Kosinski Uprising
Encyclopedia
Kosiński Uprising is a name applied to two rebellions in Ukraine
organised by Krzysztof Kosiński
against the local Ruthenian nobility
and magnate
s.
In late 16th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
was experiencing a short period of internal stability. This however was threatened by the Cossacks who organised several raids to Crimea
, Moldavia
and other lands of the Ottoman Empire
. To counter the threat, Sultan
Murad III
threatened Poland-Lithuania with war if the Cossack pillage raids were to be continued. In 1580 the Sejm
in Warsaw
passed the Order in Ukraine (Porządek ze strony Niżowców i Ukrainy) act, in which the Registered Cossacks
were banned from raids to the Zaporizhian Sich
, taking captives and pillaging. Any Cossack who broke this law was to be punished by death without trial.
In 1591 Kosiński, who was at that time one of the colonels of the Registered Cossacks in Kiev Voivodship, was deprived of his estate in the villages of Rokitno and Olszanice by the Ostrogski
family. To take his lands back, Kosiński gathered his regiment and captured the castle of Bila Tserkva
. There he named himself a Hetman
of Cossacks and started a revolt against the Polish rule in Ukraine and against the rule of local Ruthenian nobility and magnates in the lands of Kiev
and Bratslav
.
What started as a private act of revenge, soon turned into a full-scale civil war between local Ruthenian nobility and the Cossacks. By 1592 a large part of the society of Ukraine supported the revolt and it spread to Volhynia
. However, the conflict was seen by the Polish hetman and chancellor
Jan Zamoyski
as yet another struggle for power in Ukraine and the Polish forces of hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski did not enter the war. The local nobles started a levee en masse
and with their own private forces started a pursuit after Kosiński's forces.
The two armies clashed near the village of Piątek on February 2, 1593. After a short fight, the forces of the Cossack
s were defeated by Duke Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
. In what became known as the Battle of Piątek Kosiński himself was taken prisoner. He promised to obey the orders of the Hetmans of the Crown and the rebellion ended.
However, the following year Kosiński broke the promise and escaped to Zaporizhia
, where he started to organise yet another Cossack army. Moreover, on May 13, 1593 he signed a document, in which he subjected Ukraine to Muscovite tsar Fiodor I. Soon afterwards he gathered ca. 2000 men and started a fast march towards the seat of the starost of Cherkasy
. Local nobility organised a strong defence composed mainly of their private forces. Little is known of the fate of the campaign. According to Aleksander Wiśniowiecki, Kosiński was killed in a battle against his forces while the chronicle of Marcin Bielski
mentions that Kosiński was found drunk in a guest house and killed in a duel
.
In the spring of 1593 the Sejm passed a revised Of Niżowcy (O Niżowcach) Act, in which it declared all the remaining forces of Kosiński guilty of high treason
and sentenced them to death. The remaining Cossack forces signed an agreement in August of the same year, in which the Registered Cossacks could return home with their arms and boats as well as amnesty in exchange for their loyalty.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
organised by Krzysztof Kosiński
Krzysztof Kosinski
Krzysztof Kosiński was a Polish noble from the Podlaskie region. He was a colonel of the Registered Cossacks and self-proclaimed Hetman of Ukraine. He led two consecutive rebellions against local Ruthenian nobility, known as the Kosiński Uprising....
against the local Ruthenian nobility
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
and magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s.
In late 16th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
was experiencing a short period of internal stability. This however was threatened by the Cossacks who organised several raids to Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
and other lands of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. To counter the threat, Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Murad III
Murad III
Murad III was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.-Biography:...
threatened Poland-Lithuania with war if the Cossack pillage raids were to be continued. In 1580 the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
passed the Order in Ukraine (Porządek ze strony Niżowców i Ukrainy) act, in which the Registered Cossacks
Registered Cossacks
Registered Cossacks is the term used for Cossacks formations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth armies.-Establishing:The registered cossacks were created on the King's edict of Sigismund II Augustus on June 5, 1572 confirming the orders of the Crown Hetman Jerzy Jazłowiecki. The first senior ...
were banned from raids to the Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich was socio-political, grassroot, military organization of Ukrainian cossacks placed beyond Dnieper rapids. Sich existed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the region around the today's Kakhovka Reservoir...
