 15th to 17th centuries, led by poor Ruthenian boyar-nobility, merchants and runaway peasants from Poland-Lithuania. The Zaporozhian Cossacks played an important role in European geopolitics, undergoing a series of conflicts and alliances with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. As a result of the Khmelnytsky Uprising in the middle of the 17th century Zaporozhian Cossacks managed to briefly create an independent state, which later became the autonomous Cossack Hetmanate, a suzerainty under protection of the Russian Tsar but ruled by the local Hetmans for half a century. In the later half of the 18th century the Zaporozhian Host was dissolved by the Russian authorities. Some of Cossacks' descendants have moved to the Danube delta region and Kuban, although after 1828 most of the Danubians have moved to Russia as well, first to the Azov and later to the Kuban. Although today the Kuban Cossacks and their descendents do not consider themselves Ukrainians, their local dialect and folklore preserved the Ukrainian influence and many historians consider their predecessors, the Dnieper Cossacks, as founders of what became a modern Ukrainian nation. The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... A boyar (also spelled bojar, Romanian: ) was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian aristocracy, second only to the ruling princes, from the 10th century through the 17th century. ... The Commonwealth around 1619 Official languages Polish, Latin Established church Roman Catholic Capital Cracow (until 1596) Warsaw (from 1596) Largest City Gdańsk, later Warsaw Head of state King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania Area about 1 million km² Population about 11 million Existed 1569 - 1795 The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1683, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–1365) Edirne (1365–1453) Ä°stanbul (1453–1922) Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 (first) Osman I  - 1918–22 (last) Mehmed VI Grand Viziers  - 1320... Khmelnytsky Uprising (also Chmielnicki Uprising or Khmelnytsky/Chmielnicki Rebellion) refers to a rebellion in the lands of in present-day Ukraine which raged from 1648-1654. ... This article is about the Cossack republic of 1654 to 1775. ... Suzerainty (pronounced or ) is a situation in which a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which allows the tributary some limited domestic autonomy to control its foreign affairs. ... Bulava-mace traditional symbol of the supreme power of Ukrainian Hetmans. ... The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... This article is about the Danube River. ... Kuban (Ukrainian - Кубань) is an ethnical ukrainian territory. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ...

Some historical documents of that period refer to those states as sovereign nations with unique warrior cultures, whose main source of income was derived from the pillaging of their neighbours. They were renowned for their raids against the Ottoman Empire and its vassals, although they did not shy away from pillaging other neighbours. Their actions increased tension along the southern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Kresy), which resulted in almost a constant low-level warfare taking place in those territories for almost the entire existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Polish voivodeships 1922-1939. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Conflicts with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Ottoman Empire. Painted by Ilya Repin from 1880 to 1891.

After being asked in 1539 by the Grand Duke Vasili III of Russia to restrain the Cossacks, the Ottoman Sultan replied: "The Cossacks do not swear allegiance to me, and they live as they themselves please." In 1549, Czar Ivan the Terrible replied to a request of the Turkish Sultan to stop the attacks of the Don Cossacks, stating, "The Cossacks of the Don are not my subjects, and they go to war or live in peace without my knowledge." Similar exchanges passed between Russia, the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, each of which tried to exploit Cossack warmongering for its own purposes. Cossacks for their part were mostly happy to plunder everybody more or less equally, although in the 16th century, with the dominance of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth extending south, the Zaporozhian Cossacks were mostly, if tentatively, regarded by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as their subjects.^[6] Registered Cossacks were a part of the Commonwealth army until 1699. The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan of Turkey (1880-91). ... The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan of Turkey (1880-91). ... Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Ottoman Empire Ilya Repin, 1880-1891 canvas, 2. ... Sultan Mehmed IV Mehmed IV (also known as Dördüncü, fourth, and Avci, hunter) (January 2, 1642–1693) (Arabic: محمد الرابع) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. ... Ilyá Yefímovich Répin (Илья́ Ефи́мович Ре́пин) (August 5, 1844 (Julian calendar: July 24) – September 29, 1930) was a leading Russian painter and sculptor of the Peredvizhniki artistic school. ... Vasili III Ivanovich (Russian: Василий III Иванович, also Basil) (March 25, 1479 – December 3, 1533) was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. ... For other uses, see Sultan (disambiguation). ... Ivan IV (August 25, 1530–March 18, 1584) was the first ruler of Russia to assume the title of tsar. ... The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Turkey. ... Registered Cossacks (Polish: Kozacy rejestrowi) is the term used for Cossacks (mostly from the Zaporizhian Sich) who were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth armies. ...

Around the end of the 16th century, relations between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire, which were not cordial to begin with, were further strained by increasing Cossack aggressiveness. From the second part of the 16th century, Cossacks started raiding Ottoman territories. The Polish government could not control the fiercely independent Cossacks, but since they were nominally subjects of the Commonwealth, it was held responsible for the raids by their victims. Reciprocally, the Tatars living under Ottoman rule launched raids into the Commonwealth, mostly in the sparsely inhabited south-east territories. Cossack pirates, however, were raiding wealthy merchant port cities in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, which were just two days away by boat from the mouth of the Dnieper. By 1615 and 1625, Cossacks had even managed to raze townships on the outskirts of Istanbul, forcing the Ottoman Sultan to flee his palace.[1] Consecutive treaties between Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth called for both parties to keep the Cossacks and Tatars in check, but enforcement was almost non-existent on both sides. In internal agreements, forced by the Polish side, Cossacks agreed to burn their boats and stop raiding. However, boats could be rebuilt quickly, and the Cossack lifestyle glorified raids and booty. During this time, the Habsburg Empire sometimes covertly employed Cossack raiders to ease Ottoman pressure on their own borders. Many Cossacks and Tatars shared an animosity towards each other due to the damage done by raids from both sides. Cossack raids followed by Tatar retaliation, or Tatar raids followed by Cossack retaliation were an almost regular occurrence. The ensuing chaos and string of retaliations often turned the entire south-eastern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth border into a low-intensity war zone and led to escalation of Commonwealth-Ottoman warfare, from the Moldavian Magnate Wars to the Battle of Cecora and Wars in 1633–1634. This article is about the people. ... The Dnieper River (Russian: , Dnepr; Belarusian: , Dniapro; Ukrainian: , Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... Location of Istanbul on the Bosphorus Strait, Turkey Coordinates: , Country Turkey Region Province Istanbul Founded 667 BC as Byzantium Roman/Byzantine period AD 330 as Nova Roma (original name given in 330 and used during Constantines reign) and later Constantinople (following Constantines death in 337) Ottoman period 1453... The Osmanli Dynasty, also the House of Osman, ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1281 to 1923, beginning with Osman I (not counting his father, Ertuğrul), though the dynasty was not proclaimed until 1383 when Murad I declared himself sultan. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Ottoman Empire Commanders StanisÅ‚aw Żółkiewski Iskander Pasha Strength ~10. ...

