Period of Lithunian and Polsih rule (1360-1599), Детальна інформація

by Moscow. Also several popular uprising took place. The rebellion

under Mukha in 1490, in western Ukraine, was seeking help from

neighboring Moldova; uprising under prince Mykhaylo Hlynskiy in 1500 in

eastern Ukraine expected help from Moscow and Tatars. However Poland

and Lithuania, at that time, were very strong, therefore all uprisings

were squashed.

Meanwhile, in the South, marauding Tatar hordes converted large

area of the country into wilderness, without any law or order. It was

very rich part of Ukraine with productive soil, wild animals and rivers

full of fish. It attracted many adventurous people, who although had to

fight Tatars there, could be free from suppression by Polish and

Lithuanian overlords. They began to organize under hetmans, thus

originating Cossack society. To defend themselves from Tatars, they

were constructing forts called "sitch" and amalgamated into sort of

union, with Zaporizhia, downstream of river Dnipro cascades, as a

centre.

In 1552, one of Ukrainian princes, Dmytro Wyshnevetskyi, being

among Cossacks, built a castle on island Khortytsya. From there,

Cossacks conducted raids on Crimean towns sometimes with help from

Moscow. Dmytro wanted to develop Zaporizhia, with help from Lithuania

and Moscow, into a powerful fortress against Tatars and Turks. Being

unable to achieve this goal, he left Zaporizhia in 1561, became involved

in a war in Moldova, was captured and executed by Turks in 1563.

In 1569, by the Union of Lublin, the dynastic link between Poland

and Lithuania was transformed into a constitutional union of the two

states as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Most of Ukraine became

part of Poland, settlement of Polish nationals followed, Polish laws and

customs became dominant. Most of Ukrainian princes and boyars, except

for few - notably Ostrozkyis and Wyshnevetskyis -, were replaced by

Polish nobles. Peasants lost land ownership and civil rights and