, taking captives and pillaging. Any Cossack who broke this law was to be punished by death without trial.
In 1591 Kosiński, who was at that time one of the colonels of the Registered Cossacks in Kiev Voivodship, was deprived of his estate in the villages of Rokitno and Olszanice by the Ostrogski
Ostrogski
Ostrogski was one of the greatest Ruthenian princely families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.They were most likely of Rurikid stock and descended from Sviatopolk II of Kiev. Some scholars however claim their descent from Galicia-Volhynia line of Rurikid dynasty. Vasilko Romanovich Prince of...
family. To take his lands back, Kosiński gathered his regiment and captured the castle of Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:...
. There he named himself a Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
of Cossacks and started a revolt against the Polish rule in Ukraine and against the rule of local Ruthenian nobility and magnates in the lands of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Bratslav
Bratslav
Bratslav |Breslov]] as the name of a Hasidic group, which originated from this town) is a townlet in Ukraine, located in the Nemyriv Raion of Vinnytsia Oblast, by the Southern Bug river. It is a medieval European city having dramatically lost its importance during 19th-20th centuries...
.
What started as a private act of revenge, soon turned into a full-scale civil war between local Ruthenian nobility and the Cossacks. By 1592 a large part of the society of Ukraine supported the revolt and it spread to Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
. However, the conflict was seen by the Polish hetman and chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski , was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, magnate, 1st duke/ordynat of Zamość. Royal Secretary since 1566, Lesser Kanclerz ) of the Crown since 1576, Lord Grand-Chancellor of the Crown since 1578, and Grand Hetman of the Crown since 1581...
as yet another struggle for power in Ukraine and the Polish forces of hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski did not enter the war. The local nobles started a levee en masse
Pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie , is an anachronistic term describing the mobilisation of armed forces, especially during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The tradition of wartime mobilisation of part of the population existed from before the 13th century to the 19th century...
and with their own private forces started a pursuit after Kosiński's forces.
The two armies clashed near the village of Piątek on February 2, 1593. After a short fight, the forces of the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s were defeated by Duke Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski was a Lithuanian prince, starost of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, marshal of Volhynia and voivode of the Kiev Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He got married on January 1553 in Tarnów...
. In what became known as the Battle of Piątek Kosiński himself was taken prisoner. He promised to obey the orders of the Hetmans of the Crown and the rebellion ended.
However, the following year Kosiński broke the promise and escaped to Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast...
, where he started to organise yet another Cossack army. Moreover, on May 13, 1593 he signed a document, in which he subjected Ukraine to Muscovite tsar Fiodor I. Soon afterwards he gathered ca. 2000 men and started a fast march towards the seat of the starost of Cherkasy
Cherkasy
Cherkasy or Cherkassy , is a city in central Ukraine. It is the capital of the Cherkasy Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast...
. Local nobility organised a strong defence composed mainly of their private forces. Little is known of the fate of the campaign. According to Aleksander Wiśniowiecki, Kosiński was killed in a battle against his forces while the chronicle of Marcin Bielski
Marcin Bielski
Marcin Bielski was a Polish chronicler and satirical poet. He was born of noble parentage on the patrimonial estate of Biała, Pajęczno County , in the Polish province of Sieradz. The name Wolski is derived from his estate at Wola...
mentions that Kosiński was found drunk in a guest house and killed in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
.
In the spring of 1593 the Sejm passed a revised Of Niżowcy (O Niżowcach) Act, in which it declared all the remaining forces of Kosiński guilty of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and sentenced them to death. The remaining Cossack forces signed an agreement in August of the same year, in which the Registered Cossacks could return home with their arms and boats as well as amnesty in exchange for their loyalty.
See also
- Nalyvaiko UprisingNalyvaiko UprisingThe Nalyvaiko Uprising was a failed Cossack rebellion against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Headed by Severyn Nalyvaiko, it lasted from 1594 to 1596...
- Poland-LithuaniaPoland-LithuaniaPoland–Lithuania can refer to:* Polish–Lithuanian union from 1385 until 1569* Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 until 1795See also: Polish-Lithuanian...