"Bohdan Khmelnytsky with Toğay bey at Lviv", oil on canvas, 1885, National Museum in Warsaw. Painted by Jan Matejko.

Cossack numbers expanded with peasants running from serfdom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Attempts by the szlachta to turn the Zaporozhian Cossacks into serfs eroded the Cossacks' once fairly strong loyalty towards the Commonwealth. Cossack ambitions to be recognised as equal to the szlachta were constantly rebuffed, and plans for transforming the Polish-Lithuanian Two-Nations Commonwealth into Three Nations (with the Ruthenian Cossack people) made little progress due to the Cossacks' unpopularity. The Cossack's strong historic allegiance to the Eastern Orthodox Christianity put them at odds with the Catholic-dominated Commonwealth. Tensions increased when Commonwealth policies turned from relative tolerance to suppression of the Orthodox church, making the Cossacks strongly anti-Catholic, which at the time was synonymous with anti-Polish. Download high resolution version (537x800, 167 KB)Bohdan Chmielnicki with Tuhaj Bej at Lwow painted by Jan Matejko This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (537x800, 167 KB)Bohdan Chmielnicki with Tuhaj Bej at Lwow painted by Jan Matejko This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Bohdan Zynovii Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi (Ukrainian: , commonly transliterated as Khmelnytsky; known in Polish as Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki; in Russian as Богда́н Хмельни́цкий, translit. ... Tugay Bey, part of Bohdan Chmielnicki with Tugay Bey at Lwów, oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1885, National Museum in Warsaw (see full picture here). ... “Lvov” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Warsaw (disambiguation) and Warszawa (disambiguation). ... Jan Matejko , self-portrait. ... Categories: 1911 Britannica | Historical stubs | Feudalism ... Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ... Stanisław Antoni Szczuka, a Polish nobleman Szlachta ( ) was the noble class in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the two countries that later jointly formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... 19th-century proposed coat of arms for a Polish–Lithuanian– Ruthenian Commonwealth. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

The waning loyalty of the Cossacks and the szlachta's arrogance towards them resulted in several Cossack uprisings against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the early 17th century. Finally, the King's adamant refusal to cede to the Cossack's demand to expand the Cossack Registry was the last straw that prompted the largest and most successful of these: the Khmelnytsky uprising that started in 1648. The uprising became one of a series of catastrophic events for the Commonwealth known as The Deluge, which greatly weakened the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and set the stage for its disintegration 100 years later. The rebellion ended with the 1654 Treaty of Pereyaslav in which Cossacks pledged their loyalty to the Russian Tsar with the latter guaranteeing Cossacks his protection, recognition of Cossack starshyna (nobility) and the autonomy under his rule, freeing the Cossacks from the Polish sphere of influence.^[7] The last, ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to rebuild the Polish-Cossack alliance and create a Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth was the 1658 Treaty of Hadiach, which was approved by the Polish King and Sejm as well as by some of the Cossack starshyna, including Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky.^[8] The starshyna were, however, were divided on the issue and the treaty had even less support among Cossack rank-and-file; thus it failed. Registered Cossacks - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Khmelnytsky Uprising (also Chmielnicki Uprising or Khmelnytsky/Chmielnicki Rebellion) refers to a rebellion in the lands of in present-day Ukraine which raged from 1648-1654. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Pereyaslav Rada The Treaty of Pereyaslav was concluded in 1654 in the Ukrainian city of Pereyaslav during the meeting known as Pereyaslavska Uhoda (Pereyaslav Treaty). ... Tsar (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian цар, Russian , in scholarly transliteration respectively car and car ), often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English, is the official Slavonic title designating Emperor in the following states: Bulgaria in 913-1422 (for later usage in 1908-1946, see below) Serbia in... Starshina, or Starshyna (Ukrainian and Russian: , from старший, starshyi, senior), had a number of meanings, all related to the position of chiefdom. ... This is a 19th century design for a COA of a proposed Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth which never came into being. ... For the Ukrainian politician, see Vadym Hetman. ... Ivan Vyhovsky (Іван Виговський)(reigned 1657-1659) was a hetman (or otoman) of the Ukrainian Cossacks, and the successor to the famous hetman and rebel leader Bohdan Khmelnytsky (see Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks). ...

Cossack's wedding. Painting by Józef Brandt.

Under Russian rule the Cossack nation of the Zaporozhian Host was divided into two autonomous republics of the Grand Duchy of Moscow: the Cossack Hetmanate, and the more independent Zaporizhia. A Cossack organisation was also established in the Russian colony of Sloboda Ukraine. These organisations gradually lost their autonomy, and were abolished by Catherine II by the late 18th century. The Hetmanate became the governorship of Little Russia, Sloboda Ukraine the Kharkiv province, and Zaporizhia was absorbed into New Russia. In 1775 the Zaporozhian Host was dissolved and high ranking Cossack leaders were granted titles of nobility (dvoryanstvo). Most of the Zaporozhians resettled to colonise the Kuban steppe which was a crucial foothold for Russian expansion in the Caucasus. Some however ran away across the Danube (territory under the control of the Ottoman Empire) to form a new host before rejoining the others in the Kuban. Download high resolution version (515x800, 120 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (515x800, 120 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Józef Brandt Signature of Józef Brandt Józef Brandt (b. ... This article is about the Cossack republic of 1654 to 1775. ... Sloboda Ukraine (Russian: Слободская Украина) or Slobozhanshchina (Слобожанщина) was a historical region (17th–18th centuries) on the frontier of Muscovy and Imperial Russia, settled by Ukrainian Cossacks that were fugitives from Poland, as well as by peasants and townspeople. ... Catherine II (Екатерина II Алексеевна: Yekaterína II Alekséyevna, April 21, 1729 - November 6, 1796), born Sophie Augusta Fredericka, known as Catherine the Great, reigned as empress of Russia from June 28, 1762, to her death on November 6, 1796. ... Little Russia or Malorossiya (Russian: ) was the name for the territory of Ukraine applied in the time of the Russian Empire and earlier. ... Kharkiv Oblast (Харківська область, Kharkivs’ka oblast’ in Ukrainian; Харьковская область, Khar’kovskaya oblast’ in Russian) is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. ... Novorossiya (Russian: , literally New Russia) is a historic area now mostly located in southern Ukraine, and partially in southern Russia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Russian nobility. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ... This article is about the Danube River. ...

