Great video, but one correction: "Kozak" comes from Slavic (not only East Slavic, but also West one) "koza" - "a goat", because those were people living like goats, in the wild. And Slavic "koza" has the same root as English words "cape" and "cap", and as Sansrkrit word "kaśya" - "a turtle" or "a shell" or "a cover made of leather" [EDIT.] After watching this (and 10 000 other historical videos on YT) as a historian and a Slav I say: *Thank you!*
@@Helleborre Cossacks, pirates, mercenaries - around 16 and 17 centuries those groups create their own systems of rules, including electing and removing their leaders (not rulers, mind you).
the "Wild East" moniker fits perfectly since the Soviets even made their own Wild West movies called "Osterns" or "Red Westerns" which had Cossacks, Turks, and Caucasians (as in from the Caucuses) people playing stereotypes and stock characters the same as America had cowboys, indians, miners/gold rushers, and railroad/cattle tycoons.
@@ThatHabsburgMapGuy I haven't seen any full movies myself except for clips. Heres a link to where there are some movies and explanation: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostern
@@arthas640 type in any search engine the best films about the Cossacks, preferably in Russian, and you will learn a lot of films, but very few of them have been translated into English, perhaps some have subtitles. not all Soviet "westerns" about Cossacks, there were also (parody westerns) A man from Kaputsinov Boulevard very popular in Russia.there is a Russian mini-series Ermak about a very famous Cossack who, with a small detachment, conquered the Siberian Khanate, his video author for some reason forgot to mention. there is also a Polish TV series With Fire and Sword.
This is what I love about history. Things like this are bound to be neglected by time. Hopefully not with the proliferation of the internet. But imagine how many tidbits like this are lost to history or written out by the victor.
@@SamtheIrishexan what strikes me is the many similarities between early Cossacks and early Americans including common views of freedom and democracy and a shared sense of confidence and adventure.
Very nice. It ought to be noted the painting 18:47 took the artist, Ilya Repin, 10 years to paint (1880-1891) during which time Repin studied the Cossacks. It commemorates the Cossacks' writing the insulting letter to Ottoman Sultan. According to some historians, when Europe truly feared the advances of the Ottoman empire, the Cossacks dared to attack the Sultan at his capital, Constantinople. The sheer boldness of the Cossacks made them heroic throughout Europe (this is when multiple copies of the original letter were created) even the Roman Catholic Pope sent Cossacks a diplomatic envoy.
Maybe not your cup of tea, but you may check out Mount and Blade: With Fire and Swords. This is a sandbox game based on the novel, "With Fire and Sword", by Henryk Sienkiewicz, sets during the rise of the Cossacks.
@@unnaturalselection8330 "get used to watching the battle from on your back" Either that, or git gud... ;-) "weaving a lot" Nope. The real life tactic of riding fast at an angle while shooting works better.
In polish, the word cosac (kozak) in slang is used to describe someone cool, daring and impressive. Similarly used to the word badass in english. Interesting how the awe of the cosacs freedom and bravery has remained in the culture and language of surounding coutries after so many houndreds of years
@@Dru4Dro Yes! and your dramatic and heroic defense of liberty and democracy can be traced directly to your past. Like most Americans, I was blithely unaware. This video adds immensely to my understanding of today's conflict. My heart is yours Ukraine; your fight is legendary! Glory and Strength to Ukraine! 🇺🇦🇺🇦 🖕🏻🇷🇺 !!!
@@bbadstdad4423 cossacks were not ukrainians bro. Just as vikings were not Swedish. It's a was a job. cossack as a word means bandit in Turkish language. cossacks were People who ran from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia, who ran away from strong hand of the law -> outlaws. Simply as that, they were of Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Ruthenian origin and lived as mercenaries.
@@lxdead5585 indeed, as there was no "ukraine," at least as we think of it today. interesting what the name means depending on regional perspectives. In Poland, "fool," Turkey," bandit," It's my understanding that among the Ukrainian's that DO indeed have ancestral and territorial roots there, a Cossack was someone roughly equivalent to the American Cowboy; part outlaw, but also part adventurer, fiercely independent, democratic, swashbuckling, and brave. There's bound to be at least some truth to that romanticized perspective of a Cossack held by sons of Cossacks, much as there would be some kernel of truth that shaped the perspective, and hence the meaning of "Cossack." by the sons of their age-old neighbors. It's all in the direction you're looking from. finally, to be clear, neither Cossack nor Ukrainian are ethnicities but they ARE cultures, one built upon the other. these are views I hold after the limited "research" I've done on the subject. I'm definitely no expert but I am sticking with my assertion: Cossacks were not Ukrainian but Ukranians were once Cossacks. And from all accounts, they're damn proud of it.
Also I would like to add to this, Chaikas were used here on Balkans too in mid 1800's , and soldiers riding the chaikas wore the hats that in Serbia became culture symbol and our identity and we named the hat Шajkaчa/Sajkaca ( in our language the boat is called Шajka/Sajka).
One of the best historical descriptions/ to my knowledge / I have read in years.I know that to describe times and actions of people on the edge of stabilized societies, in parts which were ruled for three four centuries by Mongols, Golden Horde, on north bordering with raising Muscovy and other partially independent cities - duchies,on south by Crimean khanate / Ottoman influence still present /, on west by still strong Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth/ in 15 - 16 century real superpower in this area way larger than France today and with no reliable /or. missing / documents is monumental task ,but You did it. If there is some tiny mistake / cca 27.15 min./ Commonwealth from the west , Muscovy from the east ,not opposite as You state.And the name Bodan should be corrected as Bohdan which means given by God.BTW - in Ukrainian name Bohdan should be read with very sound " H ", in Russian as Bogdan / Russian language doesn't have " H ". It is always replaced by "G". So thank You for Your video -it is excellent.
Hmmm.... a true definition of our human species indeed.. from rags-to-riches, thieves to laws and orders, from freedom to control, from rises to decline... hmmm.
yep,thanks for this update. my great great great granddad ( estanislaus Don ), was from a group of Cossacks recruited by Maximillain to fight in the Mexican Revolution against Benito Juarez during the Mexican Revolution. Maximilian lost the war to Mexico and Don settled in Aguas Calientes, never to return to the Russian steppes. We are still a handful of Don's in Texas, thanks to our Ancestor Don.
Made me remember the insults hurled at the English knights by the French in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Hilarious. The painting of the Cossacks, sitting around the table laughing and adding their personal tirades made it even better.
What an outstanding presentation of history! Thankyou very much for putting it together. My family emigrated from southern Ukraine in the early 1900's and I'm sure they had first hand experiences with these noble individuals.
This guy completely excluded how the Cossacks were brutal Jew-murderers who erased entire ethnic groups from the map of Siberia to get their grubby hands on expensive furs. Such a 'vibrant" people indeed.
@@comradekenobi6908when something has complicated/conflated lore with crazy aspects/wild parts usually has this song playing while an edit depicting those plays
In Poland when we call someone Cossack we think that this person is daring, brave, but in reckless way. Usually it is connected with bothering and provoking someone who you should not bother, cause he is stronger than you.
@@vadymbohachevskiy582 No. The word "Cossack" was first recorded in the Latin-Persian-Kipchak manuscript Codex Cumanicus, written in Kaffa in the late 13th century. It meant a guardian, a sentry. In 1308, "Cossacks" are also mentioned, but as robbers. In many Turkic languages, this word meant mercenaries, soldiers, steppe robbers, and more broadly - exiles, homeless people, bandits. Cossacks were a typical category of loose people in the border zone between the Great Steppe and lands of agricultural cultures. Existing outside the legal sphere, in the wild they escorted caravans one day as retainers, the next day they attacked them as brigands.
I'm greatly happy you covered this topic and I think you did a very good job (as an introduction, that is). There, of course, is a lot more that could be said about many things mentioned in this video. For example, if you are interested in learning more about the Tatar raids and the slavery in the region, I recommend a paper; _Slave hunting and slave redemption as a business enterprise: The northern Black Sea region in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries_ by Dariusz Kołodziejczak.
I think you somewhat mix up the Don and the Zaporozian cossacks. There also were the so-called Burgher/City cossacks (Horodovi Kozaky) in the PLC. And they were the largest kind of Cossacks. They didn't belong to any host and most often either went to the steppes for the usual stuff or served as a hired muscle for some magnate. The registered cossacks were an alternative to serving in the PLC crown army or serving a magnate. They mostly consisted of the Orthodox Ruthenians and sometimes Jews and maybe Catholics. Just like with the crown army, the number of the registered cossacks was limited. By serving a magnate one could earn fairly big salary, but couldn't hope to get some land after service or pension. Both of these were guaranteed to those serving in the crown army or in the registered cossacks. The majority of people that joined the crown army or the registered Cossacks were the lesser or "medium" nobility. Most of the nobility in PLC were rather humble people, wealth-wise. Owning a house, some little land and maybe having 1-2 servants or none at all. There was also a rather big chunk of really poor szlachta - "holota" that would work as a hired muscle, servants or sometimes would even beg on the streets(szlachta brukowa/the street szchlata). Folks who went to the Zaporozian Host were mostly burghers, free peasants and the nobility. Not only from the PLC, but also to a lesser extent from the Crimean Khanate(after joining, Crimeans would convert to Orthodoxy and take up an Orthodox Christian name). For many, it was a way to quickly get rich, by joining the raiding expeditions against the Crimean Khanate or the High Porte. Zaporozians were among the main allies(and after all the powerful Ruthenian houses became Poles by converting to Catholicism, Zaporozians became the most significant ones) and patrons of the Orthodox church in the PLC. "Cossacking" was generally a Ruthenian thing, not Lithuanian or Polish(although those did occasionally join as well). Hence it was dominated by the Ruthenian culture, language and faith. After the Union of Brest happened, the Zaporozians became pretty extreme and everyone that joined them had to become Orthodox. It's not uncommon for people that were found(or were highly suspected of) practicing another form of Christianity to be executed. Attacks on the Uniate clergy that attempted to convert Orthodox churches into Uniate ones or push Uniate Christianity onto population were also commonplace. The serfs in the Zaporozian Cossack host probably existed, but they were not as common as it's often portrayed. There were even cases of feeling serfs being sent back to their masters by the Zaporozians. At least that's how it was until the 18th century. Before the 18th century, the Zaporozian host was mostly dominated by the lesser Orthodox nobility, free peasants and burghers. The higher strata of the Cossack society (starshyna), its ruling class, consisted mostly of the wealthy nobility and burghers. You'll have a hard time finding a single peasant or serf among the Hetmans, Otamans or officers. I'm not sure if there even exist any documented ones. But the majority of the Zaporozians were "holota" - nobles and commoners that were dirt poor. Officially, females were forbidden on Sich. When the winter came, the Cossacks usually went back to their homes, to cities or khutir. During the 18th century, when the right-bank Ukraine came fully under control of the PLC again, that's when a large number of serfs from there started swarming to the Zaporozian Sich and an image of a poor free serf Cossack became a thing. Yet still, at those times, you won't find known serfs among the Sich's ruling class. It should also be mentioned that the Hetmanate/Ukraine/Vis'ko Zaporozke and the Zaporozian Host are two different things. Kish otaman(also sometimes called a hetman) ruled in the Zaporozian Host, while a hetman ruled the Vis'ko Zaporozke. The Zaporozian Host existed as a sort of autonomy within the Vis'ko Zaporozke, having its own rulers, army and land. After the Hetmanate was established, a large part of the Zaporozian ruling strata went there and the Orthodox szlahlta almost completely merged with starshyna(there were those that preferred to stay as szlachta and retained their titles and rights; somewhere around 1200 families, if I remember right). In Vis'ko Zaporozke, de jure everyone was equal(de facto it was different; just like it was for szlachta in PLC) and the Cossacks generally were supposed to see each other as equals regardless of the background(obviously that's not the case and those of higher birth most likely looked down upon those of lower). The absolute majority of the nobility(szlachta) surrendered their noble rights and sort of became like the commoners(putting their genealogies and coats of arms in dusty storage chests till the day when the Russian Tsar would offer to turn all those Cossacks, and not only the starshyna ones, into nobles again; many even forged the documents proving their nobility, successfully acquiring a title). In the Hetmanate, every Cossack was supposed to be sort of like a szlachcic and considered himself as such. Duels and court cases because someone's "szlachcic honour" was offended were pretty common. The government and the society of the Hetmanate generally mirrored that of the PLC. But the serfdom was abolished and everyone enjoyed freedom. At least for a time. Slowly, but surely, starshyna was reinstalling it. Vis'ko Zaporozke existed until 1782 (eventually turning into Little Russia Governorate) and the Zaporozian Sich until 1775. Also, Czaplinsky didn't bully Khmelnitsky because he was a "Cossack". It was pretty commonplace for the PLC nobles, especially in Ukraine(during the 15-17th centuries), to raid other nobles. Just hire some horodovi kozaky and send them to beat up ass of another noble and take away his property. Magnates, which had private armies (Yarema Vyshnevetsky and Constantine Ostrozky had pretty big ones), often engaged in squabbles between each other which turned into local wars. They also often took away (by force) land from the less strong nobles. Those nobles would sometimes preach about oppression of the common man among the peasants, calling them to rebel, maybe summon some of their cossack buddies, and start a rebellion against a local magnate that wronged them. The clothes were not borrowed from the Tatars. Tatars, just like the Ruthenians, adopted them. And so did the Ottomans and many others. Later on developing their own, somewhat unique styles. I really like the Muscovite fashion and I'd say that it was even more "exotic" than the Ottoman one, which for a time served as a fashion inspiration in the region. The Eastern Europe, the Central Asia and the Middle East generally had many similarities in fashion since the Middle Ages, due to trade and many other things. During the times of the PLC, clothes such as kaftan, kontusz and zhupan, among many others, were worn all over those areas differing only by having a different name and a slightly different design. Fashion of the Ottoman Empire also influenced how the richer folk from the neighboring states(and even Western Europe) around it dressed. The cossacks didn't really wear anything that'd make them stand out in a city crowd. Hungarians, Greeks, Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, Muscovites, Balkan people, Turks, Tatars, Kurds and other folks shared many elements of their dress(especially the nobility) because of a shared cultural zone.
This is all quite accurate, conflating Cossackdom in the Don and in Ukraine is a mistake, since, for most of their histories they dealt with different issues and had different backgrounds. Within the study of Ukrainian Cossacks, looking solely at the Siches is also a mistake, as well as omitting the role of the nobility. The first known Cossack was a member of the Hlins'kyi noble family, the founder of the Zaporizhian Sich, 'Baida' Vyshnevets'kyi, was one of the largest landowners in Europe, and his family would go on to wear the Polish Crown after his nephews converted to Catholicism.
