Heroic campaigns of the Cossacks. Joint campaigns of the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks to the shores of Turkey and Crimea
The earliest date of the sea campaign of the Cossacks is dated in the chronicles to 1492. This was a raid on Tyagin. By the way, in the same year Columbus first reached the islands of Central America, so this date is symbolic, despite the fact that it accidentally reached historians who assumed that the Cossacks had undertaken similar voyages at least since the middle of the 15th century.
According to the testimony of a French engineer at the Polish court Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan(possibly a relative of the governor of Tortuga Francois Le Vasseur) the Cossacks made ships, which they called “gulls,” 60 feet long and 12 feet wide and 12 feet high. These ships did not have a keel, and their sides were boards knocked together with overlapping nails. Along the sides were piles of dry reeds as thick as a barrel, tied with linden bast. The reeds also ensured unsinkability, since there was no deck, and in a storm the waves washed over the side. And thanks to the reeds, the ship stayed afloat like a cork. These ships had bulkheads and benches for rowers, two rudders, one at the stern, the other at the bow. There were 10-15 pairs of oars on each board. A mast with one straight sail, which was raised only when there was a fair wind. From the point of view of European shipbuilders, the Cossacks' ships were primitive, but they fully met the goals and objectives of the Cossacks. They needed a light, mobile, unsinkable fleet for every campaign. And the “seagulls” perfectly met all these requirements, so they did not need any Western European ships. “Why do we need the stink? Hiba, aren’t we beating the Turk anyway?” But it is also known that by the end of the 17th century, the Cossacks began to build completely different ships, whose sailing weapons were similar to the Russian schooner. They called such ships “oak”. “Oak” had a length of up to 20 meters, a deck and two masts. However, it was the “seagulls” that the Cossacks owed their fame as sea robbers and the fact that they felt like masters of the Black Sea.
The Cossack campaigns against Tavan in 1502 and 1504, and then against Belgorod-Dniester in 1516 and 1574 remain in history. To Ochakov in 1523, 1527, 1528, 1538, 1541, 1545, 1547, 1548, 1551, 1556. In 1560, the Cossacks burned Cafa, and in 1575 they managed to plunder the three largest Turkish ports: the outskirts of Istanbul, Sinop and Trabzon. The following year, Chilia, Varna and Silistria were devastated. The Cossacks marched along the entire Black Sea coast with fire and saber in 1586, 1590, 1593, 1595 and 1599. It turns out that according to historical documents, the Cossacks carried out at least 25 large sea raids, in each of which an average of about a thousand Cossacks took part. Now they were no longer afraid to take battles with the Turkish fleet. In May 1602, at the mouth of the Dnieper, they captured several galleys from the Turks, on which they set out to sea with an escort of 30 seagulls. Near Kiliya they captured another combat galley and several transport ships; in the Dnieper estuary they attacked the squadron of Admiral Hasan Agha, captured his galley and another ship coming from Kafa. And then they returned home with glory and booty.
In 1606, the Cossacks attacked Kiliya and Belgorod, simultaneously defeating a Turkish squadron at sea and boarding 10 galleys. That same year, the Cossacks took the fortress of Varna, which in the 17th century was considered as impregnable as Izmail in the next century.
In the same year, a remarkable Cossack naval commander and hetman of the Zaporozhye army appeared on the stage Petro Sagaidachny, who personally led the campaign against Kafa. The next year, he won a brilliant victory over the Turkish fleet at Ochakov, and in 1609, 16 Cossack seagulls terrified Izmail, Kiliya, Akkerman, and another detachment attacked Kafa. By 1613, the Cossacks had ravaged almost the entire southern coast of Crimea, so their activities spread to Asia Minor. If previously they made only short-term raids on Turkish territory, then 1614 can be considered the beginning of a widespread invasion of Turkey from the sea. That year, 40 seagulls ravaged Sinop, rushing into the city, destroying even the garrison of the old castle, and on leaving they set fire to the city, shipyards and blew up the arsenal. The following year, the Cossack fleet appeared on the horizon of Istanbul itself. Undaunted by the 240,000-strong garrison of the Turkish capital, and the 6,000-strong selected guard of the Sultan himself, a detachment of Cossacks ravaged the ports of Mizevna and Arhioku. The Sultan was hunting on the outskirts of Istanbul that day, and he was very interested in the columns of smoke rising above the city. Arriving at the palace, he was surprised to learn that they were Cossacks. Then, in a rage, the Sultan ordered his admiral Kapudan Pasha to catch up and take revenge on the raiders, which he did to his own misfortune: at the mouth of the Danube, the Cossacks defeated the entire Turkish squadron and captured the admiral himself.
In 1616, Hetman Sagaidachny with two thousand Cossacks won a brilliant naval victory in the Dnieper estuary, defeating a 14,000-strong Turkish army on 116 ships, which was part of the squadron Ali Pasha. The Cossacks sank, burned and captured 15 galleys and more than 100 auxiliary ships.
In the autumn of the same year, Hetman Sagaidachny approached Sinop with his flotilla. Then he unexpectedly attacked the port of Miner, where he destroyed 26 Turkish ships. Admiral Tsikoli Pasha with six galleys he rushed in pursuit, but, having caught up, he was completely defeated and lost half of his ships. And when the admiral Ibrahim Pasha approached Ochakov with his squadron to watch for the Cossacks returning to Sich, they, having learned about this, turned around and attacked Sinop, left unprotected, and then Sagaidochny’s squadron invaded the Bosporus Strait. For this outrage the Sultan hanged his Grand Vizier Nasir Pasha.
In 1617, the Cossacks of the hetman Dmitro Barabasha approached Istanbul, and their sails were visible from the windows of the palace of the Turkish Sultan. They again defeated the Turkish squadron, sinking it along with the commander-in-chief. After this, the Sultan, in complete despair, asked for help from the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Sigismund III, complaining about the misconduct of his subjects. But the king had more important things to do, so he only threatened the Cossacks that he would leave them without money, and sent an embassy to the Sich to reason with the violent heads not to offend the Turk.
