The Cossack uprising (under the

leadership of Bogdan Chmielnicki)

against the gentry government in
Ukraine broke out in 164! Chmielnicki
uprising "as the beginning of the end for
the superpo"er position of the #olish$
%ithuanian Common"ealth! Cossack
rebellions kept breaking out for &' years
but they had been suppressed
successfully by the #olish army till then!
(t happened differently in 164 "hen Crimea Tatars commanded by Tuhay$be)
helped the Cossacks! The *oyal armies "ere commanded by bungling hetmans+
#otocki and ,alino"ski "hose mistakes led to the defeat at the -.te /ody and
,orsu! The king0 /.adys.a" /a1a (20 "ho "as held in high esteem among
Cossacks0 died a fe" "eeks after! The interregnum led to internal anarchy "hich
"as used by Tatars and Cossacks "ho occupied the "hole Ukraine!
The #olish army met "ith defeat
again in the Battle of #o.o"ice! The
ne" ,ing0 ,a1imier1 /a1a0 couldn3t
make up his mind "hat policy he
should adapt to"ards the Cossacks
$ should he reach an agreement or
fight the uprising by force! The
dogged enemy of Cossacks 4 a
*ussian voivode 5erema
/inio"iecki 4 "as a supporter of
putting do"n the uprising in a
bloody "ay! (n 1646 he commanded the defence of 7bara "hich "as besieged by
Tatars and Cossacks for many "eeks! 5an ,a1imier1 and his army "ere surrounded
near 7bor-" by their enemies and there the agreement "as signed! #eace "asn3t
long$lasting though8 there have been conflicts for many years since! They e9hausted
#oland and caused depopulation in the Ukraine! :nly *ussia benefited from this! (n
16&4$166; they sei1ed the eastern Ukraine and became the most po"erful country
in eastern <urope! (n the 1
th
century Tsarina ,atar1yna (( destroyed The Crimean
,hanate! =he li>uidated the Cossack =ietch and contributed to the partitions of
#oland!