Late 19th century

During their stay there, a new host was founded which by the end of 1778 numbered around 12000 Cossacks. Their settlement at the border with Russia was approved by the Ottoman Empire after the Cossacks officially vowed to serve the Sultan. Yet the conflict inside the new host of the new loyalty, and the political manoeuvres used by the Russian Empire, led to a split in the Cossacks. After a portion of the runaway Cossacks returned to Russia they were used by the Russian army to form new military bodies that also incorporated Greek Albanians and Crimean Tatars. However after the Russo-Turkish war of 1787–1792, most of them were incorporated into the Black Sea Cossack Host which moved to the Kuban steppes. Most of the remaining Cossacks that stayed in the Danube delta returned to Russia in 1828 and created the Azov Cossack Host between Berdyansk and Mariupol. In 1860 all of them were resettled to the North Caucasus and merged into the Kuban Cossack Host. Image File history File links Kub_kaz. ... Image File history File links Kub_kaz. ... The Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792 was a futile attempt by the Ottoman Empire to regain lands lost to Russia in the course of the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774. ... Caucasus Line Cossack Host (Черноморское казачье войско) was a Cossack host created in 1787 in Southern Ukraine from former Zaporozhians. ... Azov Cossack Host was a Cossack host created in 1828 of Trans-Danubian Sich Cossacks (Задунайская Сечь) returned under the Russian patronage during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829 under the command of kosh ataman Osip Hladkiy (Осип Михайлов Гладкий). When the war ended, they were given land between Berdyansk and Mariupol. ... Location of Berdyansk Coordinates: , Country Oblast Raion Founded 1827 City rights 1835 Government  - Mayor Valery Baranov Area  - Land 82. ... now. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ...

Russian Cossacks

Don, Terek and Yaik

According to some historians, the earliest traces of Cossacks on the Don River trace back to the 13th century.^{[citation needed]} There are at several rivers named Don: Don River, Russia Don River, Toronto River Don, England River Don, Aberdeenshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Conquest of Siberia by Yermak, painting by Vasily Surikov.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x433, 84 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of Siberia Age of Discovery ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x433, 84 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of Siberia Age of Discovery ... The name Yermak (Ермак) may refer to Yermak Timofeyevich, a Don Cossack ataman, subjugator of Siberia to Russia Icebreaker Yermak, Russia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Self-Portrait Vasily Ivanovich Surikov (Василий Иванович Суриков) (January 24, 1848 (Julian calendar: January 12) – March 19, 1916 (Julian calendar: March 6)) was the foremost Russian painter of large-scale historical subjects. ...

In the Russian Empire

From the start, relations of Cossacks with the Tsardom of Russia were very much varied, at times this involved combined military operations, and at others there were famous Cossack uprisings. One particular example was the dissolution of the Zaporozhian Host, which took place at the end of the 18th century. The divisions of the Cossacks within was clearly visible between those that chose to stay loyal to the Russian Monarch and continue the service (who later moved to the Kuban) and those that chose to continue their pro-mercenary role and ran off the Danube delta. The Tsardom of Russia (Russian: Московское царство or Царство Русское) was the official name for the Russian state between Ivan IVs assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 and Peter the Greats foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721. ... This article is about the Danube River. ...

Nevertheless by the 19th century, the Russian Empire managed to fully annex all the control over the hosts and instead rewarded the Cossacks with privileges for their service. At this time the Cossacks were actively participating in many Russian wars. Although Cossack tactics in open battles were generally inferior to those of regular soldiers such as the Dragoons, nevertheless Cossacks were excellent for scouting and reconnaissance duties, as well as undertaking ambushes. In 1840 the hosts included the Don, Black Sea, Astrakhan, Little Russia, Azov, Danube, Ural, Stavropol, Mesherya, Orenburg, Siberia, Tobolsk, Tomsk, Yeniseisk, Irkutsk, Sabaikal, Yakutskand Tartar voiskos. By 1890s the Ussuri, Semirechensk and Amur Cossacks were added, with the later having the elite mounted rifles regiment.^[9] For other uses, see Dragoon (disambiguation). ...

Cossack patrol near Baku oil fields, 1905

The Cossack sense of being a separate and elite community gave them a strong sense of loyalty to the Tsarist government and Cossack units were frequently used to suppress domestic disorder, especially during the widespread worker and peasant unrest of 1905–06. The Imperial Government depended heavily on the perceived reliability of the Cossacks, although by the early twentieth century their separate communities and semi-feudal military service were increasingly being seen as obsolete. In strictly military terms the Cossacks were not highly regarded by the Russian Army Command, who saw them as less well disciplined, trained and mounted than the hussars, dragoons and lancers of the regular cavalry.^[10] The Cossack qualities of initiative and rough-riding skills were not always fully appreciated. As a result, Cossack units were frequently broken up into small detachments for use as scouts, messengers or picturesque escorts. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x590, 91 KB)Cossack patrol near Baku oil fields. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x590, 91 KB)Cossack patrol near Baku oil fields. ... Location in Azerbaijan Coordinates: , Country Government  - Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov Area  - Total 260 km² (100. ... A British Hussar from the Crimean War Hussar (original Hungarian spelling: huszár, plural huszárok, Polish: Husaria) refers to a number of types of cavalry used throughout Europe since the 15th century. ... Volunteer Representative Squadron of the City of PoznaÅ„ in the uniform of the 15th Uhlan Regiment of PoznaÅ„ from 1939 A lancer (uhlan) was a cavalry soldier who fought with a lance. ...

When revolution came in February 1917, the Cossacks appear to have shared the general disillusionment with Tsarist leadership and the Cossack regiments in Saint Petersburg joined the uprising. While only a few units were involved, their defection (and that of the Konvoi) came as a stunning psychological blow to the Government of Nicholas II and sped his abdication. Nicholas II redirects here. ...

At the end of the 19th century, the Cossack communities enjoyed a privileged tax-free status in the Russian Empire, although having a military service commitment of twenty years (reduced to eighteen years from 1909). Only five years had to be spent in full time service, the remainder of the commitment being spent with the reserves. In the beginning of the twentieth century Russian Cossacks counted 4.5 million and were organised into separate regional Hosts, each comprising a number of regiments. The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ...

After the Russian Revolution

In the Civil War that followed the Russian Revolution, the Cossacks found themselves on both sides of the conflict. Many officers and experienced Cossacks fought for the White Army, and some of the other ones joined the Red Army. Following the defeat of the White Army, a policy of Decossackization (Raskazachivaniye) took place on the surviving Cossacks and their homelands since they were viewed as potential threat to the new regime. This mostly involved dividing their territory amongst other divisions and giving it to new autonomous republics of minorities, and then actively encouraging settlement of these territories with those peoples. This was especially true for the Terek Cossacks land. According to Michael Kort, "During 1919 and 1920, out of a population of approximately 3 million, the Bolshevik regime killed or deported an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 Cossacks".^[11] Including 45 thousand Terek Cossacks.^[12] The Cossack homelands were often very fertile, and during the collectivisation campaign many Cossacks shared the fate of kulaks. The famine of 1933 hit the Don and Kuban territory the hardest. Nevertheless, in 1936, under pressure from former Cossack descendants, it was decided to reintroduce Cossack forces into the Red Army. In 1919 the Soviet engaged in a policy to eliminate the Cossack threat to proletarian power by de-Cossackization: extirpating the Cossack elite; terrorizing all other Cossacks; and bringing about the formal liquidation of the Cossackry. ... Terek Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks resettled from Volga to Terek River. ... Kulaks (Russian: кула́к, kulak, fist, literally meaning tight-fisted) was a category of rich peasants in later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia and Soviet Union. ...