Very accurate comment. The author of the video really looks at the topic of Cossacks through the prism of Muscovites. Whereas Cossacks as a phenomenon are more characteristic of Rus (Ukraine). I agree with almost everything in your comment, except for the relationship between the Hetmanship and the Lower Zaporizhzhya Army.
Moscovites were tatars, actually, Many of them. And moscovite culture was different fro cossak (Ukrainian or Rus) culture. Otherwise, pretty interesting writing.
"We don't actually know when and how women were introduced to the Cossack communities" - no, we do. Women were always part of the Cossack communities because Cossack communities were founded not by "looters, freebooters, and escapees" emulating the nomadic way of life, but by actual sedentary Eastern Slavic peoples colonizing the riverbanks of the Pontic Steppes as early as 1250's. If you go even further back in time you could even notice that there were slavic tribes of the ancient Kievan Rus living partially in the steppes - Tyverians and Ulychi. In the historical sources, you can also find slavic peoples in the steppes performing other kinds of activities - trading in salt along the rivers (Chumaks), or helping nomadic armies cross rivers (Brodnici), or leaving their homes for a couple of months to fish and hunt along the riverbanks (Uchodniki). You may notice that rivers are far more important to Cossacks then the steppes, that's cause Cossacks were not nomads, they lived mostly in small settlements. Their way of life was more nomadic then their slavic cousins up in Kyiv, sure, but to liken them to pastoralist Tatars is a mistake. They mostly lived with Tatars in peace because both groups inhabited different parts of the steppes - Cossacks lived along the rivers to fish and hunt, and Tatars lived out in the grass fields to feed their herds. That's why on many maps, you will find some Cossack Host's administrative divisions (palankas) overlapping rather crudely the Tatar Khanate administrative divisions (ordas). The whole "looters, freebooters, frontiersmen, and escapees" narrative is an imperialist fabrication to justify conquering the lands owned by the Cossacks. Easters Slavic peoples lived there for many centuries before the first Cossack Host was founded, they just were not organized politically. There were, of course, many looters, freebooters, frontiersmen, and escapee serfs among the Cossacks, but even combined these groups were REALLY unlikely to have been the majority of the Cossack population at any given time. If you check the historical sources about who lived in the steppes and what they mostly did, you will notice a far more complex picture with far less banditry. As soon as the Zaporozhian Host was founded, though, we can speak of a semi-militarized decentralized Cossack state run by local soldiers elected from among the military-trained men. This state often clashed with various Tatar Khanates and the Ottomans, and otherwise served as a source of official Cossack mercenaries to whatever employer was willing to pay and share the loot (be they Christian or Muslim).
Не забувай, що навіть в нашій країні, немає настільки чіткого визначення. Ти хоч уявляєш скільки гуано, автори перелопатили? Я взагалі дивуюсь скільки чого хорошого було сказано із сторони. Не чіпляйся за окремі деталі, та подивись головну картину, яку показує це відео: воно розділяє кубаноїдів та запорожців, та в ньому навіть про війну згадали. А ти доїбався до питання про жінок?))
Very interesting. Must have been a very beautiful and free way of life there, tho as well full of danger. In the Jewish history Hamlinzki rebellion is remembered as a very cruel one, for it was not just the Catholic they went after, But all non Orthodox Christians
Who's being imperialist by talking about them like that, the poles, the tartars or the russians. They at least all seem to have agree on what they were as do historians today. The Tartars lead away hundreds of thousands into slavery, I doubt the area was able to defend itself prior to the Cossacks from people who sacked cities in Poland, Russia and even sacked Moscow itself. I would gladly be proven wrong if you could cite up to date scholarship countering those points.
Cossack hood is the example of East European mindset. Freedom is more important than anything. And everybody for himself. As long as there are Cossacks alive, there is hope for the free spirit of the East!
As a Western European, I always love learning more about the history of Eastern Europe ( although I love world history in general ) because it is sadly often overlooked in an academic sense when analyzing politics & history alike and fascinated me deeply due to its relatively close proximity to my own homeland.
It isnt overlooked, eastern europe was and is pretty insignificant. France alone for example has more importance in history than all slavic countries combined except perhaps for birth of communist states but it lasted only like 70 years.
@@autist4209 france has a lot of historical significance of course; it's the 2nd most historically significant country France is also bigger than every eastern european country bar one Russia, and russia is extremely significant, it is the most important nation of the last 100 years
@@autist4209 What an arrogant and dumb statement. French history may be important to the French and Western Europe. Everywhere else their role was marginal. Worldwide the Brits and Spanish had much more significant role than the French.
@@autist4209 franks were considered illiterate savages of a violent backwater for many centuries while the eastern Roman empire was the centre of the world. Times change. France became the centre of the world. Now it's crumbling but hopefully not forever.
It cant be done for now, there's too many politically unsettled grounds to produce historically accurate and theatrically quality series. I also hope some day to have such show created!
As a Serb who has in his own history many examples of such a lifestyle. These men lived in hard times, were shaped by hunger, fear and things us modern people will if God wills never again endure. This is why i always have a soft spot for such rebellious men who in spite of the world forge their own path.
Here in Slovakia we had Hajduks as "free spirited" people who were mostly pushed into such circumstances by others. They forged their life on military frontier. And now they are heros of our folk stories. I guess that is also true for Serbia? There were uskoks in Croatia as well as many others
@@miso689 Hajduks or Hajduci were in Croatia as well, they were living in mountains and they were confronting Ottoman Empire. Our most popular football club is Hajduk from Split.
Cossack here. That modern channels as always replayed sht like "equal rights" "democracy" among cossacks. In reality all was not like in soyboy modern society =)
@@vladimirthegreen6097 Even modern Slavs who i as part of them consider us weak and degenerated by western influence. We are levels above anything in the west. A woman must know her place the same as a man. Without both doing their equal part the household falls at the seams.
@@VojislavMoranic true. Man is lider in family and woman are safe housefire. And one more about cossacks. We are slavic people just look at the our dna. This thing like "everyone can be a cossacks, jew cossacks" and other nonsense is just modern view but suddenly not only from the west but from the Russia too
Those who want to hear more about raiding Constantinopole/Stambull (aka eastern slav tradition), read about Petro Konashevich Sahaidachnyi, zaporozhian hetman. Dude was fcking legend.
You a holes realize that raiding means killing innocents, right? Raping and pillaging, as the saying goes. Weaker enemies, escaping before a proper fight. Craven behaviour, from lesser people.
Nice and surprisingly long video! As somebody who actually has family ties to Cossacks (Refugees after the Russian Revolution and Members of the famous Cossack Choir) i found it beautifully animated and still informative.
I know it's an overview video, but the depiction of relations of cossacks in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was quite simplistic. The Khmelnitsky uprising itself would warrant a video itself or the enormous battle of Berestechko, which is considered to be among the biggest battles of 17th century. The rebellion was quite a turning point in history of Eastern Europe. One of the big what ifs of history of the region is if the Treaty of Hadiach actually came to fruition, it was supposed to create the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth in which Ruthenians would gain an autonomy in Kiev and Bratslav voievodships.
I have just found out that the Hadiach union actually technically functioned, albeit for only about 1,5 years. I honestly thought it was only a project without any sort of physical manifestation. Yet, the Ruthenian Chancellor was appointed, borders were defined and the state was being organized. Of course, it was never finalized and after the death of the chancellor Nemyrych (in a peasant rebellion suspected to be inspired by the Tsardom) and subsequent second Pereyaslav treaty, it all fell apart.
The so called Ukraine is nothing but a tool the West are using to impose the NWO on Russia and destroy the last vestiges of Christianity in Europe. Once Putin is dead, the so called Ukraine will be a German vassal state, the whole region will be flooded with Asian and African immigrants and cease to exist. Russians need to stick together against Western savagery.
@@JohnSmith-le5oe Boy, just because you don't give us peace of mind and make up a "western" threat doesn't mean it will. Millennia have been turbulent, and when we finally gained independence, now you are crazy as devils))
There is no Cossack ethnic group and never has been! Because the Cossack identity is the estate of the Russian society of the tsarist period of history before 1917 - in which the Communists abolished the division of Russian society into estates . Educational program: This video 100% bullshit, ignorant nonsense! The lies of people who have no idea about the texts of Russian chronicles, which indicate the date and reason for the founding of Cossack settlements on the southeastern border of ancient Russia with the steppe... Chronicle: 988, Prince Vladimir recruits the best warriors from various Slavic and Finnish tribes of Rus land and settles them on the southeastern border of Rus land with the steppe, establishing military border settlements to protect the borders of Rus land from constant raids by nomads from the steppe. In the next 10th century, the Polovtsians will come to the steppe on the border of Rus land, who will give the name to the settlements of this Russian border guard service. In the Polovtsian language, the border guard is a Cossack. See the dictionary of the Polovtsian language "Codex Cumanicus" of 1303, which was compiled by the Christian missionaries, in the dictionary the Polovtsian word Cossack - this is a vigilant guardian. I quote the original dictionary of translation of Polovtsian words into Latin: Cosac «vigil (guard)», «excubiae (on guard / patrol)» This is the oldest Russian border guard service, which absorbed many peoples of the Russian Empire, who inhabited the line of the southeastern border of Russia, starting from the Black Sea and further east all the way to the Amur River and the Sea of Japan. Therefore, the ethnic component of the Cossack class of Russia was as diverse as possible - similar to the foreign legion of France. Therefore, the Russian Cossack had many faces, ranging from blond with blue eyes to dark-eyed Turkic appearance or Caucasian appearance and literally Mongoloid appearance.
The timing of this video is unbelievable! Later this year, I'm publishing a book from c.19th Russian literature in which Cossacks (e.g. Black Sea cossacks) play a significant role. Also of interest are the other Caucasian tribes: Ossetians, Circassians, Nogai, Kakhetians, Tatar, Kabardians, Abreks, Chechen, Armenian, and the Shapsugs.
@@kimasius141 It is history I did not know. There is some thing that I observed in the USA that various parts of the country have a uniqueness that goes back to the original settlers and I saw the same thing in that part of the world.
Qazaq, the name that refers to majority nation in modern Kazakhstan, are the cumulative term for nomadic tribes of Mongolian as well as Turkic descent that inhabited vast lands of Eurasian steppe.
This is awesome! I've always found the Cossacks fascinating, but living in the U.S it seems they're often treated as something more like a quaint myth (with big hats and weird dances).
One of the literature piece that captures the tragedy of the Cossack during the end of the Tzarist regime and the civil war is "Tikhiy Don" or "And quiet flows the Don". It showcases how not only the Soviet but the civil war itself kills off the Cossack identity.
There is no Cossack ethnic group and never has been! Because the Cossack identity is the estate of the Russian society of the tsarist period of history before 1917 - in which the Communists abolished the division of Russian society into estates . Educational program: This video 100% bullshit, ignorant nonsense! The lies of people who have no idea about the texts of Russian chronicles, which indicate the date and reason for the founding of Cossack settlements on the southeastern border of ancient Russia with the steppe... Chronicle: 988, Prince Vladimir recruits the best warriors from various Slavic and Finnish tribes of Rus land and settles them on the southeastern border of Rus land with the steppe, establishing military border settlements to protect the borders of Rus land from constant raids by nomads from the steppe. In the next 10th century, the Polovtsians will come to the steppe on the border of Rus land, who will give the name to the settlements of this Russian border guard service. In the Polovtsian language, the border guard is a Cossack. See the dictionary of the Polovtsian language "Codex Cumanicus" of 1303, which was compiled by the Christian missionaries, in the dictionary the Polovtsian word Cossack - this is a vigilant guardian. I quote the original dictionary of translation of Polovtsian words into Latin: Cosac «vigil (guard)», «excubiae (on guard / patrol)»
Thank you for an excellent video, I learned a few things regrading Raisin, for example One point to add: when the Zaporozhska Sech was destroyed, some Cossacks went to Kuban, becoming Cossacks there, and some went to Ottoman Empire over Danube. There were also small Cossacks pockets in modern Kazakhstan (Vernyi now AlmaAty) and Far East (Ussuri Cossacks) IIRC. ----------------------- Fun fact (rumor?) about Khmelnitskiy - he was a Polish military (sotnik), and try to revenge Chaplinsky by law. He came before the Polish king but the king advised him to take the matter into his own hands. "Do you have a sword?Someone, give pan sotnik a sword!" Unfortunately Khemlintsky followed this advice but the result was not what the king would expect.
Yeah, it's a fact, not a rumor. Another important thing is that Chaplinsky's attack wasn't something very strange and shocking, because it was quite usual practice for the Polish nobles to attack settlements of their competitors. And there is quite a theory that passivity of Polish king was because he wanted to weaken Polish nobles and their power by the uprising, as king didn't have a lot of power in Poland.
@@danylo1724 Not only that, in 1648 Polish King wanted war with Ottomans, he dreamed about this war almost as crusade to retake Constantinopole, but he cant officially declared war with another state, so he wanted start war with Ottomans by Cossacks raids on Ottomans, sadly this backfire...
@@kosa9662 right, i forgot about that. Some contemporaries also blamed king in the sympathy to the Cossacks for the reasons above. And this quote about sword was not as an insult, but as a hint that Khmelnytsky can use his forces to revenge Chaplinsky. But it went out of control a little bit.
Slightly more than out of control. Nobody anticipated that things will turn against Rzeczypospolita so badly. One my might say that nobels and Vasa kings arrogance became another nail to the coffin in case of Cossacks, just before Deluge, with Moscow rising to power.