However, already in 1620, more than 300 seagulls with a crew of 15 thousand people went on a sea voyage. This huge floating army almost took the capital of the Ottoman Empire the following summer, since the approaches to the Bosphorus were guarded by only three galleys. No one wanted to fight the Cossacks, who had already begun to plunder the outskirts of Istanbul. Having learned about this, the brave admiral Khalil Pasha, whose squadron was based in Kiliya, rushed to defend the capital. However, his galleys were lured into shallow waters and 20 of them were burned. The remnants of the Turkish fleet took refuge in fear in the harbor of Istanbul.
The brilliant Cossack victories at sea do not at all mean that the Turks were cowardly and incompetent sailors. It happened that their squadrons also beat the Cossacks, and those captured were subjected to brutal public execution, trampled by elephants, torn into pieces, buried and burned alive.
In the winter of 1623-24 they were again preparing for a campaign in the Sich. And in the spring, when leaving the Dnieper estuary, the Cossacks met a Turkish squadron of 25 galleys and 300 small ships, equal in size to the Cossacks. The naval battle lasted for several hours, but the Cossacks still broke through into the sea. That same year, a flotilla of 150 seagulls set out on a campaign. In June 1624, a flotilla of 102 seagulls again appeared under the walls of Istanbul.
In the summer of 1625, the Cossack flotilla reached a colossal size - 350 seagulls. If we assume that each of them had 50 Cossacks, then we get more than 17 thousand sabers. By modern standards, these are almost two divisions, staffed at wartime levels! A countless fleet for that time. However, managing such a huge fleet was not easy. The Turks sent all their Black Sea forces (43 galleys) under the command of Admiral Rejeb Pasha. A huge battle took place at the mouth of the Danube and ended in victory for the Turkish squadron. According to the Turks, 786 prisoners were captured and 172 seagulls were sunk. French Ambassador de Cezy described the success of the Turkish fleet as follows: “If it weren’t for the north wind, which rose and helped the pasha, the Cossacks would have destroyed his fleet.”
So, over 10 years (from 1614 to 1624), a squadron of Zaporozhye Cossacks destroyed the Turkish fleet in naval battles at least 5 times, killing Turkish admirals twice, attacking the capital of Turkey three times. Here it should be noted that the king’s “regular fleet” Peter the Great did not achieve any results at all in the Black Sea. And the victories of the Zaporozhye Cossacks there were so loud that the French king gave orders to his ambassador in Warsaw de Bregy hire their fleet for the war with Spain. And can you imagine, the Zaporozhye squadron on seagulls with 2400 Cossacks, left the Dnieper into the Black Sea, passed the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, through the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, through the Strait of Gibraltar, circled the Iberian Peninsula and reached Dunkirk to participate in its siege, fighting with the Spanish fleet and the famous Dunkirk ships. This information was discovered by the Russian historian A.V. Polovtsev in 1899 in the correspondence of the prince Conde andcardinal Mazarin (1646).
Three years later, the Sultan of Turkey, unable to resist the raids of the Dnieper Cossacks, decided to conclude a peace treaty with Zaporozhye. In 1649, a treaty was signed and the Cossacks were given access to all Black Sea ports for trade, and at the same time they were given responsibility for peace on trade routes. The Sultan preferred to have the Dnieper Cossacks as friends rather than as enemies. And, as the chronicle testifies, after 1650, the activity of the Cossacks at sea sharply declined, since trading with them was less troublesome than fighting. In addition, at this time the liberation war against the Poles began (1648-1654) under the leadership of the hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, whose ally was the Crimean Khan, a vassal of the Turkish Sultan. The Cossacks were entirely occupied with plundering the estates of the gentry and did not think about large sea voyages. Only in 1660 the hetman Ivan Sirko attacked Ochakov, in 1663 the Cossacks gave battle to the Turkish fleet, and in 1667, breaking through Sivash into the Crimea, they burned the capital of the Crimean Khanate, forcing the khan himself to flee by ship to Turkey.
In 1680, the Turkish Sultan decided to reason with the Cossacks by sending them a letter demanding an end to the outrage at sea. The Cossacks laughed a lot at this message, and wrote a response, the process of composing which is depicted on the famous canvas Ilya Repin. In the 90s of the 17th century, the campaigns of the Cossacks almost ceased. True, in 1690 the Cossacks managed to seize the treasury of the Crimean Khan and sink two Turkish ships, but none of them thought of going to Istanbul.
Despite the new century and the new millennium, the image of the Zaporozhye Cossacks continues to be presented in the old fashioned way, as nomadic cattle breeders, as a gathering of some fugitive serfs from Rus', which is completely wrong. Most modern historians agree that the Zaporozhye Cossacks were a special people, formed from the descendants of professional warriors. Yes, their environment was constantly replenished with newcomers, but they accepted the ancient laws and customs of the ancient Cossacks. This makes them similar to the filibusters, who obeyed the laws of the Coastal Brotherhood. All Zaporizhian Sich were not field, but coastal fortresses, and the main force was the fleet and marines. In 1940 and 1951, archaeologists found in these places the remains of forges and smelting workshops, where equipment for ships was made: anchors, staples, fastenings for ships, but no horseshoes, stirrups, or decorations for harnesses were found. The Cossacks were primarily sailors who developed a special type of shipbuilding, suitable for both coastal navigation and the open sea. They came up with a special tactic for waging a naval battle - a “wasp swarm” - when small ships surround and attack large ones, suppressing the resistance of their crew with continuous rifle fire from close range, followed by capture in a boarding battle. The same tactics were followed by the filibusters operating at the same time in the West Indies. So we can safely say that the Zaporozhye Cossacks were no less skillful and courageous naval commanders and sailors, and also won no less resounding victories than their sea robbery colleagues, the French, British and Dutch in the Spanish seas.
Literature:
Grushevsky V. “History of Ukraine”, St. Petersburg, 1860.