Second World War

Cossack leaders meeting Goebbels in 1944.

Soviet Kuban Cossack regiments marching. 24 June 1945, Victory Parade after the Great Patriotic War.

During the Second World War Cossacks found themselves on both sides of the conflict again. While most historians agree that the majority of the Russian Cossacks fought in the ranks of the Red Army, a substantial number of them also served with the Nazis. This can be explained by harsh repressions that many of them suffered under Stalin's policy of Collectivization and Decossackization. Like other peoples of the USSR, who suffered persecution under Stalin, many Cossacks dreaming of autonomy greeted the advancing German army as liberators.^[13][14][15] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Goebbels is a surname common in Rhineland derived from Göbbl, a nickname for the names Godebald and Godebert. ... Image File history File linksMetadata KubanCossacks2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata KubanCossacks2. ... Kuban Cossacks at the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 Kuban Cossacks (Russian: ) are Cossacks that live on the Kuban region of Russia, they consider themselves direct successors to the Zaporozhian Cossacks. ... Victory Parade on Red Square, Moscow on June 24, 1945. ... The Eastern Front1 was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ... Collective farming is an organizational unit in agriculture in which peasants are not paid wages, but rather receive a share of the farms net output. ... In 1919 the Soviet engaged in a policy to eliminate the Cossack threat to proletarian power by de-Cossackization: extirpating the Cossack elite; terrorizing all other Cossacks; and bringing about the formal liquidation of the Cossackry. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ...

While the core of the Nazi collaborators was made up of former White Army refugees, many rank-and-file Cossacks defected from the Red Army to join the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer). As early as 1941, the first Cossack detachments, created out of prisoners of war, defectors and volunteers, were formed under German leadership. The Dubrovski Battalion formed of Don Cossacks in December 1941 was reorganised on July 30, 1942 into the Pavlov Regiment, numbering up to 350 men. The Cossacks were successfully utilized for anti-partisan activity in the rear of the German army.^[14] White army may refer to: The military arm of the White movement, a loose coalition of anti-Bolshevik forces in the Russian Civil War The Saudi Arabian National Guard The National Guard of Kuwait This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Cossack National Movement of Liberation was set in the hope of creating an independent Cossack state, Cossackia. It was not until 1943 that the 1st Cossack Division was formed under the command of General Helmuth von Pannwitz, where Cossack emigrees, like Andrei Shkuro and Pyotr Krasnov, took leading positions. The 2nd Cossack Division under command of Colonel Hans-Joachim von Schultz, formed in 1944, existed only for a year, as both Cossack divisions were transferred into Waffen-SS and merged into XVth SS Cossack Cavalry Corps in 1945. The Corps contained regiments of different Cossack groups: Don, Kuban, Terek and Siberian Cossacks. At the end of the war in 1945, they surrendered to the British Army in Austria, hoping to join the British to fight Communism. There was little sympathy at the time for a group who were seen as Nazi collaborators and who were reported to have committed atrocities against resistance fighters in Eastern Europe. They were accordingly handed over to the Soviet Government. At the end of the war, British commanders repatriated between 40 to 50 thousand Cossacks, including their families, to the Soviet Union. An unknown number were subsequently executed or imprisoned. Reportedly, many of those punished had never been Soviet citizens. This episode is widely known as the Betrayal of the Cossacks. Russian Cossacks in Wehmacht uniform The 1st Cossack Division (German: ) is a Russian Cossack division within the German WW II Army. ... Born in Silesia on October 14, 1898, Helmuth von Pannwitz was a Nazi General who commanded anti-partisan troops in Yugoslavia He was hanged by a Russian court on January 16, 1947. ... Andrei Shkuro Andrei Grigoriyevich Shkuro (Shkura) (Андрей Григорьевич Шкуро (Шкура) in Russian) (January 19, 1887 (O.S.: January 7) – January 17, 1947) was a Lieutenant General (1919) of the White Army. ... Ataman Pyotr Krasnov Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov (Петр Николаевич Краснов in Russian) (September 22 (10 O.S.), 1869 — January 17, 1947), sometimes referred to in English as Peter Krasnov, was Lieutenant General of the Russian army when the revolution broke out in 1917, and one of the leaders of the counterrevolutionary White movement afterwards. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... The XVth Cossack Cavalry Corps was a German cavalry corps during World War II. By the end of the war the Corps was placed under the Waffen-SS administration. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Don Cossacks refers to cossacks that settled along the Don River, Russia it its lower and middle parts. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ... Terek Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks resettled from Volga to Terek River. ... Siberian Cossacks were Cossacks who settled in the Siberian region of Russia. ... This article is about the form of society and political movement. ... Operation Keelhaul was a programme carried out in Austria by British forces in May and June 1945 that decided the fate of thousands of post-war refugees fleeing eastern Europe. ... Combatants Lienz Cossacks Allied Forces Strength >50,000 Casualties 45,000 - 50,000 repatriated The Betrayal of Cossacks refers to the forced transfer of Cossacks who fought against Allied forces in World War II to the Soviet Union after the war, including those who were never Soviet citizens (having left...

The majority of the Cossacks fought in the ranks of the Red Army on the Southern theatre of the front, where open steppes made them ideal for frontal patrols and logistics. A Cossack detachment marched in Red Square during the famous 1945 victory parade. For other uses, see Red Square (disambiguation). ...

Modern times

Modern Terek Cossacks

Following the war, Cossack units, along with cavalry in general, were rendered obsolete and released from the Soviet Army. In the post-war years many Cossack descendants were thought of as simple peasants, and those who lived inside an autonomous republic usually gave way to the particular minority and migrated elsewhere (notably, to the Baltic region). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 136 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 136 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Terek Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks resettled from Volga to Terek River. ...

In the Perestroika-enlightened USSR of the late 1980s, many successors of the Cossacks became enthusiastic about reviving their national traditions. In 1988 the USSR passed a law which allowed formation of former hosts and the creation of new ones. The ataman of the largest, the All-Mighty Don Host, was granted Marshal rank and the right to form a new host. The Cossacks have taken an active part in many of the conflicts that took place afterwards: Transdniester, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Kosovo and Chechnya. While their impact on the outcome of the conflict rarely garnered mass-media attention, they were recognised for their high morale and bravery. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For the region during the Second World War, see Transnistria (World War II). ... Abkhazia (pronounced or , Apsny, Georgian: Apkhazeti or Abkhazeti, Russian: Abhazia) is an autonomous region of Georgia in the Caucasus. ... Anthem unknown Capital Tskhinvali Official languages Ossetian1 Government  -  President Eduard Kokoity  -  Prime Minister Yury Morozov De facto independence from Georgia  -  Declared November 28, 1991   -  Recognition none  Currency Russian ruble (RUB) Russian in widespread use by government and other institutions. ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ...