As a Turk, I both admire Cossacks and Turkic Kazaks(not Kazakhstan people today). I studied it, and I think Kazak word comes from Turkic kaz- ıv/ımak which means to shave hair with a knife or a razor. If you look at historical hair sytles of Mongols, Turks and also Cossacks you can see that they shaved most of their heads and left some parts long and sometimes braided.
your probably right. having a wild haircut seems to have been the rule! but its true much russian cossacks have turkicorigins and the ethnic hybrid goes back much further than the mongol invasion.. in the 10thcentury europeans already described a slavic-turkic hybrid of seminomadic traders that traded on the rivers as far as the volga bulgars and chuvash territory. they are dipicted as having a mix of slavic and turkic attire. these people were known to ply the rivers and intermix more with the nomads than their slavic cousins.. the fact that alot of russian vocabulary that predates the mongols has turkic origins makes it clear this sort of thing was constantly going on for a very longtime.. that and the hybridization between turkic nomads and indoeuropean seminomadic groups in the eurasian steppe that happed far in the past probably led to a continued exsistance of these seminomadic hybrid cultures
Only an armed man can be free. I am from Ukraine and I can add something about the Cossacks. The most important thing to understand is that the Cossacks differed from each other in customs and laws. The most canonical Cossacks are Zaporozhian Cossacks. Cossack associations can be compared with knightly orders, one knightly order differs from others in laws and orders. The Cossack fortress was a training camp, barracks, blacksmiths, military warehouses, it had everything to prepare for the war. Women were not allowed into the Cossack fortress. There were bazaars around the fortress, as well as craft shops and taverns. Merchants travel to fortresses knowing that there is a safe place to trade. For example, during the campaign, the Cossacks chose the hetman and he had full unconditional power, his word was law. But after the campaign, the Cossacks held a trial against Hetman and discussed his actions and decisions, and collectively decided by voting what to do with him. Many hetmans were sentenced to death because of their abuses or heavy losses during the war. The most dangerous position was considered by the Hetman, since more than half of them were sentenced to death, many Cossacks refused the position of Hetman, knowing that with unlimited power, responsibility would come later. There were three main types of punishment, exile, severe physical beatings and death. For example, if one Cossack caused the death of another person, the guilty person is tied up, thrown into a pit, and a coffin with the dead is placed on top of him and buried. Also, the Cossacks had freedom of religion, or rather, their area of religion was Orthodoxy, but at the same time there were many Muslims and Jews among the Cossacks. Basically, the Cossacks agreed that God is one, but different peoples give him different names and understand his teachings in different ways. Your faith was free, but here are the customs and orders you had to observe the habit for the Cossacks.
Запорожское казаки произошли от тюрьков язычников. На многих гербах восточной Европы много изображений голов казаков где ворон клюёт глаза отрубленной голове. Такой же герб в Молдавии у города Сороки.
@@АлександрМолчюн Запорожские Козаки это уже средина истории а не ее начало, это отдельная ветка, ваше заявление абсурдно, это как рассказывать историю рыцарских орденов на примере одного ордена.
Каким боком украинцы к запорожским казакам? В конце 18 века, всех запорожских казаков Екатерина II переселила на Кубань. Украинцы, - это потомки польских холопов. Расскажи лучше, как твои предки для польского шляхтича свиней пасли. В этом они знали толк.
Thank you! But i should give attention for two moments: 1. Left-Bank Hetmanate was effectively merged into imperial system after liquidation of leftbank regiments in 1781, which used to be not only military instituion, but also administration for particular territory 2. after destruction of Zaporozhian Sich in 1775, a lot of the cossack take ottoman protectorate and went to the Danube, where they created several so-called "Zadunayska Sich". In the 1828 most of them changed sides and return under the hand of russian emperor
I'm a pole, lived in poland my whole life, I knew about ,,Cossacks" for a while, but i had no idea who they were, i literally just knew the word ,,kozak" I only recently got into this whole topic because of history lessons. If I ever take a DNA test, my hope goes towards some percentage of cossack heritage. Those guys were something else man, so tough and badass. The eastern equivalent of gunslinger outlaws..
Some Cossacks migrated to Ottoman Lands in late 18. and 19. centuries. They were on opposition to the rulers of Russia. They came to Northwest Anatolia and they have been permited to establish a village in near of Manyas Lake.(today's Kocagöl Village) The village's old name was "Kazaklar" which means Cossacks. If you look at to 19. centuries etnich maps of Anatolia you can easly find them. My village is very close to their old village. In 1960's all of Cossacks went to another countries. They were earning money by fishing. Even in our village there were a fisher family. My grandfather(1934-2019) had told stories about a fisher man from only cossack family was in our village and the name of the man was "Dimitrie". And they were also migrated abroad. Great video. I hope there will be more videos about Black Sea Region and Ottoman History. Greeting feom Turkey to Ukrainan friends.
Interesting info! I know Kocagöl (my mother is from Kayaca village) but never knew it was originally a Cossack village. Thanks for sharing! Also the area around lake Manyas are quite interesting tbh. There are some villages who get their names from Oghuz tribes.
Wonderful documentary about one of the most fascinating and colorful peoples to grace our world. You've made some great content already, but this I think is your best so far. Thank you!
Fascinating look at various people groups that tend to get overlooked by most people and historians alike. Very well presented and thought out. This documentary is informative and doesn't bore you as others would. I enjoy documentaries like this and bravo to the channel creator. You sir have done a marvelous job in these histories. Thank you .
An amazing and beautiful video, greatly learnt from such a fascinating people and culture! The only thing I knew about the cossacks came from the Spanish expression for heavy drinking "to drink like a Cossack", and now I see why :D
These guys are like the Texas Rangers of the Eurasian steppe. Hilarious. Hard drinking, hard fighting mustachio’d free men who pacified fierce horse warriors, conquered the plains, and spat on tyrants.
7:00 I find it funny that the Tatars would complain to Muscovy about being raided. I mean, didn't they have a habit of themselves raiding Muscovy? I can't blame Muscovy for not being particularly sympathetic. Lol
The relationship between Moscow and tatars were strange. They were bloody enemies and relatives at the same time. And the cossaks were weapon of this relationship. It's known, that at the same time tcar send the letter to a tatar Khan, at the same time he sent guns and gunpowder to cossaks.
Ivan the Terrible descended from vassals of the Golden Horde. In fact, his namesake (Ivan I Moneybags) was reviled as a tax collector for the Tatars. It was only in his grandfather's time that Muscovy earned independence from the Horde. By the time of his rule it had been two generations since the large Tatar raids effectively stopped. The Crimean Khanate of his time was a semi-sedentary state which, yes, occasionally raided Muscovy, but from both states' point of view there was a legitimate reason for that. See, when Ivan III the Great (the Terrible's grandad) threw off the Tatar yoke, he understood fully well that while he could beat the Horde's armies on the field, he couldn't stop the Tatars if they resorted to their typical Mongol-style rampage against exposed Muscovite communities. So a form of "understanding" was reached. Muscovy would no longer pay the Mongol tax, nor provide tribute in slaves, but the Horde (and its descendants) were allowed to pretend they still extracted that tax from Muscovy. In practice the Horde (and its descendants) were tolerated a few raids into Muscovy territory each season but would be attacked if they made themselves a major nuisance. However, obviously the opposite kind of raid was not allowed (nor was Muscovy interested in doing so). So from the context of the Crimean Khan's POV his raids were justified as tax collecting expeditions and from Ivan's POV it was a small price to pay. After all, he had bigger fish to fry (like Novgorod). That's why the appearance of a chaotic third party like the Cossacks was a headache for BOTH major states.
Imagine if Mongol Khaans were bit more literate, visionary and tech savvy back than. They could have had guns made in china haha that would be wild, completely have changed the course of history lol
Казаки не были украинцами. Сами то себя они называли русскими людьми. Ну потому что государства Украины не было тогда )) Была Запорожская Сечь. Но в основном просто фронтир, окраина.
@@vadimnagano а источник не подскажешь? Что-то похожее читал на анекдот.ру , это он? Там же и про Украину им. Ленина, польский Львов и т.д. статьи видел. Неужели так сердце колит, от созерцания тысячелетней истории нашей культуры, языка, традиций, пока ваши в деревянных сараях на болотах жили?
Cossacks are only zaporozhski cossacks, free people, everything else (Don, Terek, Ural Cossacks) is a pathetic parody, mercenaries in the service of kings and tsars.
Awesome presentation sir. Very eye opening given the current situation between Ukraine & Russia. In my opinion understanding & learning from history is the key to a more peaceful and harmonious future for all.
Really like these more narrative driven documentary style viewers. I have watched your more analytical videos in the past and enjoyed them, but personally this is the kind of content i am going to subscribe for.
I can't wait to watch it and compare the knowledge of the foreign authors to those in polish history books! Ps. i can recommend some, but i guess you won't be able to read them though. EDIT: I've watched it, great job! Now some notes from me to supplement this video. You didnt mention, that the heart and the beginning of the cossack movement originated in Kiev Voivodeship one of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth provinces. In 1569 (Union of Lublin) when the region of Kiev was given by the Lithuania to the Kingdom of Poland, the newly created Kiev Voivodeship was a barren wasteland, scarcely populated and poor. In the XVII thanks to the settlement efforts of the Kingdom of Poland there was 500-550 thousand people living in it. And of course, the vast majority of people settled there was peasants, many of them indigenous ruthenians, but it was kind of a mix of subjects from all around the Kingdom of Poland and beyond, that where invited to inhabit those fertile lands. We have to remember that Polish Lithuenian Commonwealth had many cultural and ethnic subjects during that period, and we can't really think about modern understanding of nationality here. Anyway, i want to stress out that no matter their cultural and ethnic background, they where peasants just like in every other feudal monarchy of Europe in this period - they had to work the fields for their liege. So how did those people become excelent warriors, sailors, cunning, smart and very resourceful folk who could impregnate the strongest castles, strike fear in the hearts of Sultans and Kings alike? The Kiev Voivodeship was so far from the PLC main political, military and economic hubs, that even though they where subjects of the King of Poland, in the case of attack by the Muscovy, Tatars or the Sultan they had to defend their lands by themselves - before any PLC army could lend them their aid it could take months. So even though Kingdom of Poland pumped great amount of resourses, time and effort to make Kiev Voivodeship a prosperous and rich land, they had to care for the land by themself. Kingdom of Poland could afford it at that time, so you could simply say they gave the tools to the folk and left them to use them how they saw fit. And they used them well. This unprecedented event in the feudal Europe, this autonomy given to the simple folk was a gift, that the people later known as the Cossacks used to the fullest. This responsibility changed the simple farmers into the brave, tought and smart folk called the Cossacks. If only PLC could recognize those traits in those people they might have created Polish Cossack Lithuanian Commonwealth instead treating them as peasants after all they have achieved. It didn't happen and they eventually became PLC enemies - they doomed themselves by alliance with the Moscovy, they doomed PLC which had to fight them, Muscovy, Sultan, Tatar Hordes and Swedes at the same time and a chance for Poles Lithuanians and Cosacks to became the mightiest empire in the region was irretrievably lost. To this day Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are mediocre countries with little power, wealth and authority and the root of this evil is based in the events of XVI-VXII century.
Thanks for the video, Dniper and Don Cossacks are different. Originally Don cossacks were those who migrated from Dniper. But over time the difference became more vast. I feel that this video dismisses those differences and links the two groups into one. Zaporozhiyan cossacks had their own leadership and so did the don cossacks. In terms of the divisions Zaporozhiyan cossacks were split into left bank and right bank Ukraine, the Don ones had a very different hierarchy. Since they both came from similar backgrounds, they still did relate to one another, this relation is best illustrated in 1918 with Kuban supporting joining the Ukrainian National Republic for a brief period in time. Still referring to both groups as 'Cossacks', mixing up their traditions, history and achievements is dismissive and is jumping between Ukrainian and Russian history.
@@user-ms4cm4qf5j Very true, especially since they were fighting Ukrainian cossacks and had land disputes with Zaporizhyan cossacks. Don cossacks had been more of a military unit than a civil society that they had been in Ukraine, hence they had the name Don army. So it's very wrong for the video to claim that cossacks were 'democratic' as Ukrainian cossacks were democratic but not the Don cossacks were just an army unit.
@@Pravover Still, my point holds, Don and Zaporozhian cossacks are very different groups of people. This video is taking stories from one group and sticking them together - this doesn't make sense.
Easily some of your best work yet, and on one of my personal favorite historical topics. It certainly is difficult not to romanticise these intriguing frontiersmen.
Hey man just here after your most recent siege video and I love those but it's also fun when you make the one off vids about things you find interesting are good too. The passion bleeds through some of these You make me feel like a dilettante with the rigor of your research and enthusiasm lol.
If you are interested in this topic i recommend you the movie "With fire and sword" it is polish movie, about cossack uprising, but their motivations are shown very well too, of course it is adventure movie, based on fictional book, but it is really beautiful and historicaly precise in case of costumes, languages, etc. Big love for Ukraine!!!
@@anthonymazeppa I do not agree, Khmielnicky's reasons are shown very well and justified, when Skrzetuski was prisoner. It is tragic conflict, as well as Bohun's love story (he is favourite character for many Polish People lol). We have to remember, that it was not ethnic conflict, Wisniowiecki who is main leader, on the side of "Crown" was Rusin (Ukrainian) himself, cossacks fought on both sides of this war. But still, the movie did not say anything about what Cossacks from the Khmielnicky's side did to Jews, it was one of the biggest pogroms in the history of Europe. The story is not black and white, like eg. Russian movie "Taras Bulba", which is just pure romanticized bs. I like that "With fire and sword" shows brutality and honour on both sides.
@@arturhashmi6281it definitely depicts the Cossacks in a relatively negative way - just because it's a polish movie about the biggest cossack rebellion against them. But it's easy to ignore, most of it is just cossacks being generally depicted like an unwashed horde of drunkards, while the polish soldiers are professional and well dressed. It's a good movie though, as a ukrainian i like it a lot
42:40 Thanks for mentioning this event. From persoanl family history this was a major event. My great grandpa basically had to run away when he was 6 years old after his familly got massacred. Lived most of his childhood as an orphan in train stations and could nbot even remember his family name, so he basically came up with his own. 43:46 very true. Whenever you hear modern day "cossacks", these are all modern groups and are fundamentally larping. There is no continuity between old and modern "cossacks".
@@gustavosanches3454 Yeah, those people are considered clowns by pretty much everyone here in Russia. There is an ample reason for it - they LOVE to wear their fake medals and silly outfits, have an unhealthy obsession with bdsm-style whips and whipping in general as well as being delusional enough to think that they are some paramilitary organisation and not a complete and utter joke for everyone else. But hey, they are vocal supporters of the current regime, so they get the funding.
@@gustavosanches3454 And there are from 100 000- 1 million people that identify as furry. What people identify as doesn't matter. I can identify as a moon person. Doesn't make it so. Cossacks as a culture and a way of life aren't back. What you have today is basically dress up and militia's willing to work as overglorified policemen.
It's an attempted revival and like many doesn't really work very well outside of a context of developed into. On the other hand they have more kids than most Russians, are genuine in their confidence at least and are willing to put their money were their mouth is by fighting in proxy conflicts and backing up the regime in the hope of concessions. It's early day's yet but I'm sure they can carve out a new niche for themselves if given the time to. Given the current problems of Russia, repopulation is probably the effort they would be the most worthwhile in, if they could set up self-replicating functioning communities once again then then those could be transplanted like plant cuttings across large depopulated areas. Their religiosity, higher birth rates, loyalty to the central power and willingness to endure hardship to prove themselves would make them good candidates for such an effort, even better if they are partly self-autonomous like their processors so that success or failure is not reliant on weird bureaucratic nonsense but rather on evolutionary principals. It could also be the failsafe if Putin is unsuccessful in getting the mainstream birthrate back to sustainable levels. The legitimacy of claims is much less important than how they can be used.