Smirnov A. “Maritime history of the Cossacks”, Moscow, 2006.
Subtelny O. “History of Ukraine”, Kyiv 1994.
Chernikov I. I. “History of river flotillas.”
Shumov S., Andreev A. “History of the Zaporozhye Sich.” Kyiv-Moscow, 1910.
Evarnitsky D.I. “Zaporozhye in the remains of antiquity.” St. Petersburg, 1888.
Evarnitsky D.I. “History of the Zaporozhye Cossacks.” T.1-3, Kyiv, 1990. Evarnitsky D.I. “How the Cossacks defeated the Muslims.” St. Petersburg, 1902.
Lesson No. 18 “The era of Cossack heroic campaigns” Forecasting results. Exercise "Three steps". Step one: “Program your result”: in the table “My score for the lesson” 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 color the score you would like to receive for the lesson. 1st step 2nd step 3rd step “Tree of Knowledge” “Dnieper “Cossack “Cossack” Zaporozhye “Cossack “Cossack” rapids” republic” foreman” Sich” kleynody” Using supporting words and phrases for 5 minutes. compose and write down two questions that, if possible, you could ask Dmitry Vishnevetsky. Choose adjectives that would characterize Today's era of the emergence of the lesson of the Cossacks in Ukraine. you understand why, on the one hand, difficult, and on the other, heroic, those times remained in the memory of the people. explain why the beginning of the 17th century. called the “era of heroic campaigns” show on the map the territory of the Crimean Khanate, Kafa, Khotyn characterize the activities of Hetman P. Konashevich Sagaidachny compose chronological tasks concepts: “seagull”, “Zaporozhian Sich”, “Dnieper rapids”, “Zaporozhian Army”, “hard labor galleys” "", "slave trade", "kobzars", "dumas", "hetman" 1. Turkish-Tatar attacks on Ukraine and their consequences Since the end of the 13th century. Mongols living in the Golden Horde choose Crimea as their place of permanent residence. Over time, they mixed with the nomadic Cumans, and the Crimean Tatar people were formed. In 1449, the Crimean Khanate appeared - a state independent of the Golden Horde. Bakhchisarai became the capital. The power of the khan was controlled by the Turkish Sultan. Crimean Tatars were skilled warriors. The Tatars often raided Ukrainian lands. Ukrainians were taken into captivity. Many captives ended up in the slave markets of Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. The largest slave market of that time was Kafa (Feodosia). Captured Cossacks and young peasants became rowers on Turkish ships (galleys). Boys were raised as Janissaries. Girls and women became concubines in Turkish Tatar harems. Insert the missing words into the diagram “Consequences of the Turkish-Tatar attacks on Ukraine” Ukrainian cities and villages…. Turkish-Tatar aggression (attacks or raids) UKRAINE Ukrainian economy ... The Ukrainian population fell, men fell into ... Women, girls ended up in ... in ... boys were given away ... Whoever resisted, that .... Using the text of the textbook p.98 and using the formula studied in the last lesson, explain the concepts of “janissaries”, “hard labor galleys” FORMULA for forming a definition of concepts Word – what? (who?) – why? (reasons) – when? (time) – where? (place) Fires are burning beyond the river, There are plenty of Tatars there to fight. Our village was set on fire, our wealth was plundered, our old lady was hacked to death, and our dear little one was taken. And in the valley the tambourines are buzzing, leading people to the death: the stakes of the lasso are flying, and the lance is beating on the legs. And I, poor thing, with my children, walk through the forest with stitches. Let me out of the water... The axis-axis seagull is above me. (Ukrainian folk songs and thoughts. - K., 1992. - P. 35–36) Songs and thoughts were composed and sung about the bitter fate of slaves by lyre players and kobzars - traveling singers who sang, sometimes created thoughts, folk songs, accompanying them with playing on the clergy, kobza, bandura. Starting from the end of the 16th century, the Cossacks constantly attacked the possessions of Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. In response to the Tatar invasions, the Cossacks destroyed the Tatar nomadic camps. The Cossacks went on sea campaigns against the Turks and Tatars to take military booty and free their brothers-in-arms and other compatriots from captivity. These campaigns kept the Ottoman Empire in constant tension, weakened its military forces, undermined the power of the empire, and prevented plans for aggression against other states. The Cossacks hardened themselves in these campaigns, acquired military experience and the highest skill and cohesion. The most successful campaigns were at the beginning of the 17th century. This period in the history of the Cossacks was called the “era of heroic campaigns.” 3. Features of the organization of the Cossack army, tactical techniques in military campaigns. Cossack infantry is the main branch of the Cossack army. Unlike the infantry of European armies of that time, which carried out military tasks only with the support of cavalry, the Cossack army acted on its own. During the battle, the Cossack infantry lined up in three ranks. Only the first rank fired, the second served, and the third loaded the guns. During particularly brutal battles, a different combat organization was used. For example, the Cossack army could mix with the enemy army. The Cossacks called such a fight “galas”. The most original and popular among the Cossacks was the battle formation, which was called the “camp”. The camp was used by the Cossack army on the march, in defense and during the offensive. Cossack battle formation The camp was built from carts, fastened with chains in several rows and built in a rectangle, crescent, oval. Advancing on the enemy, the infantry went outside the camp, but in case of danger, returned to the protective ring. Contemporaries called the camp a “moving fortress,” since the Cossacks, under the cover of carts, could travel hundreds of kilometers across the bare steppe. The constant threat of enemy attack forced the Cossacks to take care of reconnaissance. The Zaporizhian army had a guard service and patrol. Cossack reconnaissance guard units were located in earthen or wooden fortifications on the borders of Ukrainian lands. To monitor the area, the Cossacks used ancient mounds or built their own, and also built signal beacons. The Cossacks preferred light guns, which increased the ability to maneuver during battle. For the assault, the Cossacks used different shelters. For example, walk-towns are special