At the same time many attempts were made to increase the Cossack impact on Russian society and throughout the 1990s many regional authorities agreed to hand over some local administration and policing duties to the Cossacks. However in April 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a bill "On the State Service of the Russian Cossacks" (O gosudarstvennoy sluzhbe rossiyskogo kazachestva) to the State Duma, which was passed at the first reading on May 18, 2005. For the first time in decades the Cossacks were recognized as not only a distinct ethnocultural entity but also as a potent military force. Although their full ambition to administer wholly the territory stretching from Transdniester all the way along the steppe to the Ural River might be distant, the bill made a significant step towards achieving it.^[16] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Russian pronunciation: ) (born October 7, 1952, in Leningrad, U.S.S.R., now Saint Petersburg, Russia) is a Russian politician who was the 2nd President of the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2008. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the ecological zone type. ... The Ural (Russian: , Kazakh: Жайық, Jayıq or Zhayyq), known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. ...

Russian Cossacks

The native land of the Cossacks is defined by a line of Russian/Ruthenian town-fortresses located on the border with the steppe and stretching from the middle Volga to Ryazan and Tula, then breaking abruptly to the south and extending to the Dnieper via Pereyaslavl. This area was settled by a population of free people practicing various trades and crafts.

These people, constantly facing the Tatar warriors on the steppe frontier, received the Turkic name Cossacks, which was then extended to other free people in northern Russia. The oldest reference in the annals mentions Cossacks of the Russian city of Ryazan serving the city in the battle against the Tatars in 1444. In the 16th century, the Cossacks (primarily those of Ryazan) were grouped in military and trading communities on the open steppe and started to migrate into the area of the Don (source Vasily Klyuchevsky, The course of the Russian History, vol.2). Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky (January 16, 1841 - May 12, 1911) dominated the Russian historiography at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. ...

Don Cossacks house in khutor Kruzhilinsky, Rostov oblast

Cossacks served as border guards and protectors of towns, forts, settlements and trading posts, performed policing functions on the frontiers and also came to represent an integral part of the Russian army. In the 16th century, to protect the borderland area from Tatar invasions, Cossacks carried out sentry and patrol duties, observing Crimean Tatars and nomads of the Nogai Horde in the steppe region. Image File history File linksMetadata Вешенская_12_хутор_кружилинский.jpg‎ Description Kuren - a Don Cossacks house. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Вешенская_12_хутор_кружилинский.jpg‎ Description Kuren - a Don Cossacks house. ... Khutor or hutor (Russian: ; Ukrainian: , Khutir) was usually a single-homestead rural settlement (farmstead) in Ukraine, Russia, and some parts of Central Asia. ... Flag of Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast (Russian: , Rostovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. ... In russian, word army means armed forces in general. ... Tatar invasions of Europe from the east took place over the course of three centuries, from the middle ages to early modern period. ...

The most popular weapons used by Cossack cavalrymen were usually sabres, or shashka, and long spears.

Russian Cossacks played a key role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into Siberia (particularly by Yermak Timofeyevich), the Caucasus and Central Asia in the period from the 16th to 19th centuries. Cossacks also served as guides to most Russian expeditions formed by civil and military geographers and surveyors, traders and explorers. In 1648 the Russian Cossack Simeon Dezhnev discovered a passage between North America and Asia. Cossack units played a role in many wars in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries (such as the Russo-Turkish Wars, the Russo-Persian Wars, and the annexation of Central Asia). Yermak Yermak Timofeyevich (Russian: Ерма́к Тимофе́евич, also Ermak) (born between 1532 and 1542 – August 5 or 6, 1585), Cossack leader and explorer of Siberia. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to... The Russo-Turkish wars were a series of wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire during the 17th, 18th, and 19th and 20th centuries. ... The Russo-Persian Wars were wars fought between the Russian Empire and Persia in 18-20th centuries. ...

During Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, Cossacks were the Russian soldiers most feared by the French troops. Napoleon himself stated "Cossacks are the best light troops among all that exist. If I had them in my army, I would go through all the world with them."^[17] Cossacks also took part in the partisan war deep inside French-occupied Russian territory, attacking communications and supply lines. These attacks, carried out by Cossacks along with Russian light cavalry and other units, were one of the first developments of guerrilla warfare tactics and, to some extent, special operations as we know them today. Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... Look up partisan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Guerrilla redirects here. ...

Western Europeans had had few contacts with Cossacks before the Allies occupied Paris in 1814. As the most exotic of the Russian troops seen in France, Cossacks drew a great deal of attention and notoriety for their alleged excesses during Napoleon's 1812 campaign.

Organization

In early times, Cossack bands were commanded by an ataman (later called hetman). He was elected by the tribe members at a Cossack rada, as were the other important band officials: the judge, the scribe, the lesser officials, and even the clergy. The ataman's symbol of power was a ceremonial mace, a bulava. For the Ukrainian politician, see Vadym Hetman. ... Rada is the term for council or assembly borrowed by Polish from Middle High German Rat (council) and later passed into Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ...

"Cossack on duty", painting by Józef Brandt.

After the split of Ukraine along the Dnieper River by the Polish-Russian Treaty of Andrusovo, 1667, Ukrainian Cossacks were known as Left-bank Cossacks and Right-bank Cossacks. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Treaty of Andrusovo, 1667 (Polish Rozejm w Andruszowie, Russian Андрусовское перемирие, Ukrainian Андрусівське перемиря), a truce for 13,5 years between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which were at war since 1654 over the territories of modern day Ukraine and Belarus. ...

The ataman had executive powers and at time of war he was the supreme commander in the field. Legislative power was given to the Band Assembly (Rada). The senior officers were called starshyna. In the absence of written laws, the Cossacks were governed by the "Cossack Traditions," the common, unwritten law. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... A Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create, amend and ratify laws. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ...

Cossack society and government were heavily militarized. The nation was called a host (vois’ko, translated as 'army'), and subdivided into regimental and company districts, and village posts (polky, sotni, and stanytsi). British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ...

Each Cossack settlement, alone or in conjunction with neighboring settlements, formed military units and regiments of light cavalry (or mounted infantry, for Siberian Cossacks) ready to respond to a threat on very short notice.