Wow. What a find. Thank you for this enlightening documentary. Really well put together and engaging. And enhanced the little Cossack knowledge I had. Which was probably more romantic than real. 😀
Every time in History that a "noble" class were created, or defended, or propped up,...it led to MASSIVE suffering on BOTH sides of any any of the MANY battles ensuing!. Excellent Video SandRhoman!, very informative and well delivered and illustrated!, thank you!(new Sub by the way.) Some info(maybe Video?) on the Cossack(and formerly Mongol) Battle style(particularly the "Shooting from the Saddle" style tactics that were driven by some stunningly advanced communication with, and fearlessness from the Cossack's Horses,some info on how many Arrows they could fire, their accuracy, the Bow's characteristics( I believe a short(VERY powerful!) recurve, of Horn and different wood types, Similar to the Scythian bow?, but I am by no means certain!) Thank you again!.
Thanks for the Viking digression. A vik, or vík, using Old Norse, is a water inlet. This is where you launched the boats, or carried them over land to the next fjord or sea body. So you can clearly see the "verbification" done by the Old Norse. The -ing being the add-on part that all verbs get, both in modern and old Norwegian. "Seiling" for example, is sailing in English. Fisking is fishing. Some words split many hundred years ago but many retain the similarities, and especially the -ing ending. For example, they could had called going viking "going boating" or "båting" but it would be less descriptive of what their intents - trading and raiding - would be.
Great job with this! I know you couldn't cover everything, but perhaps you could revisit this subject with relation to the Cossacks' role as servants/enforcers of Imperial Russia. Both the highs (Napoleonic War) and the lows (pogroms). To what extent was this a natural evolution of the Cossack elites from earlier times who held back their poorer and younger counterparts, versus a more top-down policy of state control. Not to make Russia out to be the villain TOO much, though: even in the nineteenth century the memory of the Pugachev uprising was still very fresh.
It would also be interesting to go into how much Soviet propaganda and whig historiographical hostility (e.g. bias because they moved from a free people to subjects and enforcers of autocracy, counter to ideas around 'natural' progression of history once held by many historians) might have distorted views of the later Cossacks. The view of the role of both Cossack and Baltic German elites in the Russian Empire would also be interesting.
After Zaporozhian Sich(host) was liquidated by Muscovy, many kozaks with families exiled to Ottoman Empire, crossing Danube, where they created small Beyond Danube Sich(new host, ZaDunayska Sich). It's a host not because they didn't know how to build fortresses, but because any fortress can be BESIEGED, and this channel demonstrates it all in details. They chose a tactic of destroying enemy logistics from the start(even on foot w/o horses), it's better than sitting in a fortress and fighting best enemy units while starving. Ukrainian kozaks didn't even built cities, the basic is a hutor(hootor) - a settlement or a group of settlements that can provide basic unit of 100 kozaks named sotnia((a hundred, centuria)) with their commander - sotnik. And many other aspects. In the video about battle of Khotyn, polish commanders used ukrainian cossacs(Zaporozhia) completely WRONG. They didn't understand the concept probably, and sat in a fort while Ottomans conveyed repeated attacks. Usually in earlier times kozaks knew how to fight Ottomans(or others) in the best way. But in that situation they still were one of the main parts of the army. Such situations were often a problem of western commanders that could not allow that other commander would take initiative. Stefan the Great of Moldavia could lead any successful Crusade and Pope understood it, but Hungary's King could not allow this to happens. Also a shameful defeat of the last Crusade, battle at Nikopol(Danube, Bulgaria), when French knights were the reason of defeat even though they fought fearlessly.
Though not convinced by your final summing-up, your marshalling of research and your excellent narrative has convinced me of the need to subscribe to you. Terrific video! Thanks!
Wow, that was amazing. I remember that we talked in school about Cossacks. But that amount of detail is just amazing. This is amazingly interesting. Thank you for all the work you put into the video.
When I was a kid I saw the movie Taras Bulba in the theater. It made a lasting impression on me and was a very favorable portrayal of Cossack society. I later read the book it was based on.
Original cossack settlements were pretty much what enable them to very versatile particularly venturing into the dangerous steep, they had modern weapons and tactics, guns and are familiar with tartar tactics. And they are literally a military like expedition group consisting only of men, hence they are not bogged down with women and children making them vulnerable to tartar raids and attacks.
There was different cossack groups of different nationalities, but Zaporizian cossacks are mostly ukrainians, they just share common name with others as a sort of an armed force. Actually ukrainian cossacks are the most famous ones as they took part in history of most surounding states and couple important battles, some of them was Polish or Lithuanian nobility, barroque and romantisict autors has wrote a couple novels about them, they was THE ones who fought with Otaman Empire as they invaded steps and would take people into slavery from ukrainian villages, and cossack rebelions was hugely impacted the ethnic role as they were fighting for their religion and as an opposition to supression of rusyn people by Polish and Moskow empires, who actually was ancestors of ukrainians, before ukraine actually become a state, as it lands was occupied from medieval times. Zaporizhian cossaks actually tried to make ukrainian state in late XVII century but Russian Empire destroyed them, they become a symbol of ukrainian warrior and will to create a state already in XIX century when philosophy of nation become popular in europe. Yes, u was trying to tell us about common traits of cossacks, but also from your narrative people wont get that cossak wasnt just different ethnic group in whole place where they was formed, but actually they was just like vikings, they wasnt mixed army but in different lands they comes from they was warriors of ancestors of different nations like denmark or norway, but also cossacks in territory of ukraine was a lot different from cossacks in teritory of turkic lands, they just share common turkic name for themselves. The problem is just that u share the traits of all cossak to a specific cossack group or while speaking about specific group u say just "cossacks" without specification. Cossack is just a term. You can tell us about knights, thier lifes etc. without specifying but u cant say knights took Paris in 1600, without telling kingdom of their origin.
I love what you said at the end about history really being the study of change and using it to better understand our world today. I like to try use what I can take from learning about the past to enrich my life today in my own way. I feel my life enrichened when I learn old forgotten stories, songs, and crafts. Instead of wishing I was in olden times I bring olden times to me and use what I learn from the past to benefit the new. This was so great thankyou!
Incredibly good video, I loved it from beginning to end, incredible work I cannot praise enough. If I can add something, not as a criticism but as a supplement ; a good exemple of one of the last resurgence of the cossack free spirit and egalitarianism might be found during the Russian Civil War in which even tho many Cossacks joined the tsarists and other reactionary factions, a sizeable number of them joined with the Makhnovchtchina Anarchist Black Army in Ukraine, and Makhno even received the title of Ataman or Hetman, and lots of his cavalrymen wore the traditional Cossack clothes and used their sabers. As with the other Cossacks, those who didn't joined the red army fled or were killed. Anyway, thank you again for this awesome video, can't wait to see more!
Буденный родился на территории Войска Донского, по происхождению иногородний крестьянин, не казак. Немногочисленные банды красных казаков, например Миронова и Голубова закончили плохо. Существование казачьих частей в красной армии противоречило концепции уничтожения казачества, как сословия и этноса, а также их государственности.
I remember the Cossack dance from the Fable games. Remember that quest where this old guy promises you his daughters hand in marriage if you dress yourself up ridiculous, get a ugly haircut and weird tattoos and then he says he doesn't have a daughter and just wanted to see you dress like a clown and laughs at you *lol*
I live in Ukraine and we like descendents of the Cossacks, it's the reason why we stand for freedom and our motherland. The Cossacks letter to sultan remind me our attitude to all russian offers Slava Ukraine. Heroyam Slava
If anyone is interested in reading Cossack fiction, I'd recommend the pulp novels starring Khlit the Cossack by Harold Lamb. Despite being written between 1917-1926, they *really* hold up.
Most Cossacks where destroyed in Ukraine during the Catrine the 2nd, however there were some leftovers of the culture mainly left in Cuban. They weren’t free men anymore and were subjugated by Russia. The Cossacks that lived up-till the revolution were just families of privileged soldiers, that had little connection to Cossack culture, tradition, Ukrainian language, music, poetry, fighting style ets.
Bit of trivia about Oseledetz(the Cossack forelock)-it was designed as a trap for Tatars. Tatar raiders used capture people, by jumping off of their horses and grabbing their target by their hair and puling them down to the ground. Now imagine the target only has a tiny forelock sticking out? Now imagine it's actually oiled and your hand slips, while you're planting yourself into the ground, face burst, of off galloping horse.
nonsense. Oseledets has a very ancient origin, originally from the Khazars, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, and other nomads of the Black Sea region, long before the Golden Horde. Prince Svyatoslav, who lived in the tenth century, wore an oseledets, according to the testimony of the Byzantine historian Lev Deacon.
Cossack here born in Kazakhstan but raised in USA. Maybe that's why I love truck driving because I feel free when I am. My dad is a commercial bee keeper in the states as well.
"The *First* False Dmitri." Could you imagine if 4 people even claimed to be Dr. Phil, never mind somebody like a president, and the absolute shitshow that would ensue? Between that and the kiss-my-ass attitude of the Cossaks, this might be one of the most fucking hilarious periods of history I've heard of.
This should be taught in school. Unfortunately, to my teachers Europe ended at Russia and the only interesting countries were England, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece...
I recently discovered this channel and already watched 5 videos today. A great channel you have here, don´t mind if i watch it non stop for the next week
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Sikh empire please
Possibly the of your greatest video as of yet. definitely keep it coming. it really adds a lot to the (sometimes boring) history community on youtube.
Impressive video. You did well with this subject SandRhoman History.
Anyone notice how the political/demographic divide in Ukraine maps almost perfectly onto the old Cossack territory?
Great video, but one correction:
"Kozak" comes from Slavic (not only East Slavic, but also West one) "koza" - "a goat", because those were people living like goats, in the wild.
And Slavic "koza" has the same root as English words "cape" and "cap", and as Sansrkrit word "kaśya" - "a turtle" or "a shell" or "a cover made of leather"
[EDIT.] After watching this (and 10 000 other historical videos on YT) as a historian and a Slav I say: *Thank you!*
interesting that the cossacks were basically the pirates of the east, the cowboys of the east and the revolutionaries of the east all at once.
Epic comment
Who even needs rules?
@@Helleborre Cossacks, pirates, mercenaries - around 16 and 17 centuries those groups create their own systems of rules, including electing and removing their leaders (not rulers, mind you).
@@PobortzaPl not necessarily "rules" more like... guidelines.
well they were the PEOPLE of the steppes they were everything there
the "Wild East" moniker fits perfectly since the Soviets even made their own Wild West movies called "Osterns" or "Red Westerns" which had Cossacks, Turks, and Caucasians (as in from the Caucuses) people playing stereotypes and stock characters the same as America had cowboys, indians, miners/gold rushers, and railroad/cattle tycoons.
Any links to youtube uploads of good ones?
@@ThatHabsburgMapGuy I haven't seen any full movies myself except for clips. Heres a link to where there are some movies and explanation:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostern
@@arthas640 type in any search engine the best films about the Cossacks, preferably in Russian, and you will learn a lot of films, but very few of them have been translated into English, perhaps some have subtitles. not all Soviet "westerns" about Cossacks, there were also (parody westerns) A man from Kaputsinov Boulevard very popular in Russia.there is a Russian mini-series Ermak about a very famous Cossack who, with a small detachment, conquered the Siberian Khanate, his video author for some reason forgot to mention.
there is also a Polish TV series With Fire and Sword.
This is what I love about history. Things like this are bound to be neglected by time. Hopefully not with the proliferation of the internet. But imagine how many tidbits like this are lost to history or written out by the victor.
@@SamtheIrishexan what strikes me is the many similarities between early Cossacks and early Americans including common views of freedom and democracy and a shared sense of confidence and adventure.
Very nice. It ought to be noted the painting 18:47 took the artist, Ilya Repin, 10 years to paint (1880-1891) during which time Repin studied the Cossacks. It commemorates the Cossacks' writing the insulting letter to Ottoman Sultan. According to some historians, when Europe truly feared the advances of the Ottoman empire, the Cossacks dared to attack the Sultan at his capital, Constantinople. The sheer boldness of the Cossacks made them heroic throughout Europe (this is when multiple copies of the original letter were created) even the Roman Catholic Pope sent Cossacks a diplomatic envoy.
It's Ripyn.
Ripyn, not Repin
1. Ripa/Ripin, not Repin. 2. He himself is from the Cossack family
@@notGomekaKashtan як
@@6korn9 співпадіння століття
That honestly is a fantastic setting for an adventure story. I especially like how deep ships and horses are implemented into it
Maybe not your cup of tea, but you may check out Mount and Blade: With Fire and Swords. This is a sandbox game based on the novel, "With Fire and Sword", by Henryk Sienkiewicz, sets during the rise of the Cossacks.
You'd love Henryk Sienkiewicz's "With fire and Sword".
@@Rvoid You better be weaving a lot if you play that one tho. Either that or get used to watching the battle from on your back.
Wolf of the steppes by Harold Lamb are a wonderful series of adventure books ;)
@@unnaturalselection8330 "get used to watching the battle from on your back"
Either that, or git gud... ;-)
"weaving a lot"
Nope. The real life tactic of riding fast at an angle while shooting works better.
In polish, the word cosac (kozak) in slang is used to describe someone cool, daring and impressive. Similarly used to the word badass in english. Interesting how the awe of the cosacs freedom and bravery has remained in the culture and language of surounding coutries after so many houndreds of years
nie kozakuj.
You can now see the heritage. Our Cossacks stop russian tanks with bare hands. Glory to Ukraine
@@Dru4Dro Yes! and your dramatic and heroic defense of liberty and democracy can be traced directly to your past. Like most Americans, I was blithely unaware. This video adds immensely to my understanding of today's conflict. My heart is yours Ukraine; your fight is legendary! Glory and Strength to Ukraine! 🇺🇦🇺🇦
🖕🏻🇷🇺 !!!
@@bbadstdad4423 cossacks were not ukrainians bro. Just as vikings were not Swedish. It's a was a job. cossack as a word means bandit in Turkish language. cossacks were People who ran from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia, who ran away from strong hand of the law -> outlaws. Simply as that, they were of Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Ruthenian origin and lived as mercenaries.
