The Image of the Early History of the Ukrainian Cossacks in the Studies of Tadeusz Korzon

The article examines the features of the research approaches of the Polish historian T. Korzon to the study of the origin and early history of the Ukrainian Cossacks in the period before the creation of the first Cossack register and the reforms of the Polish king S. Batory. The study examines the characteristics of interpretations and assessments of various historical issues related to the Cossacks by this scholar. The specificity of the approaches of the scientist to his coverage of the theory of the origin of the Cossacks from the Tatar environment is analysed. The depiction of the history of the activities of the first Cossack leaders such as O. Dashkovych, P. Lantskoronsky, D. Vyshnevetsky, princes Ruzhynsky and I. Pidkova, events related to the founding of the Sich on the island of Khortytsia and the military organization of the Cossacks are highlighted. Having analyzed the facts and their interpretations presented in T. Korzonʼs works, this study highlights the vital role of the history of the Ukrainian Cossacks in his examination of the past of the Polish army and military history. Engaging in historical studies at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the scholar was greatly influenced by the historiographical constructions and political ideas of that time, which were conditioned by the prevailing concepts of the era of neo-romanticism and the Polish people’s stay under foreign enslavement. The ideas of the struggle for independence dictated the instrumental use of history to «strengthen hearts», which often entailed the search for various enemies in representatives of other peoples with whom the Poles shared many pages of a common complex history. Hence, the Ukrainian Cossacks, as a frequent rival of the Polish government, were often depicted by the scholar in dark tones. Negative connotations in the image of the early history of the Cossacks were conveyed through theories suggesting their Tatar origins – perceived as racially and civilizationally foreign – as well as through their depiction as a rebellious and barbaric element.