devices made of wooden shields on wheels or runners with embrasures (holes) for rifles and cannons. Among the weapons, the Cossacks distinguished guns, spears and sabers. The Cossack fleet consisted of light, extremely maneuverable boats - seagulls. Cossack seagull ships were long - about 20 m, wide - 34 m, high - 2.5 m. The ship had two rudders - bow and stern, thanks to which it could change course by 180 degrees at any time. The seagull accommodated 50-70 Cossacks, each taking with him two guns and a saber. The seagull's crew was also armed with small cannons. The boats moved either by oars or under sail, which made it possible to make the best use of weather conditions. They could moor to any shore, unlike the bulky Turkish galleys. Cossack sea boats floated well on the water, since bundles of dry reeds were attached to their sides. Category “This is interesting!” In Cossack times, in our region, Cossack gulls were hollowed out of centuries-old Samara lindens and oaks - one of them was found in the Samara River on the Samarsky farm (Podlesnoe village) and exhibited in the Pavlograd Museum of History and Local Lore. The Cossacks went through Samara and Volchya to the Black Sea. It was longer than along the Dnieper, more labor-intensive - a long stretch had to be pulled by boats to the sources of the Kalmius on rollers, but it was safer. 4. Hetman Peter Konashevich-Sagaidachny Descended from a noble family. He studied at the Ostrog Academy. He was a strong-willed, powerful and unshakable man in his decisions. He supported the Orthodox Church. Together with his Cossack army, he joined the Kiev Orthodox Brotherhood. Donated money for the development of education in Ukraine. Sagaidachny received his nickname from the word “sagaidak” (quiver for arrows), as he knew how to shoot a bow well. It was under him that strict discipline was established in the Cossack army, and it became a real army. Capture of Kafa by Sagaidachny in 1616 The most memorable was the campaign of 1616. There were 2 thousand Cossacks with Sagaidachny at that time. The Cossack flotilla moved along the Crimean coast, and Sagaidachny stood, looked at the shore - and not a word. We reached Kafa itself. And there the hetman ordered all the Cossacks to change into Turkish clothes, move to the galleys (a little earlier in the battle, the Cossacks captured 11 galleys and a hundred small ships) and enter the harbor. Sagaidachny is in front, behind him is the army - and past the Turkish ships - in a straight line to the pier. The Turkish ships standing in the harbor found themselves between the Cossack galleys. The Turks were not ready for defense. Several galleys immediately caught fire... The Turks shout, scream, guns thunder, and the Cossacks climb onto the Turkish ships with oars, ropes with hooks, and ladders. The Cossacks either burned or sank all the Turkish ships that were then in the harbor, and then rushed into the city, because it was the largest slave market in Crimea. The fourteen thousand strong Kafa outpost could not do anything. Having freed several thousand prisoners, the Cossacks burned Cafa and returned home safely. Khotyn War of 1621. The Hetman tried to fight against the Turks by all means. The Cossacks under his command came to the aid of Poland, which was waging a war with Turkey. Campaign of Osman II 150 thousand. army against the Polish army in 1621. One of the decisive battles of this war took place near the fortress city of Khotyn in 1621. It was the Cossacks of Peter Sagaidachny who played a significant role in the victory of the Polish side. Thanks to the Cossacks, the Turkish troops, having lost the battle of Khotyn, did not advance deeper into Europe, but made peace with Poland. Look at the map. Mark the site of the battle of Khotyn on your outline map. Answer the questions: 1. Which state were the Zaporozhye lands part of during the heroic campaigns of the Cossacks? 2. Which Turkish-Tatar fortresses did the Cossacks go to? 3. How is the Khotyn fortress located relative to the Zaporozhye lands, near which in 1621 a battle took place between the troops of the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth? 4. Which state was the Crimean Khanate in vassal dependence? textbook p. 93. 5. Where, relative to the Zaporozhye lands, is Kafa located? Choose the sentences that talk about P. Konashevich-Sagaidachny. Make up a story about this historical figure from them. 1. He had the glory of a naval commander. 2. He led the victorious campaign against the Turkish fortress, where the largest slave market in Crimea was located. 3. Built the first Zaporozhye Sich on the Dnieper. 4. Organized the Cossack army and turned it into a regular, well-trained and armed force. 5. Thanks to his talented leadership, victory was achieved over the Turkish army near Khotyn in 1621. 6. Founded the Ostrog Academy. Homework Preparing for the implementation of the historical project “Chronicle of the National Liberation War of the Ukrainian People 1648 – 1657.” Fifth graders are united into 6 groups. Each group is assigned a curator from the eighth grade who helps and advises the fifth graders. Each group receives advanced homework. Group 1: prepare a historical newspaper dedicated to B. Khmelnytsky (headings: “the face of history” (story about the hetman), crossword about the hetman, interview with the hetman). Group 2: map-scheme of the victorious battles of 1648 with their brief description. Group 3: drawings and story about the siege of Lvov. Group 4: Battle of Zbarazh, Treaty of Zbarazh. Illustrations of events on the plan diagram; brief description of events. Group 5: Battle of Berestetskaya, Belotserkov Treaty. Feat of 300 Cossacks. Plan diagram with illustrations, a short story about the events of the battle. Group 6: Treaty of Pereyaslavl, Vilna Moscow-Polish Truce. A schematic map showing how the Moscow state and Poland divided the Ukrainian lands among themselves. A short story.
In the 16th – 17th centuries. the free Cossacks were a veil between the Ottoman Empire and the possessions of Russia and Poland. This restless people carried out not only border raids, but also sea raids...
In the 16th – 17th centuries. the free Cossacks were a veil between the Ottoman Empire and the possessions of Russia and Poland. This restless people organized not only border raids, but also sea voyages to the Turkish shores. Several times the Cossacks even reached the outskirts of Constantinople. The appearance of their ships on the horizon caused panic in the Ottoman settlements.