@@lxdead5585 indeed, as there was no "ukraine," at least as we think of it today. interesting what the name means depending on regional perspectives. In Poland, "fool," Turkey," bandit," It's my understanding that among the Ukrainian's that DO indeed have ancestral and territorial roots there, a Cossack was someone roughly equivalent to the American Cowboy; part outlaw, but also part adventurer, fiercely independent, democratic, swashbuckling, and brave. There's bound to be at least some truth to that romanticized perspective of a Cossack held by sons of Cossacks, much as there would be some kernel of truth that shaped the perspective, and hence the meaning of "Cossack." by the sons of their age-old neighbors. It's all in the direction you're looking from.
finally, to be clear, neither Cossack nor Ukrainian are ethnicities but they ARE cultures, one built upon the other. these are views I hold after the limited "research" I've done on the subject. I'm definitely no expert but I am sticking with my assertion: Cossacks were not Ukrainian but Ukranians were once Cossacks. And from all accounts, they're damn proud of it.
Cossacks boats you've mentioned and called them Chaiki is just multiple for Chaika. And Chaika literally means a seagull.
Also I would like to add to this, Chaikas were used here on Balkans too in mid 1800's , and soldiers riding the chaikas wore the hats that in Serbia became culture symbol and our identity and we named the hat Шajkaчa/Sajkaca ( in our language the boat is called Шajka/Sajka).
Good job covering such a fractured topic in detail. I wouldn't have expected a full documentary video from you, but it's very welcome and appreciated!
One of the best historical descriptions/ to my knowledge / I have read in years.I know that to describe times and actions of people on the edge of stabilized societies, in parts which were ruled for three four centuries by
Mongols, Golden Horde, on north
bordering with raising Muscovy and other partially independent cities - duchies,on south by Crimean khanate / Ottoman influence still present /, on west
by still strong Polish- Lithuanian
Commonwealth/ in 15 - 16 century real superpower in this area way larger than France today and with no reliable /or.
missing / documents is monumental task ,but You did it.
If there is some tiny mistake
/ cca 27.15 min./ Commonwealth from the west , Muscovy from the
east ,not opposite as You state.And the name Bodan should be corrected as Bohdan which means given by God.BTW - in Ukrainian name Bohdan should be read with very sound " H ", in Russian as Bogdan / Russian language doesn't have " H ". It is always replaced by "G". So thank
You for Your video -it is excellent.
Hmmm.... a true definition of our human species indeed.. from rags-to-riches, thieves to laws and orders, from freedom to control, from rises to decline... hmmm.
The video is funny because the author talks about what he doesn't understand....
yep,thanks for this update. my great great great granddad ( estanislaus Don ), was from a group of Cossacks recruited by Maximillain to fight in the Mexican Revolution against Benito Juarez during the Mexican Revolution. Maximilian lost the war to Mexico and Don settled in Aguas Calientes, never to return to the Russian steppes. We are still a handful of Don's in Texas, thanks to our Ancestor Don.
The Cossack letter to the Sultan had me belly laughing and endeared them to me even more.
Made me remember the insults hurled at the English knights by the French in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Hilarious. The painting of the Cossacks, sitting around the table laughing and adding their personal tirades made it even better.
Yep, they basically to the Sultan: "F**k you and _Ch***a tu Madre!_ " 🤣🤣🤣
@@Altarahhn
The letter is not historical.
It’s was t the original reply
There's something Scottish about this letter :D
What an outstanding presentation of history! Thankyou very much for putting it together. My family emigrated from southern Ukraine in the early 1900's and I'm sure they had first hand experiences with these noble individuals.
Noble?? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣😂 noble 😅😅😄😁
@@NO_NAME_722at their time you had to be noble to have surname
I had no idea the Cossacks had such a vibrate and interesting history. Thank you for showcasing this to the world. Excellent video.
This guy completely excluded how the Cossacks were brutal Jew-murderers who erased entire ethnic groups from the map of Siberia to get their grubby hands on expensive furs. Such a 'vibrant" people indeed.
Who needs Caribbean when you got the steppe...Land pirates don’t!
@N Fels Land-captain Raven
what a nick :D Rabarbarzyńca
so wait... Putin still gets to be the butt pirate, right?
Even then they had sea pirates too.
wild west lore:
“omg gold!”
wild east lore:
*somebody that i used to know starts playing*
elaborate
fr
@@comradekenobi6908 meme
@@comradekenobi6908when something has complicated/conflated lore with crazy aspects/wild parts usually has this song playing while an edit depicting those plays
In Poland when we call someone Cossack we think that this person is daring, brave, but in reckless way. Usually it is connected with bothering and provoking someone who you should not bother, cause he is stronger than you.
Indeed, the word _"Kozaczyć"_ in Polish means a type of behavior characterized by a primitive form of aggressive or meaningless showing off....
@@cetus4449 Cossacks is ''free people''
@@vadymbohachevskiy582 No.
The word "Cossack" was first recorded in the Latin-Persian-Kipchak manuscript Codex Cumanicus, written in Kaffa in the late 13th century. It meant a guardian, a sentry. In 1308, "Cossacks" are also mentioned, but as robbers. In many Turkic languages, this word meant mercenaries, soldiers, steppe robbers, and more broadly - exiles, homeless people, bandits.
Cossacks were a typical category of loose people in the border zone between the Great Steppe and lands of agricultural cultures. Existing outside the legal sphere, in the wild they escorted caravans one day as retainers, the next day they attacked them as brigands.
r/madlad
@@cetus4449 r/cossacklad
I'm greatly happy you covered this topic and I think you did a very good job (as an introduction, that is).
There, of course, is a lot more that could be said about many things mentioned in this video. For example, if you are interested in learning more about the Tatar raids and the slavery in the region, I recommend a paper; _Slave hunting and slave redemption as a business enterprise: The northern Black Sea region in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries_ by Dariusz Kołodziejczak.
Thank you for that post Artur, I wish to learn more about Tartar/Mongol history and articles like the one you mentioned are just what I needed.
I'm planning to start a UA-cam channel and my first video will be about exactly that.
This is probably the best documentary on Cossacks!
My Grand Mother family were Cossacks! Respect!
Thank you!
I think you somewhat mix up the Don and the Zaporozian cossacks. There also were the so-called Burgher/City cossacks (Horodovi Kozaky) in the PLC. And they were the largest kind of Cossacks. They didn't belong to any host and most often either went to the steppes for the usual stuff or served as a hired muscle for some magnate. The registered cossacks were an alternative to serving in the PLC crown army or serving a magnate. They mostly consisted of the Orthodox Ruthenians and sometimes Jews and maybe Catholics. Just like with the crown army, the number of the registered cossacks was limited. By serving a magnate one could earn fairly big salary, but couldn't hope to get some land after service or pension. Both of these were guaranteed to those serving in the crown army or in the registered cossacks. The majority of people that joined the crown army or the registered Cossacks were the lesser or "medium" nobility. Most of the nobility in PLC were rather humble people, wealth-wise. Owning a house, some little land and maybe having 1-2 servants or none at all. There was also a rather big chunk of really poor szlachta - "holota" that would work as a hired muscle, servants or sometimes would even beg on the streets(szlachta brukowa/the street szchlata). Folks who went to the Zaporozian Host were mostly burghers, free peasants and the nobility. Not only from the PLC, but also to a lesser extent from the Crimean Khanate(after joining, Crimeans would convert to Orthodoxy and take up an Orthodox Christian name). For many, it was a way to quickly get rich, by joining the raiding expeditions against the Crimean Khanate or the High Porte.
Zaporozians were among the main allies(and after all the powerful Ruthenian houses became Poles by converting to Catholicism, Zaporozians became the most significant ones) and patrons of the Orthodox church in the PLC. "Cossacking" was generally a Ruthenian thing, not Lithuanian or Polish(although those did occasionally join as well). Hence it was dominated by the Ruthenian culture, language and faith. After the Union of Brest happened, the Zaporozians became pretty extreme and everyone that joined them had to become Orthodox. It's not uncommon for people that were found(or were highly suspected of) practicing another form of Christianity to be executed. Attacks on the Uniate clergy that attempted to convert Orthodox churches into Uniate ones or push Uniate Christianity onto population were also commonplace.
The serfs in the Zaporozian Cossack host probably existed, but they were not as common as it's often portrayed. There were even cases of feeling serfs being sent back to their masters by the Zaporozians. At least that's how it was until the 18th century. Before the 18th century, the Zaporozian host was mostly dominated by the lesser Orthodox nobility, free peasants and burghers. The higher strata of the Cossack society (starshyna), its ruling class, consisted mostly of the wealthy nobility and burghers. You'll have a hard time finding a single peasant or serf among the Hetmans, Otamans or officers. I'm not sure if there even exist any documented ones. But the majority of the Zaporozians were "holota" - nobles and commoners that were dirt poor. Officially, females were forbidden on Sich. When the winter came, the Cossacks usually went back to their homes, to cities or khutir.
During the 18th century, when the right-bank Ukraine came fully under control of the PLC again, that's when a large number of serfs from there started swarming to the Zaporozian Sich and an image of a poor free serf Cossack became a thing. Yet still, at those times, you won't find known serfs among the Sich's ruling class.
It should also be mentioned that the Hetmanate/Ukraine/Vis'ko Zaporozke and the Zaporozian Host are two different things. Kish otaman(also sometimes called a hetman) ruled in the Zaporozian Host, while a hetman ruled the Vis'ko Zaporozke. The Zaporozian Host existed as a sort of autonomy within the Vis'ko Zaporozke, having its own rulers, army and land. After the Hetmanate was established, a large part of the Zaporozian ruling strata went there and the Orthodox szlahlta almost completely merged with starshyna(there were those that preferred to stay as szlachta and retained their titles and rights; somewhere around 1200 families, if I remember right). In Vis'ko Zaporozke, de jure everyone was equal(de facto it was different; just like it was for szlachta in PLC) and the Cossacks generally were supposed to see each other as equals regardless of the background(obviously that's not the case and those of higher birth most likely looked down upon those of lower). The absolute majority of the nobility(szlachta) surrendered their noble rights and sort of became like the commoners(putting their genealogies and coats of arms in dusty storage chests till the day when the Russian Tsar would offer to turn all those Cossacks, and not only the starshyna ones, into nobles again; many even forged the documents proving their nobility, successfully acquiring a title). In the Hetmanate, every Cossack was supposed to be sort of like a szlachcic and considered himself as such. Duels and court cases because someone's "szlachcic honour" was offended were pretty common. The government and the society of the Hetmanate generally mirrored that of the PLC. But the serfdom was abolished and everyone enjoyed freedom. At least for a time. Slowly, but surely, starshyna was reinstalling it.
Vis'ko Zaporozke existed until 1782 (eventually turning into Little Russia Governorate) and the Zaporozian Sich until 1775.
Also, Czaplinsky didn't bully Khmelnitsky because he was a "Cossack". It was pretty commonplace for the PLC nobles, especially in Ukraine(during the 15-17th centuries), to raid other nobles. Just hire some horodovi kozaky and send them to beat up ass of another noble and take away his property.
Magnates, which had private armies (Yarema Vyshnevetsky and Constantine Ostrozky had pretty big ones), often engaged in squabbles between each other which turned into local wars. They also often took away (by force) land from the less strong nobles. Those nobles would sometimes preach about oppression of the common man among the peasants, calling them to rebel, maybe summon some of their cossack buddies, and start a rebellion against a local magnate that wronged them.
The clothes were not borrowed from the Tatars. Tatars, just like the Ruthenians, adopted them. And so did the Ottomans and many others. Later on developing their own, somewhat unique styles. I really like the Muscovite fashion and I'd say that it was even more "exotic" than the Ottoman one, which for a time served as a fashion inspiration in the region.
The Eastern Europe, the Central Asia and the Middle East generally had many similarities in fashion since the Middle Ages, due to trade and many other things.
During the times of the PLC, clothes such as kaftan, kontusz and zhupan, among many others, were worn all over those areas differing only by having a different name and a slightly different design. Fashion of the Ottoman Empire also influenced how the richer folk from the neighboring states(and even Western Europe) around it dressed. The cossacks didn't really wear anything that'd make them stand out in a city crowd. Hungarians, Greeks, Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, Muscovites, Balkan people, Turks, Tatars, Kurds and other folks shared many elements of their dress(especially the nobility) because of a shared cultural zone.
That is an excellent comment, one of the best ones I've read in a long time. Props to you!
This is all quite accurate, conflating Cossackdom in the Don and in Ukraine is a mistake, since, for most of their histories they dealt with different issues and had different backgrounds.
Within the study of Ukrainian Cossacks, looking solely at the Siches is also a mistake, as well as omitting the role of the nobility. The first known Cossack was a member of the Hlins'kyi noble family, the founder of the Zaporizhian Sich, 'Baida' Vyshnevets'kyi, was one of the largest landowners in Europe, and his family would go on to wear the Polish Crown after his nephews converted to Catholicism.
Very accurate comment. The author of the video really looks at the topic of Cossacks through the prism of Muscovites. Whereas Cossacks as a phenomenon are more characteristic of Rus (Ukraine). I agree with almost everything in your comment, except for the relationship between the Hetmanship and the Lower Zaporizhzhya Army.
Moscovites were tatars, actually, Many of them. And moscovite culture was different fro cossak (Ukrainian or Rus) culture. Otherwise, pretty interesting writing.
Ay yo, great comment! You definitely know a lot about history of that period and region. Cheers, druzhe!
"We don't actually know when and how women were introduced to the Cossack communities" - no, we do. Women were always part of the Cossack communities because Cossack communities were founded not by "looters, freebooters, and escapees" emulating the nomadic way of life, but by actual sedentary Eastern Slavic peoples colonizing the riverbanks of the Pontic Steppes as early as 1250's. If you go even further back in time you could even notice that there were slavic tribes of the ancient Kievan Rus living partially in the steppes - Tyverians and Ulychi.
In the historical sources, you can also find slavic peoples in the steppes performing other kinds of activities - trading in salt along the rivers (Chumaks), or helping nomadic armies cross rivers (Brodnici), or leaving their homes for a couple of months to fish and hunt along the riverbanks (Uchodniki). You may notice that rivers are far more important to Cossacks then the steppes, that's cause Cossacks were not nomads, they lived mostly in small settlements. Their way of life was more nomadic then their slavic cousins up in Kyiv, sure, but to liken them to pastoralist Tatars is a mistake.
They mostly lived with Tatars in peace because both groups inhabited different parts of the steppes - Cossacks lived along the rivers to fish and hunt, and Tatars lived out in the grass fields to feed their herds. That's why on many maps, you will find some Cossack Host's administrative divisions (palankas) overlapping rather crudely the Tatar Khanate administrative divisions (ordas).
The whole "looters, freebooters, frontiersmen, and escapees" narrative is an imperialist fabrication to justify conquering the lands owned by the Cossacks. Easters Slavic peoples lived there for many centuries before the first Cossack Host was founded, they just were not organized politically. There were, of course, many looters, freebooters, frontiersmen, and escapee serfs among the Cossacks, but even combined these groups were REALLY unlikely to have been the majority of the Cossack population at any given time. If you check the historical sources about who lived in the steppes and what they mostly did, you will notice a far more complex picture with far less banditry.