Settlements

Russian Cossacks founded numerous settlements (called stanitsas) and fortresses along troublesome borders such as forts Verny (Almaty, Kazakhstan) in south Central Asia, Grozny in North Caucasus, Fort Alexandrovsk (Fort Shevchenko, Kazakhstan), Krasnovodsk (Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan) Novonikolayevskaya stanitsa (Bautino, Kazakhstan), Blagoveshchensk, towns and settlements at Ural, Ishim, Irtysh, Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur, Anadyr (Chukotka), and Ussuri Rivers. A group of Albazin Cossacks settled in China as early as 1685. Stanitsa (Russian: , pronounces stah-nee-tsah) is a village inside a Cossack host or Cossack voisko (Казачье войско, kazachye voysko, sometimes incorrectly translated as Cossack Army). ... Map showing Almatys location in Kazakhstan Almaty Orthodox church Mosque Almaty (Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Vernyj, Vyernyi (Верный) in Imperial Russia) is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,185,900 (2004) (8% of the population of Kazakhstan) citizens. ... For other uses of Grozny, see Grozny (disambiguation). ... Fort Shevchenko (Russian: ) is a town in Mangghystau Oblys, Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea. ... Türkmenbaşy is a city in Turkmenistan, part of the Balkan Welayaty, on the shore of the Caspian Sea. ... TürkmenbaÅŸy is a city in Turkmenistan, part of the Balkan Province, on the Krasnovodsk Gulf of the Caspian Sea. ... Blagoveshchensk (Russian: Благовещенск) (pop. ... The Ural (Russian: , Kazakh: Жайық, Jayıq or Zhayyq), known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. ... The Ishim River (Иши́м, another name is Esil River) is a river running through Kazakhstan and Russia. ... Irtysh (Иртыш ; Kazakh: Ertis / Эртiс ; Tatar: Ä°rteÅŸ / Иртеш ; Chinese: Erqisi / 额尔齐斯河) a river in Central Asia, the chief tributary of the river Ob. ... lauren rocks my world The river splits into more than one arm, especially after joining the large Irtysh tributary at about 69° E. Originating in China, the Irtysh is actually longer than the Ob from their sources to the point of their confluence. ... The Yenisei (Енисе́й) is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean, and the fifth longest river in the world. ... Lena redirects here. ... The Amur River or Heilong Jiang (Russian: Амур; Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: , or Black Dragon River; Mongolian: , Khar Mörön or Black River; Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is the worlds eighth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China. ... Anadyr (Ана́дырь) is a river in the extreme northeast of Siberia, Russia. ... The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotski Peninsula or Chukotsk Peninsula, at about 66° North, 169° East, is the northeastern extremity of Asia. ... The Ussuri River (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Russian: река Уссури; Manchu: Usuri ula) is a river in the east of Northeast China and south of the Russian Far East. ... The Albazinians (Russian: албазинцы, Chinese: 阿尔巴津人) are approximately 250 modern descendants of about fifty Russian Cossacks from Albazin on the Amur River that were resettled by the Kangxi Emperor in the northeastern periphery of Beijing in 1685. ...

Although Cossacks are sometimes regarded as xenophobic, some Cossacks readily adapted to the cultures and customs of nearby peoples (for example, the Terek Cossacks were heavily influenced by the culture of North Caucasian tribes) and frequently married local residents (other non-Cossack settlers and natives) regardless of race or origin, sometimes setting aside religious restrictions.^[18] War brides brought from distant lands were also common in Cossack families. One of the Russian Volunteer Army commanders, General Bogaevsky mentions in his book one of his Cossacks unit's servicemen, Sotnik Khoperski, who was Chinese by origin and brought from Manchuria during the Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 as a child, adopted and raised by a Cossack family.^[19] The Volunteer Army (Добровольческая армия in Russian, or Dobrovolcheskaya armiya) was a counterrevolutionary army in South Russia during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920. ... The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of Imperial Russia and Japan in Manchuria and Korea. ...

Popular image

Cossacks have long appealed to romantics as idealizing freedom and resistance to external authority, and their military exploits against their enemies have contributed to this favourable image. For others they have been a symbol of repression because of their role in suppressing popular uprisings in the Russian Empire, as well as their assaults against Jews.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many have begun seeing Russian Cossacks as defenders of Russian sovereignty. Cossacks not only reestablished all of their hosts, they also took over police and even administrative duties in their homelands. The Russian military also took advantage of the patriotic feelings amongst the Cossacks and as the hosts become increasingly larger and more organised, has in past turned over some of its surplus technology to them. On par with that the Cossacks also play a large cultural role in the South of Russia. Since the whole rural population of the Rostov, Krasnodar and Starvropol territories as well as the Autonomous republics of the Northern Caucasus consists almost exclusively of Cossack descendants (amongst the ethnic Russian population) the region was always known, even in the Soviet times for its high discipline, low crime and conservative sentiments, like having one of the highest rates of religious attendance and literacy rates. The result was that, amongst Russian youth, Cossacks began to represent order and, in some cases, hope, especially when compared with the presently unpopular Russian Army. Rostov (Russian: Росто́в; Old Norse: Rostofa) is one of the oldest towns in Russia and an important tourist centre of the so called Golden ring. ...

A Ukrainian folk musician, Ostap Kindratchuk, playing the bandura on an Old Market in Poznań wearing the traditional cossack outfit.

In Ukraine where the Cossackdom represents historical and cultural heritage, some people have been attempting to recreate the images of Ukrainian Cossacks. Traditional Ukrainian culture is often tied in with the Cossacks and the Ukrainian government actively supports these attempts. The traditional Cossack Bulava is one of its national symbols and the island of the Khortytsia, where the Zaporozhian Sich once existed, has been restored. Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 622 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 622 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A Bandura and a Torban, at the Royal College of Music Julian Kytasty, plays a prima Chernihiv bandura The Experimental Bandura Тrio: Jurij Fedynsky, Julian Kytasty,and Michael Andrec Ken Bloom, plays a Kharkiv bandura Yuri Singalevych(Lviv) playing a diatonic bandura c. ... Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina PoznaÅ„ Established 8th century City Rights 1253 Government  - Mayor Ryszard Grobelny Area  - City 261. ... Hetman Jan Zamoyski in crimson kontusz and blue silk żupan tied with pas kontuszowy. ... Khortytsya view from space. ... Zaporizhian Sich or Zaporozhian Sech (Ukrainian: ,Zaporozka Sich) original Slavonic name Zaporizhska Sich was the center of the Cossacks of Zaporizhzhia. ...

Literary reflections of Cossack culture abound in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish literatures, particularly in the works of Nikolai Gogol, Taras Shevchenko, Mikhail Sholokhov, Henryk Sienkiewicz's book With Fire and Sword. Most of Polish Romantic literature deals with themes about the Cossacks. Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. ... Gogol redirects here. ... Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (Ukrainian: ) (March 9, 1814 [O.S. February 25] – March 10, 1861 [O.S. February 26]) was a Ukrainian poet, also an artist and a humanist. ... Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov (ru: Михаил Александрович Шолохов) (May 24, 1905 (Old Style May 11) - February 21, 1984) was a Russian novelist. ... Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz (IPA: [], artistic name: “Litwos”, IPA: []) ( May 5, 1846, Wola Okrzejska, Congress Poland, - November 15, 1916, Vevey, Switzerland), Oszyk Coat of Arms, was a Polish novelist and publicist. ... Movie poster With Fire and Sword (Polish Ogniem i mieczem) is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1884, and made into a movie (With Fire and Sword - the movie) in 1999. ...