Fleet and traditions
For a sea voyage, the Cossacks could usually equip up to 100 ships (each plow could accommodate up to 70 people). The weapons consisted of rifles and sabers. The ships were also equipped with several light guns. The fleet was the exceptional strength of the Cossacks, since with its help it was possible to deliver an unexpected blow to the very heart of the Sultan's possessions.
The canoes (or plows) of the Cossacks reached a length of 18 meters. They were distinguished by their light weight and narrow hull, which made it easy to overtake Turkish galleys. More often, the Cossacks used oars, although in good weather they could also rely on a sail. To prevent ships from sinking, bundles of reeds were attached to their sides. The Don Cossacks preferred to build ships in the vicinity of Voronezh, the Cossacks - on the Dnieper islands.
Before a sea voyage, a military circle gathered. Candidates were put forward for military leaders capable of leading a detachment to the Turkish shores. If the candidate refused, he was killed for cowardice. The same thing was done with those atamans who were cowards on the battlefield. At the same time, the leader who lived up to the hopes of the Cossacks had unlimited power during the campaign. He could single-handedly judge and punish traitors (a common type of execution was impalement).
Cossack attack on Kafa in 1616
Registered Cossacks of the Dnieper region, accepted into Polish military service, received permission from the official representative of the king - the hetman. Sometimes the hetmans themselves led the flotilla to the south. This is what Pyotr Sagaidachny (1616 - 1622) did.
The Cossacks had to overcome the Dnieper rapids. Once upon a time, it was here that the Kiev prince Svyatoslav Igorevich died in a battle with the Pechenegs. The success of the campaign largely depended on whether the Cossacks could keep the news of their fleet approaching enemy shores secret. If secrecy was observed, with the appearance of the enemy on the horizon, panic began in the Ottoman settlements. When the Turks managed to find out in advance about the plans of their restless neighbors, their fleet blocked the mouth of the Dnieper. The Cossacks, as a rule, did not engage him in battle, but bypassed the obstacle, dragging ships through shallow water.
Hiking history
The first sea voyages of the Cossacks to the shores of the Ottoman Empire date back to the middle of the 16th century. In 1538 and 1545 they appeared at Ochakov, destroyed its walls and took many prisoners. Having become addicted to prey, the Zaporozhye Cossacks began to expand the scope of their expeditions. In 1575, under the command of Hetman Bogdan Ruzhinsky, they devastated the Tatar Crimea, then crossed the Black Sea and plundered Trebizond and Sinop. These cities were already in Asia Minor - in the original Turkish territories. Since then, the Cossack threat has acquired the most serious scale for the Sublime Porte.
The Cossacks never captured settlements, establishing their power there, but only burned, plundered and loaded back onto the plows with the booty. For this reason, they tried not to go far from the sea. The entire expedition took part in the battles. After landing on the shore, a minimum number of people were left to guard the ships. The Don Cossacks acted in a similar way.
The beginning of the 17th century can be called the golden age of Cossack sea campaigns. During this period, raiders even appeared in the vicinity of Constantinople. Settlements near the Turkish capital were ruined, after which unexpected guests immediately left the coast. When in 1615 Turkish ships tried to intercept the Cossacks, they won a naval battle and captured Kapudan Pasha, the commander of the fleet. In another battle, the Cossacks were helped by their co-religionists, whom the Ottomans used as slaves in the galleys. At the height of the battle, the slaves refused to row. The grateful Cossacks freed all the slaves. And the letter from Repin’s famous painting was a response to the Sultan’s ultimatum, demanding an end to sea voyages.
“The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan”, Ilya Repin. 1891
The willful raids put the Russian and Polish authorities in an ambiguous position and often led to diplomatic conflicts. So, after another robbery in the vicinity of Constantinople in 1623, Mikhail Fedorovich, by his decree, forbade the Don Cossacks to attack Turkish cities without his royal permission. These attempts led nowhere for a long time.
Everything changed in the 18th century, which became the era of the Russian-Turkish wars. With the establishment of the power of the tsarist administration in the areas inhabited by the Cossacks, they had to abandon their previous traditions of robberies and raids. Having played their historical role, daring sea raids are a thing of the past. It was the pressure of the Cossacks that stopped Turkish expansion in the Black Sea region.
The Lithuanian and Polish authorities were unable to establish effective defense of Ukrainian lands from Turkish-Tatar attacks. The main force that protected the civilian population from enemies was the Cossacks; with the advent of the Zaporozhye Sich, resistance to Tatar raids acquired the character of an organized struggle. The Cossacks carried out guard duty on the main Tatar routes, warned in advance about the appearance of attackers, and defeated the detachments that drove prisoners to the Crimea. In 1589, when the Tatar horde attacked Podolia and Galicia, the Cossacks made a quick transition from Zaporozhye to the Dniester. At night they attacked the Tatar camp and, having destroyed several thousand Tatars, freed all the prisoners. In response to the Turkish-Tatar attacks, the Cossacks devastated the Tatar nomadic camps and destroyed the garrisons of Turkish and Tatar fortresses.
The Zaporozhye Cossacks became famous for their bold naval campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. They carried out their rather long trips on seagulls - large seaworthy boats that moved with both sails and oars and carried 50-70 armed Cossacks with small cannons. Cossack naval campaigns against Turkey reached their greatest extent in the first two decades of the 17th century. This period is called the “era of heroic campaigns” of the Zaporozhye Cossacks.
In 1606, the Cossacks captured the Turkish fortress of Varna, which was considered impregnable. In response to this impudence, the enraged Turkish Sultan ordered to block the Dnieper between the fortresses of Aslankermen and Kizikermen with an iron chain in order to prevent the Cossacks from entering the Black Sea. Only a narrow passage was left in the middle of the Dnieper, and the entire space next to it could be shot through by the cannons of the fortresses. However, this did not stop the Cossacks: they dragged their boats, bypassing the fortresses, or sneaked through the passage.