As soon as the Zaporozhian Host was founded, though, we can speak of a semi-militarized decentralized Cossack state run by local soldiers elected from among the military-trained men. This state often clashed with various Tatar Khanates and the Ottomans, and otherwise served as a source of official Cossack mercenaries to whatever employer was willing to pay and share the loot (be they Christian or Muslim).
Great stuff, bro.
Issue with those English language reports is that they miss allot of information because they do not understand the language
Never let the facts get in the way of a convenient story.
Не забувай, що навіть в нашій країні, немає настільки чіткого визначення. Ти хоч уявляєш скільки гуано, автори перелопатили? Я взагалі дивуюсь скільки чого хорошого було сказано із сторони. Не чіпляйся за окремі деталі, та подивись головну картину, яку показує це відео: воно розділяє кубаноїдів та запорожців, та в ньому навіть про війну згадали. А ти доїбався до питання про жінок?))
Very interesting. Must have been a very beautiful and free way of life there, tho as well full of danger.
In the Jewish history Hamlinzki rebellion is remembered as a very cruel one, for it was not just the Catholic they went after, But all non Orthodox Christians
Who's being imperialist by talking about them like that, the poles, the tartars or the russians. They at least all seem to have agree on what they were as do historians today. The Tartars lead away hundreds of thousands into slavery, I doubt the area was able to defend itself prior to the Cossacks from people who sacked cities in Poland, Russia and even sacked Moscow itself. I would gladly be proven wrong if you could cite up to date scholarship countering those points.
Proud to be one of the 4% of female viewers 😅
Girl? 🤤🤤🤤🤤😱😱😱😱🫵
@@chumpliver lol yes we exist
Ewwww, COOOOOTIES!!! 🤣
✌️🤭
Do you identify as one? Or are you the real deal?😊
@@borisblyumberg8603 real deal 100%
Woman can love history too!
Cossack hood is the example of East European mindset. Freedom is more important than anything. And everybody for himself. As long as there are Cossacks alive, there is hope for the free spirit of the East!
Wooord, brotha⚔
They were not libertarian though. They lived in a very democratic social society. You can call it democratic socialism.
As a Western European, I always love learning more about the history of Eastern Europe ( although I love world history in general ) because it is sadly often overlooked in an academic sense when analyzing politics & history alike and fascinated me deeply due to its relatively close proximity to my own homeland.
As a eastern European myself this is interesting history because it is not my part of eastern Europe
It isnt overlooked, eastern europe was and is pretty insignificant. France alone for example has more importance in history than all slavic countries combined except perhaps for birth of communist states but it lasted only like 70 years.
@@autist4209 france has a lot of historical significance of course; it's the 2nd most historically significant country
France is also bigger than every eastern european country bar one
Russia, and russia is extremely significant, it is the most important nation of the last 100 years
@@autist4209 What an arrogant and dumb statement. French history may be important to the French and Western Europe. Everywhere else their role was marginal. Worldwide the Brits and Spanish had much more significant role than the French.
@@autist4209 franks were considered illiterate savages of a violent backwater for many centuries while the eastern Roman empire was the centre of the world. Times change. France became the centre of the world. Now it's crumbling but hopefully not forever.
I'd love to see a high quality Cossack history show series
It cant be done for now, there's too many politically unsettled grounds to produce historically accurate and theatrically quality series. I also hope some day to have such show created!
As a Serb who has in his own history many examples of such a lifestyle.
These men lived in hard times, were shaped by hunger, fear and things us modern people will if God wills never again endure.
This is why i always have a soft spot for such rebellious men who in spite of the world forge their own path.
Here in Slovakia we had Hajduks as "free spirited" people who were mostly pushed into such circumstances by others. They forged their life on military frontier. And now they are heros of our folk stories. I guess that is also true for Serbia? There were uskoks in Croatia as well as many others
@@miso689 Hajduks or Hajduci were in Croatia as well, they were living in mountains and they were confronting Ottoman Empire. Our most popular football club is Hajduk from Split.
Cossack here. That modern channels as always replayed sht like "equal rights" "democracy" among cossacks. In reality all was not like in soyboy modern society =)
@@vladimirthegreen6097 Even modern Slavs who i as part of them consider us weak and degenerated by western influence.
We are levels above anything in the west.
A woman must know her place the same as a man.
Without both doing their equal part the household falls at the seams.
@@VojislavMoranic true. Man is lider in family and woman are safe housefire.
And one more about cossacks. We are slavic people just look at the our dna. This thing like "everyone can be a cossacks, jew cossacks" and other nonsense is just modern view but suddenly not only from the west but from the Russia too
Those who want to hear more about raiding Constantinopole/Stambull (aka eastern slav tradition), read about Petro Konashevich Sahaidachnyi, zaporozhian hetman. Dude was fcking legend.
He raided Moscow once as well :)
@@kopatelonline Free man raiding the nest of slaves.
You a holes realize that raiding means killing innocents, right? Raping and pillaging, as the saying goes. Weaker enemies, escaping before a proper fight. Craven behaviour, from lesser people.
Btw many russian nobilities were of Ukrainian (back then Zapporishian cossack) or partly of that origin.
The "Eastern frontier theme" gets full development in the conquest of Siberia by Cossack bands leaded by Ermak in 16th century.
Nice and surprisingly long video! As somebody who actually has family ties to Cossacks (Refugees after the Russian Revolution and Members of the famous Cossack Choir) i found it beautifully animated and still informative.
We share a common history! Don Cossacks? Relative George Roth Don Cossack Choir. Olgenfeld and Rhuental cossack host villages near Rostov.
I know it's an overview video, but the depiction of relations of cossacks in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was quite simplistic. The Khmelnitsky uprising itself would warrant a video itself or the enormous battle of Berestechko, which is considered to be among the biggest battles of 17th century. The rebellion was quite a turning point in history of Eastern Europe. One of the big what ifs of history of the region is if the Treaty of Hadiach actually came to fruition, it was supposed to create the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth in which Ruthenians would gain an autonomy in Kiev and Bratslav voievodships.
This was basically a historic precontext to a creation of future ukrainian national identity and statehood separate from Poland or Russia.
I have just found out that the Hadiach union actually technically functioned, albeit for only about 1,5 years. I honestly thought it was only a project without any sort of physical manifestation. Yet, the Ruthenian Chancellor was appointed, borders were defined and the state was being organized. Of course, it was never finalized and after the death of the chancellor Nemyrych (in a peasant rebellion suspected to be inspired by the Tsardom) and subsequent second Pereyaslav treaty, it all fell apart.
The so called Ukraine is nothing but a tool the West are using to impose the NWO on Russia and destroy the last vestiges of Christianity in Europe.
Once Putin is dead, the so called Ukraine will be a German vassal state, the whole region will be flooded with Asian and African immigrants and cease to exist.
Russians need to stick together against Western savagery.
Yeah it’s cool stuff, I hope he goes deeper into it and makes some videos in his usual style covering the uprising and subsequent events
@@JohnSmith-le5oe Boy, just because you don't give us peace of mind and make up a "western" threat doesn't mean it will. Millennia have been turbulent, and when we finally gained independence, now you are crazy as devils))
Wow, excellent movie about Cossacks history, thank you very much.
There is no Cossack ethnic group and never has been! Because the Cossack identity is the estate of the Russian society of the tsarist period of history before 1917 - in which the Communists abolished the division of Russian society into estates . Educational program: This video 100% bullshit, ignorant nonsense! The lies of people who have no idea about the texts of Russian chronicles, which indicate the date and reason for the founding of Cossack settlements on the southeastern border of ancient Russia with the steppe... Chronicle: 988, Prince Vladimir recruits the best warriors from various Slavic and Finnish tribes of Rus land and settles them on the southeastern border of Rus land with the steppe, establishing military border settlements to protect the borders of Rus land from constant raids by nomads from the steppe. In the next 10th century, the Polovtsians will come to the steppe on the border of Rus land, who will give the name to the settlements of this Russian border guard service. In the Polovtsian language, the border guard is a Cossack. See the dictionary of the Polovtsian language "Codex Cumanicus" of 1303, which was compiled by the Christian missionaries, in the dictionary the Polovtsian word Cossack - this is a vigilant guardian. I quote the original dictionary of translation of Polovtsian words into Latin: Cosac «vigil (guard)», «excubiae (on guard / patrol)» This is the oldest Russian border guard service, which absorbed many peoples of the Russian Empire, who inhabited the line of the southeastern border of Russia, starting from the Black Sea and further east all the way to the Amur River and the Sea of Japan. Therefore, the ethnic component of the Cossack class of Russia was as diverse as possible - similar to the foreign legion of France. Therefore, the Russian Cossack had many faces, ranging from blond with blue eyes to dark-eyed Turkic appearance or Caucasian appearance and literally Mongoloid appearance.
The timing of this video is unbelievable!
Later this year, I'm publishing a book from c.19th Russian literature in which Cossacks (e.g. Black Sea cossacks) play a significant role. Also of interest are the other Caucasian tribes: Ossetians, Circassians, Nogai, Kakhetians, Tatar, Kabardians, Abreks, Chechen, Armenian, and the Shapsugs.
Cool man!
Yep! Interesting indeed!
What's the name of the book so I can buy it when it comes out.
Hope your launch goes well!
I hope in your book you don't call Govgl with “Taras Bulba” a Russian author?
As Ukrainian im really glad to see this topic revealed with such details, really enjoyed by your video, thank you very much
It gave me some understanding of what is happening to day, some people just think that they have some sort of right to run the world.
@@stephenodell9688 what do you mean?
as a russian i feel the same
@@kimasius141 It is history I did not know. There is some thing that I observed in the USA that various parts of the country have a uniqueness that goes back to the original settlers and I saw the same thing in that part of the world.
Are too many cossack live in ukrain today?
Qazaq, the name that refers to majority nation in modern Kazakhstan, are the cumulative term for nomadic tribes of Mongolian as well as Turkic descent that inhabited vast lands of Eurasian steppe.
This is awesome! I've always found the Cossacks fascinating, but living in the U.S it seems they're often treated as something more like a quaint myth (with big hats and weird dances).
They were russian cowboys
@@tedarcher9120 Ukrainian *
@@Slouworker at that time there weren't yet ukrainians, only southern and northern dialects of old-russian
@@tedarcher9120 More Moscovite propaganda.
@@somewhere6 Nah, the majority of them were orthodox Ruthenians. I think that's the best and most impartial classification.
I have learned so much about Cossacks because of this video. Also, that transition to an advert for Manscaped was very smooth.
One of the literature piece that captures the tragedy of the Cossack during the end of the Tzarist regime and the civil war is "Tikhiy Don" or "And quiet flows the Don". It showcases how not only the Soviet but the civil war itself kills off the Cossack identity.
There is no Cossack ethnic group and never has been! Because the Cossack identity is the estate of the Russian society of the tsarist period of history before 1917 - in which the Communists abolished the division of Russian society into estates . Educational program: This video 100% bullshit, ignorant nonsense! The lies of people who have no idea about the texts of Russian chronicles, which indicate the date and reason for the founding of Cossack settlements on the southeastern border of ancient Russia with the steppe... Chronicle: 988, Prince Vladimir recruits the best warriors from various Slavic and Finnish tribes of Rus land and settles them on the southeastern border of Rus land with the steppe, establishing military border settlements to protect the borders of Rus land from constant raids by nomads from the steppe. In the next 10th century, the Polovtsians will come to the steppe on the border of Rus land, who will give the name to the settlements of this Russian border guard service. In the Polovtsian language, the border guard is a Cossack. See the dictionary of the Polovtsian language "Codex Cumanicus" of 1303, which was compiled by the Christian missionaries, in the dictionary the Polovtsian word Cossack - this is a vigilant guardian. I quote the original dictionary of translation of Polovtsian words into Latin: Cosac «vigil (guard)», «excubiae (on guard / patrol)»
Thank you for an excellent video, I learned a few things regrading Raisin, for example One point to add: when the Zaporozhska Sech was destroyed, some Cossacks went to Kuban, becoming Cossacks there, and some went to Ottoman Empire over Danube. There were also small Cossacks pockets in modern Kazakhstan (Vernyi now AlmaAty) and Far East (Ussuri Cossacks) IIRC.
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Fun fact (rumor?) about Khmelnitskiy - he was a Polish military (sotnik), and try to revenge Chaplinsky by law. He came before the Polish king but the king advised him to take the matter into his own hands. "Do you have a sword?Someone, give pan sotnik a sword!"
Unfortunately Khemlintsky followed this advice but the result was not what the king would expect.
Yeah, it's a fact, not a rumor. Another important thing is that Chaplinsky's attack wasn't something very strange and shocking, because it was quite usual practice for the Polish nobles to attack settlements of their competitors. And there is quite a theory that passivity of Polish king was because he wanted to weaken Polish nobles and their power by the uprising, as king didn't have a lot of power in Poland.
@@danylo1724 Thanks for the confirmation, I was not sure
@@danylo1724 Not only that, in 1648 Polish King wanted war with Ottomans, he dreamed about this war almost as crusade to retake Constantinopole, but he cant officially declared war with another state, so he wanted start war with Ottomans by Cossacks raids on Ottomans, sadly this backfire...
@@kosa9662 right, i forgot about that. Some contemporaries also blamed king in the sympathy to the Cossacks for the reasons above. And this quote about sword was not as an insult, but as a hint that Khmelnytsky can use his forces to revenge Chaplinsky. But it went out of control a little bit.
Slightly more than out of control. Nobody anticipated that things will turn against Rzeczypospolita so badly. One my might say that nobels and Vasa kings arrogance became another nail to the coffin in case of Cossacks, just before Deluge, with Moscow rising to power.
As a Turk, I both admire Cossacks and Turkic Kazaks(not Kazakhstan people today). I studied it, and I think Kazak word comes from Turkic kaz- ıv/ımak which means to shave hair with a knife or a razor. If you look at historical hair sytles of Mongols, Turks and also Cossacks you can see that they shaved most of their heads and left some parts long and sometimes braided.
your probably right. having a wild haircut seems to have been the rule! but its true much russian cossacks have turkicorigins and the ethnic hybrid goes back much further than the mongol invasion.. in the 10thcentury europeans already described a slavic-turkic hybrid of seminomadic traders that traded on the rivers as far as the volga bulgars and chuvash territory. they are dipicted as having a mix of slavic and turkic attire. these people were known to ply the rivers and intermix more with the nomads than their slavic cousins.. the fact that alot of russian vocabulary that predates the mongols has turkic origins makes it clear this sort of thing was constantly going on for a very longtime.. that and the hybridization between turkic nomads and indoeuropean seminomadic groups in the eurasian steppe that happed far in the past probably led to a continued exsistance of these seminomadic hybrid cultures
They are lying. Kazaks were Turks. There are a lot of evidence. Even Ukrainean historian say this.
