The Rada of the foreman of the Left-Bank Hetmanate in Baturyn in May, 1671 and its decisions

Abstract

The author of the article focuses on the Foremen’s Rada, which took place in May 1671 in Baturyn. Information about this event until now remained unknown to historians, since it was not mentioned in the fundamental work of N. I. Kostomarov “The Ruin”, and the respective documents were not published. The council discussed the issues of increasing the “hunting” (mercenary) troops, the provision of food to the Russian garrison in Baturyn, amnesty for representatives of the Cossack foremen, previously exiled to Siberia on the denunciations of Hetman I. Bryukhovetsky, the allocation of households in Baturin for the Cossack colonels to live there, as well as the restriction contacts of the Left Bank Hetmanate with the Zaporozhian Sich. The Rada supported the proposals regarding the Streltsy garrison in Baturyn, Zaporozhye and amnesty for exiles. However, the points on the construction of courtyards for the colonels and an increase in the number of mercenary troops were not supported. The foremen thus solidarized with the hetman in those issues that concerned opposition to possible actions of the social lower classes (including those influenced by the the Cossacks and the uprising of Razin), but they were against the policy of strengthening the personal power of hetman Demyan Mnogogreshny, which he hoped to carry out with the support of the Russian government. In these contradictions, one should see the first shoots of the conflict that led to the overthrow of the Mnogogreshny as a result of the foremen’s conspiracy in 1672.

Received: 01.11.2020.

Citation
Florya B. N. The Rada of the foreman of the Left-Bank Hetmanate in Baturyn in May, 1671 and its decisions // Slavic Almanac. 2021. No 1–2. P. 26–32 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2021.1-2.1.02