In 1608, the Cossacks captured Perekop, and the following year attacked the Danube fortresses of Izmail, Kilia and others, as well as Belgorod-on-Dniester. In 1614, the Cossacks crossed the Black Sea, landed on the Turkish coast of Asia Minor and destroyed Sinop and Trebizond, and in 1615 they appeared under the walls of Istanbul and burned its port facilities. One of the most famous was the campaign of 1616, in which the Cossacks received Kafa - a formidable Turkish fortress in the Crimea, and the most slave market, and freed many prisoners.
The campaigns of the Zaporozhye Cossacks against the Ottoman Empire contributed to the transformation of the Cossacks into an influential international force. They contributed to the authority and popularity of the Cossacks in Europe, and also significantly weakened the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. This blocked and restrained Turkey’s aggressive aspirations regarding European countries and contributed to the liberation of the peoples it had conquered.
During the sea campaigns against the Turks, Peter Konashevich (c. 1577-1622 pp.) gained fame as a brilliant commander, who was elected hetman of the Zaporozhye Army several times in the 1610s and early 1620s. In the Sich they called him Sagaidachny.
Pyotr Konashevich was born in the village of Kulchitsy in Sambirshchyna into the family of a Ukrainian nobleman. He studied at the Ostroh school and the Lviv Brotherhood school. He served as a home teacher for the Kyiv judge Aksak, and subsequently went to the Zaporozhye Sich, where he proved himself to be a talented leader. At the beginning of the 17th century. participated in the Cossack campaigns against Moldova and Livonia. Led a number of successful expeditions to
Ottoman Empire and Crimean Khanate. It is with his name that the capture of Varna (1606) and Kafa (1616) is associated. In 1618, Sagaidachny took part in the campaign of the troops of the Polish prince Vladislav against Moscow. The twenty-thousand-strong Cossack army led by Sagaidachny took several cities, surrounded and almost captured Moscow, but retreated for unknown reasons.
Sagaidachny pursued an independent foreign policy. In 1618, he joined the anti-Turkish Christian Militia League, which arose in Europe. Thanks to this, the authority of the Zaporozhye Army in the international arena grew. In 1620, the Hetman sent a special embassy to the Tsar in Moscow with a request to accept the Cossacks into Russian service.
Sagaidachny successfully commanded the Cossacks during the Khotyn War of 1621 - an armed conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which broke out as a result of the Porte's attempts to extend its influence into Central Europe. The war began in the spring of 1621, when Sultan Osman II, at the head of a 150,000-strong army, moved to Moldavia. 60 thousand Crimean Tatars joined him. Due to the small number of the crown army, led by the Lithuanian hetman Karl Chodkevich (35 thousand warriors), more than 41,000 Cossacks, led first by Y. Borodavka, and later by P. Sagaidachny, came to his aid.
The main events of the war unfolded under the walls of the Khotyn fortress, which was defended by the Poles. For more than three weeks in September 1621, bloody battles took place near Khotyn, in which Ukrainian Cossacks played a decisive role, and Osman II was forced to enter into an agreement with the royal commissioners. According to the agreement, the border between the two countries was established along the Dniester. The Turks and Tatars pledged not to carry out predatory campaigns on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Polish government promised to restrain Cossack campaigns.
In the Khotyn War, the Ukrainian Cossacks, through their actions, saved the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the Turkish yoke. The offensive of the Ottoman Empire on European countries was stopped. Assessing the actions of Sagaidachny, the author of the “History of the Khotyn War” J. Sobieski wrote: “For as long as Sagaidachny led the Zaporozhye army, he was everywhere covered with the glory of exploits on land and at sea and had constant happiness. He defeated the Tatars several times in the Perekop steppes and brought fear to the Crimea. His naval campaigns were no less glorified - he destroyed several large Turkish cities in Europe and Asia, burned the outskirts of Constantinople. In general, he was a man of great spirit, he himself sought danger, thoughtlessly with life, was nimble in battle, active, cautious in the camp, slept little and did not drink ", he was careful at meetings and taciturn in all conversations."
Sahaidachny is known as a philanthropist and an ardent supporter of the fraternal movement. In between campaigns, Sagaidachny showed concern for Ukrainian culture and education. Together with the entire Zaporozhian Army, he joined the Kiev Brotherhood and contributed to the restoration of the Orthodox hierarchy in Ukraine, abolished after the Union of Brest in 1596
In 1620, Sagaidachny provided security for the Jerusalem Patriarch Theophan, who ordained Job Boretsky and five bishops as metropolitans of Kyiv.
Before his death, he bequeathed his property for educational and charitable purposes, and donated 1,500 zlotys to the Kyiv and Lviv fraternal schools. The glorious knight of Ukraine was buried in Kyiv in the fraternal monastery on Podol.
The tsarist government highly appreciated the role of the Cossacks in the liberation war. In June 1614, the embassy of Ivan Opukhtin brought a salary to the Don. For the first time, the Don Army was awarded the sovereign banner. Priests were also sent from Moscow. And in the Cherkasy town the first chapel on the Don was built.
Ukrainian Cossacks' ties with the state have also improved. They, in general, also divided. Some of them wandered around Rus' during the Time of Troubles. But the other part of the Cossacks continued to attack the Turks and Tatars. In 1605 they took and destroyed Varna, in 1608 - Perekop and Ochakov. An outstanding Cossack leader emerged in these enterprises Petr Konashevich-Sagaidachny. In 1612, his squadron took Cafa, freeing thousands of slaves. The next raid of 2 thousand Cossacks captured Sinop. Sagaidachny was a zealous champion of Orthodoxy and Cossack liberties. But he believed that all rights could be earned by valiant service to Poland: the king and lords would appreciate it, and they would make concessions. The Cossacks also responded to the king’s call to oppose Russia. Sagaidachny's troops destroyed Bolkhov, Przemysl, and Kozelsk. But the residents of Kaluga, to whom 2.5 thousand Donets came to the aid, repelled the Cossacks. They retreated to the Belaya fortress, where they were besieged, and Sagaidachny barely escaped with a few people, the rest were captured.