Cossacks are also portrayed in Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade," and Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (August 6, 1809 - October 6, 1892) is generally regarded as one of the greatest English poets. ... Valley of the Shadow of Death, as photographed by Roger Fenton in 1855. ... Richard Edward Connell, Jr. ... This article is about the short story by Richard Connell. ...

Because of their long military history, Cossacks feature as prominent special military units in various strategy games, including Age of Empires III, Medieval II: Total War, Civilization III, and most notably Ukrainian GSC Game World's Cossacks: European Wars and its expansions. Age of Empires III (also called AoE III, or simply Age 3) is a real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. ... Sid Meiers Civilization III is a turn-based strategy computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meiers Civilization II. It was followed by Civilization IV. Also called Civ 3 or Civ III for short, the game is the third generation of the original Civilization. ... GSC Game World is a Kiev-based computer game developer. ...

Cossacks are also a popular school mascot, including the International Academy of St. Petersburg, Russia, for example. International Academy of St. ...

The popular image of the Cossacks as heroic freedom and resistance fighters has been mythologized over time [J. Keaton A History of Warfare London 1993]. Clausewitz, a regimental officer of the Prussian 34th Infantry Regiment, who later became famous with the publication On War was convinced that the Moscow fire of 1812 was the result of the disorder and the habit the Cossacks had of first thoroughly pillaging and then setting fire to all the houses before the enemy could make use of them. [R. Parkinson, Clausewitz London 1970, pp 175-6] He was revolted by such Cossack habits of riding down stragglers at the point of a lance, selling prisoners to the peasants for cash and stripping the unsaleable ones to the bare skins for the sake of their rags. Clausewitz, who was present at the time of the great retreat of the French 1812, told his wife he had witnessed ghastly scenes.... If my feelings had not been hardened it would have sent me mad. Even so it will take many years before I can recall what I have seen without a shuddering horror.

In the Charge of the Light Brigade, a watching Russian officer reported that frightened by the disciplined order of the mass of [British] cavalry bearing down on them, [the Cossacks] did not hold but wheeling to their left began to fire upon their own troops in an effort to clear their way of escape. When the Light Brigade had been driven out of the Valley of Death by the Russian artillery, the first to recover, reported another Russian officer, were the Cossacks and true to their nature they set themselves to the task at hand - rounding up riderless English horses and offering them for sale. [A. Seaton, The Horsemen of the Steppes London 1985 p. 54]

Terminology

Cossacks in Russia

Modern Kuban Cossack armed forces patch of the Russian military

In the Russian Empire, the Cossacks were organised into several voiskos (hosts), which lived along Russian borderland, or internal borders between Russian and non-Russian peoples. Each host had its own leadership and regalia as well as uniforms as well as ranks. However by the late 19th century the latter were standardised of the example of the Imperial Russian Army. Following the 1988 law, which allowed the hosts to reform and the 2005 one that legally recognised the hosts as a combat service the ranks and insignia were kept but on all military tickets that are standard for the Russian Army they are given bellow. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

This table may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (May 2008)

*Rank Presently absent in the Russian Army
**The application of ranks Polkovnik and General is only stable for small hosts. Large hosts are divided into divisions and consequently the Russian Army sub-ranks General-Mayor, General-Leitenatant and General-Polkovnik are used to distinguish the Atamans' hierarchy of command, with the Supreme Ataman having the highest rank available. In such a case the shoulder insignia will have a dedicated one, two and three star alignment as normal in the Russian Army otherwise it will be blank. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ataman Krasnoschekov by Alexei Antropov, 1761 Ataman (variants: wataman, vataman, otaman, Cyrillic: атаман (Russian), ватаман (Russian, regional), отаман (Ukrainian)) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. ... Sotnik (Russian: ) was a military rank in Russian Strelets Troops (1600s) and Imperial Cossack cavalry (since 1826), equivalent to Poruchik (Lieutenant). ... Yesaul (Turkic: yasaul=chief; Russian: есау́л), a post and a rank in the Cossack units. ...

The same can be said about the colonel ranks as they are given to atamans of regional and district status. The lowest group—stanitsa, is commanded by Yesaul. If the region or district lacks any other stanitsas then the rank polkovnik is applied automatically but with no stars on the shoulder. As the host continue to grow, starless shoulder batches are becoming increasingly rare.

In addition to all that, the Supreme Ataman of the largest Don Cossack Host, is officially titled as Marshal and consequently wears insignia that is derived from the Russian/Soviet Marshal ranks, including the diamond Marshal Star. This is because the Don Cossack Supreme Ataman is recognised as the official head of all Cossack armies (including those outside the present Russian borders). He also has the authority to recognise and dissolve new hosts. Don Cossack Voisko (Don Cossack Host) is the name of a frontier military organisation of Don Cossacks (cossack host) in Imperial Russia since the end of the 16th century. ...

Uniform

Cossacks were expected to provide their own uniforms. While these were sometimes manufactured in bulk by factories owned by the individual Host, garments were often handed down or cut out within a family. Individual items might accordingly vary from those laid down by regulation or be of obsolete pattern. Each Host had its own distinctive uniform colourings.

A Cossack officer from Orenburg, with a shashka at his side

For most Hosts the basic uniform comprised the standard loose fitting tunics and wide trousers typical of Russian regular troops during the period 1881-1908. However the Caucasian Hosts (Kuban and Terek) wore the very long, open fronted, cherkesska coats with ornamental cartridge loops and coloured beshmets (waistcoats), that epitomise the popular image of the Cossacks. Most Hosts wore fleece hats with coloured cloth tops in full dress with peaked caps for ordinary duties. The two Caucasian Hosts however appear to have worn high fleece caps on most occasions. Download high resolution version (640x950, 98 KB)An Orenburg Cossack with his military equipment. ... Download high resolution version (640x950, 98 KB)An Orenburg Cossack with his military equipment. ... Orenburg (Russian: ) is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast in the Volga Federal District of Russia. ... A Cossack from Orenburg, with a shashka at his side Shashka is a special kind of sabre and a very sharp type of single edged, single handed and guardless sword. ...

Until 1909 white blouses and cap covers of standard Russian army pattern were worn by the Cossack regiments in summer. The shoulder straps and cap bands were in the Host colour as detailed below. From 1910 to 1918 a khaki-grey jacket was worn for field wear with the blue or green breeches and coloured stripes of the dress uniform.