Cossacks is Slavic people
@@TheMadara05 it is propaganda
@@TheMadara05 Indeed they are, do not feel like you need to support this fact. They talk nonsense.
Only an armed man can be free. I am from Ukraine and I can add something about the Cossacks. The most important thing to understand is that the Cossacks differed from each other in customs and laws. The most canonical Cossacks are Zaporozhian Cossacks. Cossack associations can be compared with knightly orders, one knightly order differs from others in laws and orders.
The Cossack fortress was a training camp, barracks, blacksmiths, military warehouses, it had everything to prepare for the war. Women were not allowed into the Cossack fortress. There were bazaars around the fortress, as well as craft shops and taverns. Merchants travel to fortresses knowing that there is a safe place to trade. For example, during the campaign, the Cossacks chose the hetman and he had full unconditional power, his word was law. But after the campaign, the Cossacks held a trial against Hetman and discussed his actions and decisions, and collectively decided by voting what to do with him. Many hetmans were sentenced to death because of their abuses or heavy losses during the war. The most dangerous position was considered by the Hetman, since more than half of them were sentenced to death, many Cossacks refused the position of Hetman, knowing that with unlimited power, responsibility would come later.
There were three main types of punishment, exile, severe physical beatings and death. For example, if one Cossack caused the death of another person, the guilty person is tied up, thrown into a pit, and a coffin with the dead is placed on top of him and buried.
Also, the Cossacks had freedom of religion, or rather, their area of religion was Orthodoxy, but at the same time there were many Muslims and Jews among the Cossacks. Basically, the Cossacks agreed that God is one, but different peoples give him different names and understand his teachings in different ways. Your faith was free, but here are the customs and orders you had to observe the habit for the Cossacks.
Запорожское казаки произошли от тюрьков язычников. На многих гербах восточной Европы много изображений голов казаков где ворон клюёт глаза отрубленной голове. Такой же герб в Молдавии у города Сороки.
@@АлександрМолчюн Запорожские Козаки это уже средина истории а не ее начало, это отдельная ветка, ваше заявление абсурдно, это как рассказывать историю рыцарских орденов на примере одного ордена.
Ukrainian cossacks!
@@vladkudrya9615 Какие рыцарские ордена вы шо казаки это большие банды головорезов.
Каким боком украинцы к запорожским казакам? В конце 18 века, всех запорожских казаков Екатерина II переселила на Кубань. Украинцы, - это потомки польских холопов. Расскажи лучше, как твои предки для польского шляхтича свиней пасли. В этом они знали толк.
Thank you!
But i should give attention for two moments:
1. Left-Bank Hetmanate was effectively merged into imperial system after liquidation of leftbank regiments in 1781, which used to be not only military instituion, but also administration for particular territory
2. after destruction of Zaporozhian Sich in 1775, a lot of the cossack take ottoman protectorate and went to the Danube, where they created several so-called "Zadunayska Sich". In the 1828 most of them changed sides and return under the hand of russian emperor
Was interesting to watch it here in Ukraine. A lot of stuff was left out and images of Don and Zaporizhya cossacks confused but overall good job👍
Confused very much he should learn little bit more
I'm a pole, lived in poland my whole life, I knew about ,,Cossacks" for a while, but i had no idea who they were, i literally just knew the word ,,kozak"
I only recently got into this whole topic because of history lessons.
If I ever take a DNA test, my hope goes towards some percentage of cossack heritage.
Those guys were something else man, so tough and badass. The eastern equivalent of gunslinger outlaws..
Some Cossacks migrated to Ottoman Lands in late 18. and 19. centuries. They were on opposition to the rulers of Russia. They came to Northwest Anatolia and they have been permited to establish a village in near of Manyas Lake.(today's Kocagöl Village) The village's old name was "Kazaklar" which means Cossacks. If you look at to 19. centuries etnich maps of Anatolia you can easly find them. My village is very close to their old village. In 1960's all of Cossacks went to another countries. They were earning money by fishing. Even in our village there were a fisher family. My grandfather(1934-2019) had told stories about a fisher man from only cossack family was in our village and the name of the man was "Dimitrie". And they were also migrated abroad. Great video. I hope there will be more videos about Black Sea Region and Ottoman History. Greeting feom Turkey to Ukrainan friends.
Interesting info! I know Kocagöl (my mother is from Kayaca village) but never knew it was originally a Cossack village. Thanks for sharing!
Also the area around lake Manyas are quite interesting tbh. There are some villages who get their names from Oghuz tribes.
@@cankutbuyuketi4065 Salur öyle de Kızıksa'nın asıl ismi Kızılkilsie'dir.
Yanlış hatırlamıyorsam Çepni köyü de vardı.
@@cankutbuyuketi4065 çok doğru
@@cloneeja interestingly the name Cossack comes from the Kazak, Turkic kaz- ıv/ımak meaning "free peoples"
Wonderful documentary about one of the most fascinating and colorful peoples to grace our world. You've made some great content already, but this I think is your best so far. Thank you!
Fascinating look at various people groups that tend to get overlooked by most people and historians alike. Very well presented and thought out. This documentary is informative and doesn't bore you as others would. I enjoy documentaries like this and bravo to the channel creator. You sir have done a marvelous job in these histories. Thank you .
An amazing and beautiful video, greatly learnt from such a fascinating people and culture! The only thing I knew about the cossacks came from the Spanish expression for heavy drinking "to drink like a Cossack", and now I see why :D
One of the best videos about Cossack history, more people should know their story
These guys are like the Texas Rangers of the Eurasian steppe. Hilarious. Hard drinking, hard fighting mustachio’d free men who pacified fierce horse warriors, conquered the plains, and spat on tyrants.
7:00 I find it funny that the Tatars would complain to Muscovy about being raided. I mean, didn't they have a habit of themselves raiding Muscovy? I can't blame Muscovy for not being particularly sympathetic. Lol
The relationship between Moscow and tatars were strange. They were bloody enemies and relatives at the same time. And the cossaks were weapon of this relationship. It's known, that at the same time tcar send the letter to a tatar Khan, at the same time he sent guns and gunpowder to cossaks.
@@Tonyx.yt. im sure that's a universal trait lol
Ivan the Terrible descended from vassals of the Golden Horde. In fact, his namesake (Ivan I Moneybags) was reviled as a tax collector for the Tatars. It was only in his grandfather's time that Muscovy earned independence from the Horde. By the time of his rule it had been two generations since the large Tatar raids effectively stopped. The Crimean Khanate of his time was a semi-sedentary state which, yes, occasionally raided Muscovy, but from both states' point of view there was a legitimate reason for that. See, when Ivan III the Great (the Terrible's grandad) threw off the Tatar yoke, he understood fully well that while he could beat the Horde's armies on the field, he couldn't stop the Tatars if they resorted to their typical Mongol-style rampage against exposed Muscovite communities. So a form of "understanding" was reached. Muscovy would no longer pay the Mongol tax, nor provide tribute in slaves, but the Horde (and its descendants) were allowed to pretend they still extracted that tax from Muscovy. In practice the Horde (and its descendants) were tolerated a few raids into Muscovy territory each season but would be attacked if they made themselves a major nuisance. However, obviously the opposite kind of raid was not allowed (nor was Muscovy interested in doing so).
So from the context of the Crimean Khan's POV his raids were justified as tax collecting expeditions and from Ivan's POV it was a small price to pay. After all, he had bigger fish to fry (like Novgorod). That's why the appearance of a chaotic third party like the Cossacks was a headache for BOTH major states.
The Moscow tsar was a vassal of the Crimean khan until 1700, and paid tribute to him ...
Imagine if Mongol Khaans were bit more literate, visionary and tech savvy back than. They could have had guns made in china haha that would be wild, completely have changed the course of history lol
Okay this was unexpected. As a Ukrainian, thank you for this topic
В видео нет ни одного упоминания Украины. За что ты его благодаришь?
@@whalekiller если б это видео было о Московском царстве, а коммент был бы от русского человека, ты б тоже ему это написал?
Казаки не были украинцами. Сами то себя они называли русскими людьми. Ну потому что государства Украины не было тогда )) Была Запорожская Сечь. Но в основном просто фронтир, окраина.
@@vadimnagano а источник не подскажешь? Что-то похожее читал на анекдот.ру , это он? Там же и про Украину им. Ленина, польский Львов и т.д. статьи видел.
Неужели так сердце колит, от созерцания тысячелетней истории нашей культуры, языка, традиций, пока ваши в деревянных сараях на болотах жили?
Ukrainian? What is that? A Russian by another name.
This is such a great video thanks for making this, the Cossacks are something i was really interested about so i learned a lot!
The Cossack (by Tolstoy) is one of my favourite pieces of literature, there was also a famous Royal Navy destroyer in WW2 called 'HMS Cossack'
Cossacks are only zaporozhski cossacks, free people, everything else (Don, Terek, Ural Cossacks) is a pathetic parody, mercenaries in the service of kings and tsars.
Tolstoy's book is about Kuban cossack, it is not the same thing, but word cossack is not coincidence, anyway author of the video did not know that
"I have my orders"
@@nekatsap7 i watched Taras Bulba with Yul Brynner sooo much as a kid. Zaphorozhski!
@@nekatsap7 lmao salty Ukrainians detected
Always been very curious of this history, feel like it doesn't get mentioned enough great work as always
This reminds me of Olgierd Von Everec's band of bandits from the Witcher 3. His position was also called the "Ataman" of the group.
Yes, very similar folklore
Oh yes! Been waiting for this ever since the cliffhanger at the end of your last video!
Awesome presentation sir. Very eye opening given the current situation between Ukraine & Russia. In my opinion understanding & learning from history is the key to a more peaceful and harmonious future for all.
I have very interested in the Cossacks history for sometime. This gives a nice starting point. Thanks
Really like these more narrative driven documentary style viewers. I have watched your more analytical videos in the past and enjoyed them, but personally this is the kind of content i am going to subscribe for.
Love the work, narration, animation and details, always on point
The final reflexion was a nice touch, even more for the current events
Amazing maps and story-telling. I am obsessed with all Steppe warriors.
You are very quickly becoming my favorite history channel, good work my dude I love the topics you keep covering
I can't wait to watch it and compare the knowledge of the foreign authors to those in polish history books! Ps. i can recommend some, but i guess you won't be able to read them though. EDIT: I've watched it, great job! Now some notes from me to supplement this video. You didnt mention, that the heart and the beginning of the cossack movement originated in Kiev Voivodeship one of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth provinces. In 1569 (Union of Lublin) when the region of Kiev was given by the Lithuania to the Kingdom of Poland, the newly created Kiev Voivodeship was a barren wasteland, scarcely populated and poor. In the XVII thanks to the settlement efforts of the Kingdom of Poland there was 500-550 thousand people living in it. And of course, the vast majority of people settled there was peasants, many of them indigenous ruthenians, but it was kind of a mix of subjects from all around the Kingdom of Poland and beyond, that where invited to inhabit those fertile lands. We have to remember that Polish Lithuenian Commonwealth had many cultural and ethnic subjects during that period, and we can't really think about modern understanding of nationality here. Anyway, i want to stress out that no matter their cultural and ethnic background, they where peasants just like in every other feudal monarchy of Europe in this period - they had to work the fields for their liege. So how did those people become excelent warriors, sailors, cunning, smart and very resourceful folk who could impregnate the strongest castles, strike fear in the hearts of Sultans and Kings alike? The Kiev Voivodeship was so far from the PLC main political, military and economic hubs, that even though they where subjects of the King of Poland, in the case of attack by the Muscovy, Tatars or the Sultan they had to defend their lands by themselves - before any PLC army could lend them their aid it could take months. So even though Kingdom of Poland pumped great amount of resourses, time and effort to make Kiev Voivodeship a prosperous and rich land, they had to care for the land by themself. Kingdom of Poland could afford it at that time, so you could simply say they gave the tools to the folk and left them to use them how they saw fit. And they used them well. This unprecedented event in the feudal Europe, this autonomy given to the simple folk was a gift, that the people later known as the Cossacks used to the fullest. This responsibility changed the simple farmers into the brave, tought and smart folk called the Cossacks. If only PLC could recognize those traits in those people they might have created Polish Cossack Lithuanian Commonwealth instead treating them as peasants after all they have achieved. It didn't happen and they eventually became PLC enemies - they doomed themselves by alliance with the Moscovy, they doomed PLC which had to fight them, Muscovy, Sultan, Tatar Hordes and Swedes at the same time and a chance for Poles Lithuanians and Cosacks to became the mightiest empire in the region was irretrievably lost. To this day Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are mediocre countries with little power, wealth and authority and the root of this evil is based in the events of XVI-VXII century.
It’s crazy to think that we were doing the same thing over here in the frontier…even down to the beaver fur trade.
Thanks for the video, Dniper and Don Cossacks are different. Originally Don cossacks were those who migrated from Dniper. But over time the difference became more vast. I feel that this video dismisses those differences and links the two groups into one. Zaporozhiyan cossacks had their own leadership and so did the don cossacks. In terms of the divisions Zaporozhiyan cossacks were split into left bank and right bank Ukraine, the Don ones had a very different hierarchy. Since they both came from similar backgrounds, they still did relate to one another, this relation is best illustrated in 1918 with Kuban supporting joining the Ukrainian National Republic for a brief period in time. Still referring to both groups as 'Cossacks', mixing up their traditions, history and achievements is dismissive and is jumping between Ukrainian and Russian history.
Those who call themselves Don Cossacks have similar with Ukraine only a name .
And that is debatable. Because the Ukrainian state we called the Getmanat.
@@user-ms4cm4qf5j Very true, especially since they were fighting Ukrainian cossacks and had land disputes with Zaporizhyan cossacks. Don cossacks had been more of a military unit than a civil society that they had been in Ukraine, hence they had the name Don army. So it's very wrong for the video to claim that cossacks were 'democratic' as Ukrainian cossacks were democratic but not the Don cossacks were just an army unit.
@@marjan7102 "Originally Don cossacks were those who migrated from Dniper." No! Absolutely not! You are messing Don cossacks with Kuban cossacks.
@@Pravover Still, my point holds, Don and Zaporozhian cossacks are very different groups of people. This video is taking stories from one group and sticking them together - this doesn't make sense.
Easily some of your best work yet, and on one of my personal favorite historical topics. It certainly is difficult not to romanticise these intriguing frontiersmen.
