History of Ukraine-Rus', Vol. 7: The Cossack Age to 1625

Myroslav Shkandrij is head of the Department of German and Slavic
Studies at the University of Manitoba and editor of The Cultural
Renaissance in Ukraine: Polemical Pamphlets, 1925–1926.

Hrushevsky’s 10-volume history first appeared in Ukrainian between
1898 and 1937. Covering Ukrainian history from ancient times to the
middle of the 17th century, it is a monumental work of scholarship that
brings together and analyzes the most important documentary sources and
scholarly commentaries. This history is being translated into English by
some of the leading authorities in the field. The translated series
supplements the author’s original work with extensive introductions,
as well as updates to the footnotes and to the already extensive
discussion of bibliographical sources. The importance of the series lies
not only in its panoptical view and critical approach, both of which
have exerted an enormous influence on future histories, but also in its
status as a foundational text within the development of a modern
Ukrainian historical consciousness.

The seventh volume, which focuses on the formation and early history of
the Cossacks, exposes and explicates many myths concerning the origins
of the Cossacks, the steppe colonization process, and relations with
neighboring powers. It was during this era, Hrushevsky wrote, that
“[f]or the first time in historical memory, the Ukrainian nation came
forth actively as the architect of its own destiny and life” (lxiv).
Here the author was attempting to provide an explanation of how a
recognizable and powerful Ukrainian identity emerged at precisely this
time in order to challenge competing schemes of Eastern European
development. The contemporary polemical intention is at times
unmistakable. By virtue of his scholarly achievements and intellectual
stature, Hrushevsky was elected head of the Central Rada, the government
of Ukraine, in 1917.

The period covered in the volume extends from the first appearance of
the Cossacks in the early 15th century to the initial Polish-Cossack
wars and the famous battle of Khotyn (1621). In interpreting the rise of
Cossackdom as a social and political response to encroachments by Polish
rule into Ukraine, Hrushevsky remains faithful to 19th-century Ukrainian
historiography and to his populist sympathies. At the same time, he
presents a wealth of detail (based on an unsurpassed familiarity with
sources and on an astute awareness of Polish, Russian, and other
historiographical traditions) that yields a rich, nuanced narrative. The
hero of the volume, if there is one, is Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny,
who emerges as a statesman of great skill and vision, the individual who
is able to control and direct the unruly elements that are to be found
among the Cossacks in the lower reaches of the Dnipro. In fact, a
dominant motif of the entire account is the struggle between the
settled, more politically conscious Cossacks and the freebooting
adventurers. This dichotomy in Cossackdom is observable in 19th-century
histories and belles lettres, and has continued to affect contemporary
representations. Hrushevsky produces a masterful description of the
gradual evolution from freebooter to soldier.

The volume is superbly translated and edited, with excellent tables of
hetmans and rulers, maps, and a valuable index. Like the rest of the
series, it is an indispensable reference work for scholars of Eastern
European history, identity politics, and culture.