Mazepa, Skoropadski, Połubotok. Proces likwidacji autonomii ukraińskiej za panowania Piotra I

Abstract

The article is devoted to the gradual liquidation of the autonomous rights of left-bank Ukraine during the reign of Tsar Peter I (1682–1725). This process began in 1708 when during the ongoing Russo-Swedish War 1700–1721, Zaporizhia hetman Ivan Mazepa “betrayed” the tsar and turned it over to King Charles XII. This action was dictated by the desire of Mazepa’s supporters to shed Russian dependence and an attempt to create an independent (independent) Ukrainian state backed by Sweden and the Republic of Poland. Piotr I agreed to appoint successive hetmans – Ivan Skoropadski and Pawel Polubotka, but over the years he gradually limited their power. In 1722, the hetman’s office was liquidated, and control over the Ukrainian lands, for a short time until 1727, was taken over by the Malorossiya College – the Russian central office. According to Peter I, in the Russian Empire established in 1721, there was no room for any autonomous forms of power that could result in gaining independence. This reform lasted only two years, but it became a determinant for his successors as to how Ukrainian lands should be controlled and finally absorbed into Russia.