Hey man just here after your most recent siege video and I love those but it's also fun when you make the one off vids about things you find interesting are good too. The passion bleeds through some of these
You make me feel like a dilettante with the rigor of your research and enthusiasm lol.
If you are interested in this topic i recommend you the movie "With fire and sword" it is polish movie, about cossack uprising, but their motivations are shown very well too, of course it is adventure movie, based on fictional book, but it is really beautiful and historicaly precise in case of costumes, languages, etc. Big love for Ukraine!!!
@@anthonymazeppa I do not agree, Khmielnicky's reasons are shown very well and justified, when Skrzetuski was prisoner. It is tragic conflict, as well as Bohun's love story (he is favourite character for many Polish People lol). We have to remember, that it was not ethnic conflict, Wisniowiecki who is main leader, on the side of "Crown" was Rusin (Ukrainian) himself, cossacks fought on both sides of this war. But still, the movie did not say anything about what Cossacks from the Khmielnicky's side did to Jews, it was one of the biggest pogroms in the history of Europe. The story is not black and white, like eg. Russian movie "Taras Bulba", which is just pure romanticized bs. I like that "With fire and sword" shows brutality and honour on both sides.
@@arturhashmi6281it definitely depicts the Cossacks in a relatively negative way - just because it's a polish movie about the biggest cossack rebellion against them. But it's easy to ignore, most of it is just cossacks being generally depicted like an unwashed horde of drunkards, while the polish soldiers are professional and well dressed. It's a good movie though, as a ukrainian i like it a lot
I have rarely learned so much from a single video. Bravo!
Cool graphics dude, and excellent story telling. Thank you for giving us a better understanding of the Cossaks.
42:40 Thanks for mentioning this event. From persoanl family history this was a major event. My great grandpa basically had to run away when he was 6 years old after his familly got massacred. Lived most of his childhood as an orphan in train stations and could nbot even remember his family name, so he basically came up with his own.
43:46 very true. Whenever you hear modern day "cossacks", these are all modern groups and are fundamentally larping. There is no continuity between old and modern "cossacks".
Theres over 140k people who identify as Cossacks, its definitely not just a giant larping group.
@@gustavosanches3454 Yeah, those people are considered clowns by pretty much everyone here in Russia. There is an ample reason for it - they LOVE to wear their fake medals and silly outfits, have an unhealthy obsession with bdsm-style whips and whipping in general as well as being delusional enough to think that they are some paramilitary organisation and not a complete and utter joke for everyone else. But hey, they are vocal supporters of the current regime, so they get the funding.
@@gustavosanches3454 And there are from 100 000- 1 million people that identify as furry. What people identify as doesn't matter. I can identify as a moon person. Doesn't make it so. Cossacks as a culture and a way of life aren't back. What you have today is basically dress up and militia's willing to work as overglorified policemen.
It's an attempted revival and like many doesn't really work very well outside of a context of developed into. On the other hand they have more kids than most Russians, are genuine in their confidence at least and are willing to put their money were their mouth is by fighting in proxy conflicts and backing up the regime in the hope of concessions. It's early day's yet but I'm sure they can carve out a new niche for themselves if given the time to. Given the current problems of Russia, repopulation is probably the effort they would be the most worthwhile in, if they could set up self-replicating functioning communities once again then then those could be transplanted like plant cuttings across large depopulated areas. Their religiosity, higher birth rates, loyalty to the central power and willingness to endure hardship to prove themselves would make them good candidates for such an effort, even better if they are partly self-autonomous like their processors so that success or failure is not reliant on weird bureaucratic nonsense but rather on evolutionary principals. It could also be the failsafe if Putin is unsuccessful in getting the mainstream birthrate back to sustainable levels. The legitimacy of claims is much less important than how they can be used.
@@andreascovano7742 "What people identify as doesn't matter." Ironic consider the history of cossacks....
Wow. What a find. Thank you for this enlightening documentary. Really well put together and engaging. And enhanced the little Cossack knowledge I had. Which was probably more romantic than real. 😀
Every time in History that a "noble" class were created, or defended, or propped up,...it led to MASSIVE suffering on BOTH sides of any any of the MANY battles ensuing!.
Excellent Video SandRhoman!,
very informative and well delivered and illustrated!, thank you!(new Sub by the way.)
Some info(maybe Video?) on the Cossack(and formerly Mongol) Battle style(particularly the "Shooting from the Saddle" style tactics that were driven by some stunningly advanced communication with, and fearlessness from the Cossack's Horses,some info on how many Arrows they could fire, their accuracy, the Bow's characteristics( I believe a short(VERY powerful!) recurve, of Horn and different wood types, Similar to the Scythian bow?, but I am by no means certain!)
Thank you again!.
Thanks for the Viking digression.
A vik, or vík, using Old Norse, is a water inlet.
This is where you launched the boats, or carried them over land to the next fjord or sea body.
So you can clearly see the "verbification" done by the Old Norse. The -ing being the add-on part that all verbs get, both in modern and old Norwegian. "Seiling" for example, is sailing in English. Fisking is fishing. Some words split many hundred years ago but many retain the similarities, and especially the -ing ending.
For example, they could had called going viking "going boating" or "båting" but it would be less descriptive of what their intents - trading and raiding - would be.
Great job with this! I know you couldn't cover everything, but perhaps you could revisit this subject with relation to the Cossacks' role as servants/enforcers of Imperial Russia. Both the highs (Napoleonic War) and the lows (pogroms). To what extent was this a natural evolution of the Cossack elites from earlier times who held back their poorer and younger counterparts, versus a more top-down policy of state control. Not to make Russia out to be the villain TOO much, though: even in the nineteenth century the memory of the Pugachev uprising was still very fresh.
It would also be interesting to go into how much Soviet propaganda and whig historiographical hostility (e.g. bias because they moved from a free people to subjects and enforcers of autocracy, counter to ideas around 'natural' progression of history once held by many historians) might have distorted views of the later Cossacks. The view of the role of both Cossack and Baltic German elites in the Russian Empire would also be interesting.
These were not Cossacks in the true decision of a free man, they were modern riot police and had nothing to do with the Zaporozhye Cossacks.
Great information on the Cossacks. I really enjoy hearing about these great warriors
Incredibly entertaining, great job on this one
After Zaporozhian Sich(host) was liquidated by Muscovy, many kozaks with families exiled to Ottoman Empire, crossing Danube, where they created small Beyond Danube Sich(new host, ZaDunayska Sich). It's a host not because they didn't know how to build fortresses, but because any fortress can be BESIEGED, and this channel demonstrates it all in details. They chose a tactic of destroying enemy logistics from the start(even on foot w/o horses), it's better than sitting in a fortress and fighting best enemy units while starving. Ukrainian kozaks didn't even built cities, the basic is a hutor(hootor) - a settlement or a group of settlements that can provide basic unit of 100 kozaks named sotnia((a hundred, centuria)) with their commander - sotnik. And many other aspects.
In the video about battle of Khotyn, polish commanders used ukrainian cossacs(Zaporozhia) completely WRONG. They didn't understand the concept probably, and sat in a fort while Ottomans conveyed repeated attacks. Usually in earlier times kozaks knew how to fight Ottomans(or others) in the best way. But in that situation they still were one of the main parts of the army.
Such situations were often a problem of western commanders that could not allow that other commander would take initiative. Stefan the Great of Moldavia could lead any successful Crusade and Pope understood it, but Hungary's King could not allow this to happens. Also a shameful defeat of the last Crusade, battle at Nikopol(Danube, Bulgaria), when French knights were the reason of defeat even though they fought fearlessly.
Though not convinced by your final summing-up, your marshalling of research and your excellent narrative has convinced me of the need to subscribe to you.
Terrific video! Thanks!
Great video on a group not often covered!
We need more films and series about Cossack, I love their spirits
Heroiam Slava
Wow, that was amazing. I remember that we talked in school about Cossacks. But that amount of detail is just amazing.
This is amazingly interesting. Thank you for all the work you put into the video.
When I was a kid I saw the movie Taras Bulba in the theater. It made a lasting impression on me and was a very favorable portrayal of Cossack society. I later read the book it was based on.
Original cossack settlements were pretty much what enable them to very versatile particularly venturing into the dangerous steep, they had modern weapons and tactics, guns and are familiar with tartar tactics.
And they are literally a military like expedition group consisting only of men, hence they are not bogged down with women and children making them vulnerable to tartar raids and attacks.
Love the sentiment at the end. History and identity should not be straightjackets, but tools for wisdom and self expression.
There was different cossack groups of different nationalities, but Zaporizian cossacks are mostly ukrainians, they just share common name with others as a sort of an armed force. Actually ukrainian cossacks are the most famous ones as they took part in history of most surounding states and couple important battles, some of them was Polish or Lithuanian nobility, barroque and romantisict autors has wrote a couple novels about them, they was THE ones who fought with Otaman Empire as they invaded steps and would take people into slavery from ukrainian villages, and cossack rebelions was hugely impacted the ethnic role as they were fighting for their religion and as an opposition to supression of rusyn people by Polish and Moskow empires, who actually was ancestors of ukrainians, before ukraine actually become a state, as it lands was occupied from medieval times. Zaporizhian cossaks actually tried to make ukrainian state in late XVII century but Russian Empire destroyed them, they become a symbol of ukrainian warrior and will to create a state already in XIX century when philosophy of nation become popular in europe. Yes, u was trying to tell us about common traits of cossacks, but also from your narrative people wont get that cossak wasnt just different ethnic group in whole place where they was formed, but actually they was just like vikings, they wasnt mixed army but in different lands they comes from they was warriors of ancestors of different nations like denmark or norway, but also cossacks in territory of ukraine was a lot different from cossacks in teritory of turkic lands, they just share common turkic name for themselves. The problem is just that u share the traits of all cossak to a specific cossack group or while speaking about specific group u say just "cossacks" without specification. Cossack is just a term. You can tell us about knights, thier lifes etc. without specifying but u cant say knights took Paris in 1600, without telling kingdom of their origin.
I got it! Eastern cossacks SUCK, Zaporizhian host RULES!
East cossacks bend the knee to the Russian corrupt elites, while the Raven still Flies under the Zaporizhian West.
As a distant relative of Hetman Doroshenko, I liked the video.
P.S: we in Russia call forests in Siberia as Taiga.
I love what you said at the end about history really being the study of change and using it to better understand our world today. I like to try use what I can take from learning about the past to enrich my life today in my own way. I feel my life enrichened when I learn old forgotten stories, songs, and crafts. Instead of wishing I was in olden times I bring olden times to me and use what I learn from the past to benefit the new. This was so great thankyou!
Incredibly good video, I loved it from beginning to end, incredible work I cannot praise enough.
If I can add something, not as a criticism but as a supplement ; a good exemple of one of the last resurgence of the cossack free spirit and egalitarianism might be found during the Russian Civil War in which even tho many Cossacks joined the tsarists and other reactionary factions, a sizeable number of them joined with the Makhnovchtchina Anarchist Black Army in Ukraine, and Makhno even received the title of Ataman or Hetman, and lots of his cavalrymen wore the traditional Cossack clothes and used their sabers.
As with the other Cossacks, those who didn't joined the red army fled or were killed.
Anyway, thank you again for this awesome video, can't wait to see more!
Good, I was under the impression that Cossacks were mostly fascist bootlickers.
Cossacks also served in the Red Army during the Civil War, for example, Semyon Budyonny. commanded the 1st cavalry army
Анархия-мама сынов своих любит
Буденный родился на территории Войска Донского, по происхождению иногородний крестьянин, не казак. Немногочисленные банды красных казаков, например Миронова и Голубова закончили плохо. Существование казачьих частей в красной армии противоречило концепции уничтожения казачества, как сословия и этноса, а также их государственности.
Weren't cossacks the tsar's secret service or sth? They were responsible for breaking apart protests against the tyranny.
I remember the Cossack dance from the Fable games. Remember that quest where this old guy promises you his daughters hand in marriage if you dress yourself up ridiculous, get a ugly haircut and weird tattoos and then he says he doesn't have a daughter and just wanted to see you dress like a clown and laughs at you *lol*
Very interesting and cool .. I'm a fan of all history so I definitely liked and subscribed 👍
You should definitely do a similar analysis to the Boers and their history leading up to the Boer Wars.
Thank you for this, enjoyed watching. Very well made video.
Much love and respect to our Cossack brethren from Serbia ^^
This is my favourite video of yours so far. I have learnt so much!
I live in Ukraine and we like descendents of the Cossacks, it's the reason why we stand for freedom and our motherland.
The Cossacks letter to sultan remind me our attitude to all russian offers
Slava Ukraine. Heroyam Slava
If anyone is interested in reading Cossack fiction, I'd recommend the pulp novels starring Khlit the Cossack by Harold Lamb. Despite being written between 1917-1926, they *really* hold up.
All things considered, this is a fair overview of the Cossack history.
Thank you for this. Currently reading a book on the Russian Revolution and wanted to understand the Cossacks better
Дивно порівнювати громадянський переводот та бородьбу за свою автономність/державність
Most Cossacks where destroyed in Ukraine during the Catrine the 2nd, however there were some leftovers of the culture mainly left in Cuban. They weren’t free men anymore and were subjugated by Russia. The Cossacks that lived up-till the revolution were just families of privileged soldiers, that had little connection to Cossack culture, tradition, Ukrainian language, music, poetry, fighting style ets.
Bit of trivia about Oseledetz(the Cossack forelock)-it was designed as a trap for Tatars. Tatar raiders used capture people, by jumping off of their horses and grabbing their target by their hair and puling them down to the ground. Now imagine the target only has a tiny forelock sticking out? Now imagine it's actually oiled and your hand slips, while you're planting yourself into the ground, face burst, of off galloping horse.
nonsense. Oseledets has a very ancient origin, originally from the Khazars, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, and other nomads of the Black Sea region, long before the Golden Horde. Prince Svyatoslav, who lived in the tenth century, wore an oseledets, according to the testimony of the Byzantine historian Lev Deacon.
That does not make any sense. If you're on a galloping horse and try to grab someone's hair, you're gonna fall off the horse.
Cossack here born in Kazakhstan but raised in USA. Maybe that's why I love truck driving because I feel free when I am. My dad is a commercial bee keeper in the states as well.
"The *First* False Dmitri."
Could you imagine if 4 people even claimed to be Dr. Phil, never mind somebody like a president, and the absolute shitshow that would ensue?
Between that and the kiss-my-ass attitude of the Cossaks, this might be one of the most fucking hilarious periods of history I've heard of.
This should be taught in school. Unfortunately, to my teachers Europe ended at Russia and the only interesting countries were England, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece...
I recently discovered this channel and already watched 5 videos today. A great channel you have here, don´t mind if i watch it non stop for the next week