Cossacks of Ukraine
Bohdan Khmelnytsky fought off Turks and Poles only to put Ukraine into the hands of Muskovite Russia.
The Ukrainian Cossacks, along with one important leader named Bohdan Khmelnytsky, are a major part of Ukrainian identity.
The Cossacks, a strong, organized, military people with no nation, linked Ukrainian history with Russian history during their struggle to remain free. While their efforts proved futile as they accepted the sovereignty of Moscow, the Ukraine of today upholds Cossack legends, values, and victories as an important part of its identity.
Cossacks were practiced fighters, both on land and on sea. They prevented the Turks from invading the area that is now Ukraine, riding horses into battle and acting as supplemental regiments to existing national armies. In addition, they were as feared as any pirate - they crossed the Black Sea in small, swift ships to rescue captives and plunder treasure from those same Turks who wanted Cossacks for their own armies.
It was a point of pride for the Cossacks that they were a free people under the thumb no existing government. They held elections amongst themselves, were passionate followers of Orthodoxy, and obeyed strict rules of conduct. While to outsiders they seemed an unruly, disorganized bunch of hooligans, they were actually very principled and honorable - according to their own perceptions of these characteristics.
Bohdan Khmelnytsky, one of the most famous Cossacks, is both revered as a hero and reviled as a betrayer. Strategic brilliance, a talent for negotiations, and charisma were all key traits to Khmelnytsky's leadership over the Cossacks during the 17th century. While he enabled Ukraine to throw off the yoke of the Polish government and spit in the eye of Turkey, he also handed Ukraine over to Russia. At the time, it probably seemed the lesser of the two evils, but many Ukrainians and Ukrainian Cossacks were disgusted by this turn of events. A statue of Khmelnytsky stands in front of St. Sophie Cathedral in Kiev as a tribute to his impact upon Ukrainian nationhood and identity.
Eastern European history, including Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian history, owe much to the Cossacks. Their raids, adventures, and campaigns seem the stuff of legends - and have, in fact, been depicted in stories and movies - but the Ukraine of today is proof positive that the Cossacks truly ruled the Ukrainian steppe.
