Anniversary of the conclusion of the Polish-Cossack Agreement, which went into past as the Hague Union.
Today, in our calendar, we will look at the schilastic period of the Cossack rebellion Bohdan Chmielnicki and the actions of his successors.
The triumph over Poles at Batoh in 1652, gave Bohdan Chmielnicki fresh energy for action. Nevertheless, his subsequent campaigns against the Crown forces were not spectacular. At the same time, the massacre of the prisoners of war at Batoh closed the way for the chief to scope an agreement with the Republic.
The multi-annual war led to the demolition of Ukraine, the material and human reserves were shrinking. Hetman decided on an act of desperation – in January 1654 he signed with Tsar Alexy Romanov a alleged Perejassan settlement under which he gave up the full Ukraine of Russia, in exchange for the preservation of Cossack privileges. This started the Polish-Russian war.
The tsarist troops have been successful in Lithuania. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the combined Russian-Cossack army, the Polish forces of Stanisław ‘Rewera’ Potocki and Stanisław Lanckoroński, who supported the Tatar troops, resisted courageously. At the turn of January and February 1655, an enemy was beaten at Ochmatov, but this did not halt his offensive.
In the summertime of Moskale Szremietiewa and Buturlin and Cossack Chmielnicki, they laid siege to Kamieniec Podolski and Lviv. Their strong cavalry pursuit of October 1655 occupied Lublin and ravaged the full country to the Vistula. The returning Russian-Cossack army, however, surrounded the Lake Tatars. Russians were released for ransom, while Chmielnicki, Chan Islam Gerej forced to sign peace with the Republic.
The Polish-Russian battles died at the end of 1655, and the ceasefire extended the truce with Niemierzy on 3 November 1656, by which Poles committed themselves to the election of Tsar Alexe as the Polish king inactive during the life of Jan Kazimierz (election vivente rege).
The Russians' cessation of the war was dictated by the uncertain situation of the Swedish invasion of Poland. The Tsar feared besides much reinforcement of Swedes at the expense of the Republic of Poland, so he gave the last minute of rest. It besides had consequences for the captainate.
The situation in Ukraine connected with the Tsaric panic and the non-compliance with the Perejassan settlement led to a change of views of Cossack elders. After Chmielnicki's death in 1657, a strong pro-polic faction was formed with Ivan Wyhowski at the head. It led to a fight with the Russians, but the Cossacks yet failed to capture Kiev.
The Polish-Cossack approximation was finalized by the Hadičan union, signed on 16 September 1658. It created the 3rd part of the Republic – the Duchy of Russia, with a separate administration, treasure and the right of Orthodox clergy to sit in the Warsaw senate. The conclusion of the Hague Union meant the break of agreements with Russia and led to the renewal of Polish-Russian fights.
The first chord of the newly-fired war was a triumph against the Tsar army, carried out by the combined forces of Polish-Cossack-Tatar in Battle of Konotop July 8, 1658.
Despite its first successes, the Union has never full entered into force due to the riots of dissatisfied black and the execution of Russian Chancellor Jerzy Niemirych, who was the initiator of the Union. Worse still, the rebellious peasantry and the Cossack overthrown the pro-Polish hetman Wyhowski and transferred power to the hands of Jerzy Chmielnicki, who returned to the care of the Russian Tsar.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