Unfortunately, the government formed under Mikhail Fedorovich was weak. His relatives, the stupid Saltykovs, ruled. The war was waged with “spread fingers”; they began to assemble not one, but two armies, Cherkassky against the Poles and Trubetskoy against the Swedes. But they turned out to be small in number, Cherkakssky could not take Smolensk, and Trubetskoy could not take Novgorod. Friendship with the Cossacks quickly darkened. The government started “dismantling” the villages so that the “old” Cossacks would remain in them, and the “new” ones who had come to the Time of Troubles would need to be removed. True, it was planned to do this “of their own free will,” according to the consideration and “petition” of the Cossacks themselves. And former slaves and serfs were given a choice - to return to their previous owner or go to another. But they have already taken root in the villages and become close friends in battles. And the Cossacks sharply opposed, declaring: “There is no extradition from the Don!” When attempting to “disassemble” the units began to leave service on the Don. Or they acted independently, wandered along the Oka and entered into agreements with local residents - they provided supplies, and the Cossacks defended them from the Tatars and Poles.
In addition, Moscow tried to conclude an alliance with Turkey against Poland, for which it demanded that the Donets remain at peace with Azov and Crimea. But they didn’t stop attacks! In 1615, when the royal embassy to the Sultan passed through Azov, captive Cossacks and an ataman were brought there after another raid Matveya Listvennikova. In the square they were subjected to inhuman torture, the belts were cut from their backs. The Cossacks are not used to forgiving this. Azov was besieged. They couldn’t take it, but they went out to sea and burned Sinop. And the Cossacks added that their squadron had already appeared near Istanbul, “fumigated it with musket smoke,” and robbed villas in the surrounding area. The Sultan sent a fleet against the Cossacks, but it was defeated near the mouth of the Danube, capturing several ships and capturing the Kapudan Pasha (admiral). The Turks were furious, the vizier accused the Russian ambassadors. They made excuses that the Cossacks were “free people” and were not subjects of the tsar. However, the Turks knew that these same ambassadors brought salaries to the Don, accused him of deception, and the signing of the union treaty fell through.
But they managed without the Turks. The Swedish king Gustav II Adolf broke his teeth trying to take Pskov (several Cossack villages also took part in the heroic defense). And the partisan war showed the king that holding Novgorod land would not be easy. And he agreed to make peace, being satisfied that he had again taken away the areas adjacent to the Gulf of Finland. He was very pleased with this and exclaimed: “The sea has been taken away from the Russians!” The Poles did not want to make peace and launched another offensive. However, Poland was already running out of steam. Only 10–15 thousand people were gathered into the army under the command of Prince Vladislav. It reached Mozhaisk and found itself in a difficult situation, surrounded on several sides by Russian armies. Saved the prince Sagaidachny. Hetman Zolkiewski held negotiations with him. He promised to increase the register of Cossacks to 12 thousand, to restore the rights of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. And Sagaidachny, having gathered 20 thousand Cossacks, invaded Russia, burned Livny and Yelets. The tsarist government began to shuffle its forces, and the Poles and Ukrainians, taking advantage of this, broke through to Moscow from both sides. They failed to take it, the assault was repulsed. And only after this, in 1618, Poland agreed to conclude a truce for 14 years. Under very difficult conditions, the Smolensk, Chernihiv, and Severshchina were ceded to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Nevertheless, exhausted Rus' finally found peace. And the king’s father Filaret returned from captivity. He was made patriarch, but at the same time accepted the title of sovereign and became the de facto ruler under his son. And it was he who became the restorer of Rus' after the Time of Troubles. He expelled temporary workers and crooks from the government and carried out a number of important reforms. Under him, relations between Moscow and the Don were also streamlined. The size of the annual salary for the army was determined: 7 thousand quarters of flour, 500 buckets of wine, 260 pounds of gunpowder, 150 pounds of lead, 17,142 rubles. money and another 1169 rubles. 60 kopecks “to the budars” (barges that transported all this). For the construction of budars, Filaret (and not Peter I) organized shipyards in Voronezh. And every winter, a “winter village” of ataman and hundreds of distinguished Cossacks began to be sent from the Don to Moscow, bringing “receipts” about military affairs. If some urgent issues needed to be resolved, “light villages” of 5-10 Cossacks were sent. But at the same time, the Don retained complete autonomy; the Cossacks were not considered Russian subjects, and they were accepted into the Foreign Order (in charge of serving foreigners).
And in Poland, Sagaidachny, for his services to the king, was indeed able to establish himself independently. The elected post of hetman was restored, and Sahaidachny occupied it. When Patriarch Theophan of Jerusalem was passing through Ukraine to Moscow, the hetman persuaded him to ordain Joseph Boretsky, Metropolitan of Kyiv. In this way, the structure of the Orthodox Church was restored (but for this, Feofan imposed a ban on the Cossacks - never to go to war against Russia again). Sagaidachny founded the Brotherhood Monastery in Kyiv, a school for training clergy. It seemed that Cossack liberties had returned. The peasant went to Zaporozhye for a year or two, and returned with the rank of “Cossack”. He started a farm on lands given to magnates, but considered himself free. However, these “liberties” were illusory; they were tolerated for the time being. And the Poles did not recognize Orthodox hierarchs as “legitimate”; they continued to persecute the church and seize churches and property.
Well, the affairs of the Don Cossacks soon came into conflict with Filaret’s policies. The Patriarch quite rightly considered Poland the main enemy of Russia. She never recognized Mikhail Fedorovich as tsar and retained this title for Vladislav. Projects for converting Russians to the union did not disappear either - Filaret knew about them very well; during his time in captivity, the Jesuits worked on him in every possible way. This means that a new battle was inevitable, in which the very existence of Russia and the Russians as a people was at stake. And Türkiye looked like an ally against Poland. But the sea voyages of the Donets gained increasing scope. Moreover, they began to act together with the Cossacks. It turned out - with a potential enemy. After the Time of Troubles, the center of the Don Army became the Monastyrsky town (named after the Monastyrsky tract - there were no monasteries here). Here a military circle gathered, elected an ataman and approved plans for the next year. They built and pitched the canoes. The Cossacks called them “gulls,” but the design on the Dnieper and Don was the same.
