Moscow Kingdom and Cossack-Polish confrontation in Ukraine, 1591–1638

Abstract

The purpose of the studyis general analysis of the main practical ways and forms of Muscovy’s intervention into Cossack-Polish confrontations as well as the main tendencies in its policy towards anti-Polish Cossack uprisings in Ukraine from 1591 to 1638. The author, using methods of critical analysis of Moscow Kingdom’s policy and new approaches in his scholar work, explains it in the context of development of political events and war conflicts in Central-Eastern Europe during above-mentioned period. The new conceptual view on Kremlin’s role in the inspiration of hostility between the Ukrainian Cossacks and Poland is proposed. The author explains it by the large-scale conquering policy of Moscow Kingdom. «Collection of lands of Rus’ (former State of Kyiv)» was declared as first step on the way of realization of its aggressive foreign policy. Ukrainian lands including Kyiv were main lands on the way of Kremlin’s policy tending toward territorial expansion. The policy with aim to attract the sympathies of Ukrainian Cossacks to Moscow Kingdom was integral part of political actions aiming to worse internal situation in Poland during realization of wide-spreading plans of creation of great-powered Moscow Kingdom in context of implementation of concept «Moscow is Third Rome». Despite of some financial support of Muscovy for the participants of anti-Polish Cossack uprisings in 1591–1596, the Ukrainian Cossacks didn’t kept their loyalty in relation to the king of Muscovy; they clearly demonstrated their animosity to Moscow Kingdom by their participation in many campaigns on Moscow, which were organized commonly with the representatives of internal opposition of Moscow king and by the political support of king of Poland in 1604–1618. The intentions of Kremlin to take the Army of Zaporizhzhia on service to Moscow king in 1620–1621 years are explained by its preparations of war against Poland that was not realized because Turkey refused to be an ally of Muscovy in planned military campaign against Warsaw. Separate attention is devoted to the history of formation of policy of spiritual dependence of Ukraine from Moscow. The author concentrates his special attention on characterization of ways of spiritual influence of Moscow patriarchy on the believers of Orthodox Church in Ukraine that was one of many measures for preparation of subordination of the Kyiv metropolitan and this Church in the formal submission of Moscow. The author interprets this policy as one of facilities of purposeful campaign of Kremlin’s psychological war against Poland and one of many practical ways of future policy of consistent political, economic, ideological, psychological and spiritual «Moscovization» of Ukraine under the name «Small Rus’», later «Small Russia» (separate administrative-territorial unit (province) with the limited autonomy as integral part of Moscow Kingdom). A conclusion is done, that both Cossack and Warsaw elites underestimated risks and threats of Moscow Kingdom intervention in Ukrainian-Polish confrontations as the «third force» or actually as their new participant. This interference became the first step on a way to to realization of plan of incorporation of Ukraine to Moscow Kingdom and at the same time to destruction of state and national independence of Poland and just created then Cossack state in Ukraine. Keywords Moscow Kingdom, Poland, Ukraine, Ukrainian Cossacks