What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how ordinary Orthodox people viewed Cossacks and their actions during the mid-17th century.

May 26, 2026Open Access

Cossacks in the Mirror of National Mentality: Analysis of Petitions and Interrogation Speeches of the Third Quarter of the 17th Century

Key Points

The aim is to explore how ordinary Orthodox people viewed Cossacks and their actions during the mid-17th century.
Analyzed petitions and interrogatory speeches from the Polish-Moscow borderland during the 17th century.
Used a methodology of 'linear sources' characteristic of European medieval studies.
Incorporated both published sources and archival materials to understand mass perceptions.
Cossacks were seen ambivalently as both defenders of the Orthodox faith and as perpetrators of cruelty.
The rise of the Cossack army during Khmelnytsky's uprising attracted both faith defenders and profit-seekers.
Contradictory views of Cossacks became accepted norms due to their military actions and religious discourse.

Abstract

The subject of this study is the perception of images of Cossacks and Cossack movements in general within the mass consciousness of ordinary Orthodox inhabitants of the Polish-Moscow borderland during the period from the mid-17th century to the early 1660s, covering key events such as the uprising of Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1648–1654) and the first decade of the subsequent Ruin. The work analyzes the contradictions surrounding the image of Cossacks in the eyes of the contemporary masses: a combination of noble aspirations with cruelty and greed. An attempt is made to reveal how, in the eyes of ordinary residents, the predatory raids and attacks by the Zaporozhian Cossacks, including on church officials, coexist with the prevalent notion of Cossacks as "defenders of the Orthodox faith." The methodology of "linear sources" employed is characteristic of European medieval studies and takes into account the specificity of petitions and interrogatory speeches, which are marked by low preservation and the necessity of applying approaches suitable for working with artificial samples. To maintain a holistic view, the study involves published sources generated by the intellectual environment of high-ranking contemporaries of the events in question. The contradictions surrounding the image of Cossacks in the eyes of the masses are explained by the explosive growth of the Cossack army, especially during the years of Bohdan Khmelnytsky's uprising, which attracted both defenders of the faith and seekers of profit. The role of religious discourse and the influence of the ideology formulated by the highest clergy on the practical actions of the Cossack army are identified: the concept of Cossacks as defenders of the "true faith" was used by the Cossack leadership to attract the Moscow state and served as a unifying force for ordinary warriors. Frequent instances where Cossacks tarnished the honor of the "Orthodox military" became, in the eyes of the masses, exceptions that confirmed the rules. Unlike previous studies that were based on sources formulated by intellectuals and polemicists from secular and ecclesiastical circles of the 17th century, this work focuses on analyzing petitions and interrogatory speeches—unique documents that reflect the direct views of ordinary people. In addition to the unconventional perspective achieved by concentrating on the representation of ordinary residents' situations, the scientific novelty also lies in the involvement of a large number of archival materials.

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