While most Cossacks served as cavalry, there were infantry and artillery units in several of the hosts. Three regiments of Cossacks formed part of the Imperial Guard, as well as the Konvoi—the tsar's mounted escort. The Imperial Guard regiments wore tailored Government issue uniforms which were of spectacular and colourful appearance. As an example, the Konvoi wore scarlet cherkesskas, white beshmets and red crowns on their fleece hats.

*All details are based on the 1909-14 dress uniforms as portrayed in "Tablitsi Form' Obmundirovaniya Russkoi Armi", Colonel V.K. Shenk, published by the Imperial Russian War Ministry 1910-11. Don Cossacks refers to cossacks that settled along the Don River, Russia it its lower and middle parts. ... The Ural Cossack Host was a cossack host formed from the Ural Cossacks -- those cossacks settled by the Ural River. ... Terek Cossack Host (Russian: ) was a cossack host created in 1577 from free Cossacks resettled from Volga to Terek River. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ... The Orenburg Cossack Host (Оренбургское казачье войско in Russian), a part of the Cossack population in pre-revolutionary Russia, located in the Orenburg province (todays Orenburg Oblast, part of the Chelyabinsk Oblast and Bashkortostan). ... Astrakhan Cossack Host (Астраханское казачье войско in Russian) was a Cossack host of Imperial Russia drawn from the Cossacks of the Lower Volga region, who had been patrolling the banks of the Volga River from the time of Russias annexation of Astrakhan in 1556. ... Siberian Cossacks were Cossacks who settled in the Siberian region of Russia. ... Baikal Cossacks were cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host (Russian: Забайкальское казачье войско), a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal (hence, Transbaikal). ... The Amur Cossack Host (Амурское казачье войско in Russian), a Cossack host created in the Amur region and Primorye in the 1850s on the basis of the Cossacks relocated from the Transbaikal region and freed miners of Nerchinsk region. ... Semiryechensk Cossask Host (Семиреченское казачье войско in Russian; the correct name would be Semiryechye Cossack Host) was Cossack host in Imperial Russia, located in the Semiryechye Oblast (todays major part of Kyrgyzstan, Almaty oblysy, Taldy-Korgan (Taldyqorghan) oblysy and parts of the Taraz oblysy and Semey oblysy in Kazakhstan... Ussuri Cossack Host (Russian: Уссури́йское каза́чье во́йско) was a Cossack Host in Imperial Russia, located in Primorye south of Khabarovsk along the Ussuri River, the Sungari River, and around the Khanka Lake. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Cossacks

• History of the Cossacks
• Betrayal of the Cossacks
• Registered Cossacks
• Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks
• Nağaybäk, Tatar Cossacks
• Kosiński Uprising
• Dmytro Yavornytsky
• Cossack motorcycle
• Persian Cossack Brigade
• Tatar invasions
• Crimean Khanate
• Wild Fields
• Kossak (as a Polish family name)

The History of the Cossacks spans several centuries. ... Combatants Lienz Cossacks Allied Forces Strength >50,000 Casualties 45,000 - 50,000 repatriated The Betrayal of Cossacks refers to the forced transfer of Cossacks who fought against Allied forces in World War II to the Soviet Union after the war, including those who were never Soviet citizens (having left... Registered Cossacks (Polish: Kozacy rejestrowi) is the term used for Cossacks (mostly from the Zaporizhian Sich) who were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth armies. ... Bulava-mace traditional symbol of the supreme power of Ukrainian Hetmans. ... NaÄŸaybäk (; plural NaÄŸaybäklär; Russian: нагайбаки) is a group of Keräşen Tatars, frequently viewed as one of indigenous peoples of Russia. ... KosiÅ„ski Uprising (1591 - 1593) is a name applied to two rebellions in Ukraine organised by Krzysztof KosiÅ„ski against the local Ruthenian nobility and magnates. ... Dmytro Yavornytsky , pen name in Russian Evarnitsky, (November, 6 1855- August, 5 1940) was a noted Ukrainian historian, archeologist, ethnographer, folklorist, and lexicographer. ... The term Cossack motorcycle can apply to any number of motorcycles, made in the former Soviet Union, a reference to the semi-nomadic mounted Cossacks who lived in Eastern Europe. ... Persian Cossack Brigade in Tabriz in 1909 The Persian Cossack Brigade was an elite military unit in the armed forces of Persia (Iran) during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ... Tatar invasions of Europe from the east took place over the course of three centuries, from the middle ages to early modern period. ... Flag Crimean Khanate in 1600 Capital Bakhchisaray Government Monarchy History  - Established 1441  - Annexed to Russia 1783 The Crimean Khanate or the Khanate of Crimea (Crimean Tatar: ; Russian: - Krymskoye khanstvo; Ukrainian: - Krymske khanstvo; Turkish: ) was a Crimean Tatar state from 1441 to 1783. ... The Wild Fields (Russian: Дикое Поле, Ukrainian: Дике Поле) is a term used in the documents of the 16th and 17th centuries to refer to the sparsely inhabited steppes between the Don River on the east, the Upper Principalities on the north, and the left tributaries of the Dnieper and Desna on the west. ... Kossak is a surname of several people: Jerzy Kossak, a Polish painter Juliusz Kossak, a Polish painter Wojciech Kossak, a Polish painter Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, Polish author and resistance fighter during the Second World War Categories: Disambiguation ...

Notes and references

The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ... Pavel Markovich Polian (Russian: ) is a Russian geographer, Doktor of Geographical Sciences with the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Figure of speech, see Ellipsis (figure of speech). ... For the Figure of speech, see Ellipsis (figure of speech). ...

Sources

• Knotel, Richard, Knotel, Herbert, & Sieg Herbert, Uniforms of the World: A compendium of Army, Navy and Air Force uniforms 1700-1937, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1980

Further reading

• H. Havelock, The Cossacks in the Early Seventeenth Century, English Historical Review, Vol. 13, No. 50 (Apr., 1898), pp. 242-260, JSTOR
• "The Cossack Corps", General der Flieger Hellmuth Felmy, US Army Historical Division, Hailer Publishing, 2007 http://www.hailerpublishing.com/cossack.html

External links

• Cossack Site - eng., rus., spa., fre.
• Don Cossack (rus)
• Union of Cossacks - Official Cossack organisation.
• Cossackdom.com - history of Cossacks XV-XXI cent.
• History of Cossacks
• Cossack Navy 16th - 17th Centuries
• Cossack raids
• Cossack Stan (Russian)
• Cossacks during the Napoleonic Wars
• Zaporizhian Cossacks
• History of Ukrainian Cossacks at Encyclopedia of Ukraine
• Ukrainian Cossacks
• Cossacks in Wehrmacht (German newsreel)
• "THE UKRAINIAN REGISTERED COSSACKS"