Hetman Ivan Mazepa and an attempt to separate Ukraine from Russia

Ivan Mazepa (1687-1709) was one of the most outstanding and controversial of all Ukrainian political leaders. Born in 1639 into a Ukrainian noble family he received an exceptionally good education. He studied at Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium, then at a Jesuit Collegium in Warsaw, and then in Holland. He served in the royal administration in Warsaw and was a friend of the monarch. In 1663 Mazepa suddenly left the royal court and started to serve in the administration of the Polish-ruled Cossacks in Right-Bank Ukraine. A legend explains this downfall by a love affair: Mazepa had been discovered in bed with the wife of his neighbor, who tied a naked Mazepa to a horse and let her free.[10] Whatever the truth, Mazepa spent the next few years in the Cossack administration in the Polish-ruled Right-Bank Ukraine. In 1674, he was captured by the Zaporozhians and handed over to the Russian-ruled Cossacks of Left-Bank Ukraine. Since Mazepa had a gift to turn his enemies into friends it doesn’t look surprising that Mazepa soon became a close friend of Left-Bank hetman Ivan Samoilovych. In 1687 when Moscow deposed Samoilovych and Mazepa was supposed to face trouble as his close associate he managed to convince Peter I that he was the tsar’s true friend. Peter even said later, “If only all my servants were like you I would be the happiest person in the world.” The tsar trusted Mazepa so much that Mazepa’s enemies noted that “the tsar would sooner disbelief an angel than Mazepa.” Thus, it was quite natural that Mazepa succeeded his former patron Samoilovych as hetman.

Mazepa’s hetmanship lasted for 21 years. He supported the starshynaat the expense of the common people whose exploitation increased. Nor did he neglect his own interests. The hetman became one of the richest men in Europe. He also spent part of his money on religious and cultural institutions. Mazepa built and repaired several outstanding churches and financially supported schools, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and printing houses.

A serious trouble for Mazepa came in 1708 during the Northern War (1700-1725) between Russia and Sweden when the victorious Swedish king Charles XII entered Ukraine. The old hetman had to choose whether to remain loyal to the tsar or to side with the powerful Swedish army, which was considered the best in Europe at the time. Mazepa chose to be Charles’ ally. Several thousand Cossacks and many leading members of the starshyna followed him. Some historians say that according to the agreement with Swedish and Polish kings (Poland was Sweden’s ally) Ukraine was to be an autonomous principality in the Polish-Lithuania-Ukrainian Commonwealth. This agreement was similar to the Hadiach Treaty concluded by hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi with the Polish king in 1658. Other historians say that Charles promised Mazepa to help create an independent state.[11]

Peter I was shocked by the news. He was eager to revenge “the new Judas, Mazepa.” Russian troops attacked Baturyn (the hetman capital) and massacred its entire population of 6000 men, women, and children. The town was well fortified and could be defended for a long time, but a traitor Ivan Nis showed to the Russian troops an underground passage to the town. Many people in Baturyn did not know about Mazepa’s decision to switch sides, but the Russians decided to use the massacre to frighten Ukrainians and to show them what would happen to those not loyal to the tsar. As news of the Baturyn massacre spread and as Russian troops in Ukraine began a reign of terror, arresting and executing anyone even vaguely suspected of siding with Mazepa, many would-be supporters of the hetman reconsidered their plans. Moreover, the Orthodox Church under the tsar’s pressure started to excommunicate Mazepa’s supporters.[12] Meanwhile, Peter I ordered the starshyna that had not followed Mazepa to elect a new hetman and, on 11 November 1708, they chose Ivan Skoropadskyi.

Frightened by the terrible example of the Baturyn massacre and terror, much of Ukrainian populace refused to join Mazepa. Religious factor also played an important role. The Swedes were Protestants and many Orthodox believers considered them heretics, or devil’s servants. Mazepa was not popular with the common people who did not trust him. One of the hetman’s biggest faults was his indifference to the living conditions of the common people. No wonder they did not support him in the war. Surprisingly, the Zaporozhians, who were often the hetman’s enemies during his reign, decided to support him against Russia. They regarded Mazepa as a lesser evil than the tsar.

On 28 June 1709, the Battle of Poltava – one of the most decisive battles in European history – took place and Peter I defeated Charles XII.[13] As a result, Russia became one of the great powers of Europe.

The defeated Mazepa and Charles XII escaped to Moldavia which was under Turkish control. It was here near the town of Bender that a depressed 70-year-old Mazepa died on 21 September 1709. Charles XII arranged a solemn funeral for his ally.

Russian and Ukrainian historians assess Mazepa’s actions during the Russo-Swedish war differently. Russian historians consider him traitor and Ukrainian historians – hero. (It is interesting to note that Russian historians do not consider Khmelnytskyi as traitor of Poland despite the fact that the hetman was a Polish subject). For many Ukrainians Mazepa became a symbol of Ukrainian independence movement. Most Ukrainian historians justify Mazepa’s secret agreement with the Swedes. They say that the major priority of politicians and diplomats are the interests of their country. And it looks quite natural that Mazepa preferred more powerful Sweden to Russia. According to international practice Ukraine’s actions also look natural.[14] Mazepa’s personality was reflected in the works of such famous art figures as Lord Byron, P. Marime, V. Hugo, A. Pushkin, P. Tchaikovsky, F. Liszt, and others.

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