Ukraine War Day #722: Tucker Carlson And The Khmelnitsky File – Part III

Dear Readers:

Today concluding my review of this story by reporter Matvei Malgin. Where we left off, we saw that the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky had penned several letters to the Russian Tsar, begging for his protection against the “evil” Polish and Lithuanian rulers. Who oppressed the freedom-loving Cossacks in many ways, including attempts to stamp out their Greek Orthodox religion.

The Russian government was cautious, but entered into negotiations nonetheless, and even sent an Ambassador to the Zaporozhian camp, presumably to work out the details of the deal.

Khmelnitsky’s palace in Chigirin

Next we get to a letter* addressed to the Tsar and dated November 12, 1652, from the city of Chigirin. [*Footnote:  Акты, относящиеся к истории южной и западной России, т. III, стр. 483. М.,1940] Chigirin is located in the Cherkasy Oblast of modern Ukraine. Originally belonging to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Chigirin had become the capital of the Zaporozhian Host, and was the residence of the Hetman. At this point Khmelnitsky had dropped any references to the Polish “King”, seems like he had made his firm choice and was completely done with the Poles. He was so over them. He addresses his letter to “the Orthodox Tsar, directly from your faithful servant, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, written in his own hand….“ And this is what Khmelnitsky proposes to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich: ”Most humbly, to your Royal Magnificence, we are thankful that your Royal Magnificence, as an Orthodox Tsar, out of the mercy of your heart, will not permit us, your servants and underlings, the entire Zaporozhian Host, to be discarded; and that through your ambassadors you show your benevolence, since it was through them that you gifted us many times with your generous salary [многократно нас милостивым жалованьем своим призирати изволяешь] and hence we are duty bound to respond to any orders from your Royal Magnificence with our ready services, and act against any enemy of your Royal Magnificence. And for that generous salary we humbly bang our foreheads to your Royal Magnificence.”

Reporter Malgin notes that, at this time, the Tsar had not yet fully made up his mind to actually do this. For the time being, risk-averse as are most Russian rulers, he still officially recognized Zaporozhie as the territory of the Rzeczpospolita. Nonetheless, it is clear from the epistle, that the Russian ambassadors were doing more than just talking to the Hetman: They were shoveling money to him!

And then, finally, the Tsar made his decision. The “Zemsky Sobor” (Russian “Land Council” of noblemen) approved, and the Cossacks took their oath to the Tsar.

The “Zemsky Sobor” – the Tsar’s advisory council of landed gentry.

Khmelnitsky, from Pereyaslav, wrote a letter* to the man who was now his sworn monarch: ”To your Gracious Magnificence the Tsar, from your loyal subjects and lowly servants Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Hetman of your Eminence’s Zaporozhian Host.” [*foornote: ЦГАДА, ф. 124. Малороссийские дела, оп. 1, 1654, № 1, л. 35–38 (спи­сок XVII в., Опубл.: Акты, относящиеся к истории южной и западной России, Т. 10. –№ 4/11, стр. 261–262].

The deed was done: The Zaporozhian Host had switched its sworn loyalty from the Polish King to the Russian Tsar!

So, the reporter asks rhetorically, where, in all of this, do we see any trace of a “Ukrainian Cossack state” which the Ukrainian Nationalists swear by and regard as their ancestor-state. What we have here the Zaporozhian Host, initially working for the Polish King, and then switching its service to the Russian Tsar, “along with all its cities and lands”, as the Hetman promised. Nowhere in all of this do we see or hear the word “Ukraine”. Instead, the term that is used is the word “Malorossiya” – “Little Russia”.

[yalensis: I have explained in previous posts that this term should perhaps translated as “Micro-Russia” instead, by analogy with other geographical terms such as “Micronesia” or “Micro-Graecia”. The semantics being, not a diminutive “little” as in, small or of no importance, but rather the opposite, the meaning being the “core” territory of the ethnos, from which expansion proceeded into the “Greater” territories. In this sense, the term jives with the Ukrainian claim that Kievan Rus was the initial core of the Russian state, then Russians expanded outwards into “Greater Russia”. Putin, in his interview with Carlson, in a lesser-discussed portion of this historical essay, likewise disputed that notion by pointing to the fact that Novgorod, Moscow, and other cities in “Greater Russia” had as much claim as Kiev to be the foundation of the Russian state. And I believe that he is historically correct about that. Nonetheless, the terms “Micro Russia” (Malorossiya) and “Magna Russia” (Greater Russia, or Velikaya Rossiya or Velikaya Rus, as it is called in the national anthem) do rather support the Ukrainian claim for Kiev’s status as the primary core.]

The Great Gate of Kiev

But returning to Khmelnitsky: He writes* to the Tsar on June 4, 1654 from Chigirin [*footnote: ЦГАДА, ф. 124. Малороссийские дела, 1654, № 17, л. 38–41]: 

“From your generous funding everyone in Mala Rossiya was overjoyed…”

I bet they were!

In another letter, commenting on the privileges enjoyed by the Kiev-Pecherskaya Lavra (Monastery), the Hetman writes that “these privileges stemmed from the very old, honorable, blessed memory of the Princes and Russian Pans.” [using the Polish word “Pan”, which means nobleman].

The reporter ends his piece on that note, urging his readers to study these manuscripts, and then they can see for themselves, what is historically true, and what is simply a ridiculous fake concocted by the Ukrainian Nationalists.

[THE END]