Danubian Sich

Quick Facts: Who was Danubian Sich?

Subject:

Danubian Sich

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A Cossack polity in the Danube Delta, surviving the destruction of the original Zaporozhian Sich.

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Origins & Early Life

The Danubian Sich (Ukrainian: Задунайська Сiч, romanized: Zadunaiska Sich, lit. 'Transdanubian sich') was an organization of the part of former Zaporozhian Cossacks who settled in the territory of the Ottoman Empire (the Danube Delta, hence the name) after their previous host was disbanded and the Zaporozhian Sich was destroyed in 1775. In 1863, Semen Hulak-Artemovsky wrote his libretto Zaporozhets za Dunayem in Saint Petersburg to commemorate the exodus of Zaporizhian Cossacks to the Danube, an area of Silistra Eyalet. The Cossacks were protecting the Metropolitan bishop of Brăila who serviced the area of Budjak and Yedisan (Ottoman Ukraine) and was titled as Metropolitan bishop of all Ukraine. By the late 18th century, the combat ability of Zaporozhia was greatly reduced, especially after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca and the Russian annexation of Crimea, when the need for the Host to guard the borders was removed.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

At the same time, the Zaporozhian's other enemy, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, was also weakened and on the verge of being partitioned. This meant that militarily the Zaporozhian Sich was becoming increasingly superfluous, but at the same time their existence caused friction with Imperial Russian authorities who wanted to colonise the newly acquired lands that the Cossacks inhabited. After a number of Cossack attacks on Serbian colonies and with Cossack support offered to Yemelyan Pugachev, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great issued an order to General Peter Tekeli to end the troublesome Sich. Tekeli's operation, carried out in June 1775, was bloodless. The Zaporozhian Sich was surrounded with infantry and artillery and an ultimatum was given to the Kosh otaman Petro Kalnyshevsky to destroy the Sich and to have Zaporozhian knights transfer to the family life.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Cossacks did not resist so that no Russian blood would be spilt. But later Zaporozhian Cossack Grigory Potemkin, and apparently without Kalnyshevky's knowledge, reached an agreement to allow a group of 50 Cossacks under the guidance of a starshyna Lyakh to go fishing in the river Ingul next to the Southern Buh in Ottoman territory and to issue 50 passports. The pretext was enough to allow the Russians to let the Cossacks, as 50 passports allowed five thousand Cossacks to leave (approximately 30% of the Zaporozhian Cossacks). As long as Potemkin could be guilty, so starshyna, including Kalnyshevsky, was arrested for this. These Cossacks were joined by numerous Ukrainian peasants fleeing from Russian Serfdom and lived on the left bank of the Danube river (Budjak) then part of the Ottoman Empire, who allowed them to settle there.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1775: 1775 Milestone — 'Transdanubian sich') was an organization of the part of former Zaporozhian Cossacks who settled in the territory of the Ottoman Empire (the Danube Delta, hence the name) after their previous host was disbanded and the Zaporozhian Sich was destroyed in 1775.
2. 1863: 1863 Milestone — In 1863, Semen Hulak-Artemovsky wrote his libretto Zaporozhets za Dunayem in Saint Petersburg to commemorate the exodus of Zaporizhian Cossacks to the Danube, an area of Silistra Eyalet.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Danubian Sich

True or False: “The Danubian Sich was permanently dissolved by Russian decree immediately after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the need for border guards diminished after the treaty, the Cossacks continued to exist and relocate within Ottoman territories until later conflicts.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• André-Marie Ampère — Historical peer (Born in 1775) (1775): Founder of classical electromagnetism; inventor of the solenoid and electrical telegraph.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar — Historical peer (Born in 1775) (1775): The last Mughal Emperor of India and renowned Urdu poet.
• Alexandre Yersin — Historical peer (Born in 1863) (1863): Pioneering Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist, renowned for plague and diphtheria research.
• Alfred de Vigny — Historical peer (Died in 1863) (1863): French poet and early Romanticist, known for his plays and novels.

Frequently Asked Questions about Danubian Sich