Little Russia versus Napoleon in 1812

Abstract

Referring to epistolary works, memoirs, and political essays of 1812 taken mostly from archives of France and Germany, the author considers the attitude of the population of the five so-called “Little Russian provinces”, i.e. Kyiv, Chernigiv, Novgorod-Siverskyi, Poltava, and Sloboda Ukraine to Napoleon’s invasion. Relying on the method of documentary deconstruction, the author proves the inconsistence of the mythological assertion (which finds some support in Ukrainian historiography) about the presence of pro-French sentiments among the representatives of the clergy, nobility, and peasantry of Little Russia, who allegedly hoped for autonomy or independence. The author pays close attention to the critical reconsideration of textbook examples of the liber­tinism of local elites, such as oaths to Napoleon by the archbishop of Mogilev Varlaam Shishatsky and a toast to the health of the French Emperor by landowner Vasyl Lukashevytch from the government of Poltava which are considered in the broader context of similar sociocultural practices. In addition, the author separately considers the artistic images created in the poetic works of Little Russian nobles, who delibe­rately imitated the language of ordinary people to emphasise the specific character of the interaction (loyal, but at the same time privileged) of the descendants of Cossack officers with the throne. In reality, the attitude of the lower classes towards the war with Napoleon was much more complex. It was based on the social memory of Cossack liberties, the desire to get rid of the landlord’s oppression and administrative regulation. However, the attitude was not realised through sympathy for Napoleon, but, on the contrary, through demonstrative participation in the struggle against the French invasion in the hopes of drawing the attention of a grateful tsar. The absence of social groups, organisations, or even individuals focused on cooperation with France in this ethnically specific region of the Russian Empire was a consequence of the widespread fears of a possible return to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the negative perception of the Western model of social order, and the influence of the religious-conservative factor. The role of the religious factor is shown in the attempt to introduce a new visual source, i.e. an icon from the church of the village of Belozerka depicting the crucifixion of Christ by the French in 1812.