Boats 15–20 m long were made from hollowed out trees, the sides were covered with boards. For maneuverability, they had 2 rudders, front and rear, and to increase their unsinkability and protection from bullets, they were tied with armfuls of reeds along the sides. The crew consisted of 40–70 Cossacks. The ships were equipped with 4–6 light falconette cannons, each Cossack took 2–3 guns. With a fair wind, the mast with a straight sail was raised. But more often they went by oars and reached Asia Minor in 35–40 hours. Sinop, Trebizond, Varna, and Kafa were burning again. The Turks set up warning systems along the banks and sent squadrons to the mouths of the Don and Dnieper. But nothing helped. The swift Cossack flotillas were ahead of the alarm signals. And the Turkish sailors were deceived, they broke through home by other rivers - they often used the route through the Mius, from where they were dragged into the tributaries of the Don and Dnieper.
They also attacked ships on the open sea. The boats were low, and the Cossacks noticed the Turkish ships before they discovered them themselves. We followed the enemy at a distance, keeping from the direction of the sun. And when it came, they silently rowed up to the side, removed the watchmen and burst onto the ship. In naval battles, the Cossacks skillfully maneuvered, avoiding gunfire. We tried to get close, to get into the dead zone. They cleared the enemy deck with a shower of well-aimed bullets and rushed to board. The loot they brought was huge. But they also died in large numbers. In battles, storms, at the hands of executioners. When in the next battle the Cossacks battered the Turkish fleet, destroying 20 galleys, the enemies managed to capture 17 boats with wounded crews. The prisoners were subjected to show executions in Istanbul. Some were laid on the ground and trampled by elephants, others were tied to galleys rowing in different directions and torn to pieces, and others were buried alive.
Türkiye at this time was preparing for a new war with Poland, offering Moscow an alliance. Russia was not yet ready to fight. But I didn’t want to miss the chance either. And Filaret decided to support the Sultan “unofficially”, and at the same time redirect the Don people in the right direction. He ordered them to take the side of the Turks. But the patriarch was wrong. The army flatly refused, declaring that if Russia were to fight, it would fight under the command of the tsarist commanders, but to serve under the command of “the custom of the Don Cossacks has never happened to the wicked pashas.”
In 1620, the Ottoman hordes moved against the Poles and defeated them near Tsetsora, and in 1621, a hundred thousand army approached the Khotyn fortress. Under the banner of Prince Vladislav, who led the Polish army, they managed to gather only 30 thousand soldiers. Panic reigned in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And Sigismund committed a new stupidity, declared Orthodox priests to be Turkish spies and began arrests. The Cossacks were indignant and did not want to defend such power. Sagaidachny saved Poland again. He appeared in Zaporozhye and killed the chieftain Wart, who did not want to go to Khotyn, summoned Cossacks from everywhere, recruiting 40 thousand and brought Vladislav to the rescue. Having received an unexpected blow, the Turks were defeated and retreated. But Sagaidachny himself soon realized that he was mistaken. As soon as the threat disappeared, the lords became insolent. Despite the fact that at the Sejm Vladislav, who was not deprived of knightly honor, spoke in defense of the rights of the Cossacks, the gentry refused to recognize these rights. And then Sagaidachny secretly sent messengers... to Moscow. He became the first of the hetmans to propose a union and the transition of Ukraine to the citizenship of the tsar. But in Rus' they didn’t believe him, they remembered the campaigns against our country well, and the embassy was not accepted.
The Sultan also contacted Moscow. He demanded that the Dons be appeased. He even declared that he was ready to take them into his maintenance and resettle them in Anatolia, let them “hunt” against the enemies of the Porte. Filaret replied that the tsar was capable of pacifying the Cossacks himself. But Porta turned out to be too unreliable an “ally.” After Khotin, she made peace with Poland, and if so, the Crimean Khan followed the yasir in the other direction, to Rus'. In 1622, the Tatars broke through the border defenses, devastating Epifansky, Danilovsky, Odoevsky, Belevsky, and Dedilovsky districts. The Cossacks responded. Ataman Awl with a detachment of 700 Donets landed near Istanbul, “fought war in the Tsaregrad district of villages and villages,” although on the way back he was caught up by a Turkish squadron and killed 400 people. Codria and Trebizond were devastated, the Cossacks approached Kerch and Azov. In the end, this was how it was established - Moscow demanded that Istanbul appease the Crimeans, which the Turks could not and did not want to do. And when Istanbul demanded to pacify the Cossacks, Moscow answered: “Thieves live on the Don and do not listen to the sovereign.” However, at the same time, salaries were regularly sent to the Don, including ammunition.
In Ukraine, Sagaidachny passed away - he received a wound near Khotyn, was sick and, having become a monk, passed away into another world. And all the promises made to him were immediately forgotten. In 1625, the Cossacks sent delegates to the Sejm with a request to legislatively ensure the rights of the Orthodox, and attached a large list of lawlessness and grievances. To which they received a rude refusal - the very appeal of the “claps” to the Sejm was considered unforgivable insolence. And a rebellion broke out led by Zhmaila. On the initiative of the Kyiv Metropolitan Job Boretsky, the Cossacks sent an embassy to the tsar. They confessed for everything they had done during the Time of Troubles, asked for help and “acceptance of Little Russia and the Zaporozhye Cossacks into patronage.” The apology for the past was accepted. The king “absolved the guilt and ordered not to remember it in future.”
But Russia evaded the question of citizenship. She could not fight yet. And there was no confidence in the unanimous support of the Ukrainians, the answer was: “Now the Tsar’s Majesty cannot take up that matter,” since “that thought has not yet been established in you, and there is no strengthening between you yet.” However, while the ambassadors were traveling to Moscow, everything was already over in Ukraine. Troops were sent to attack the rebels. The Cossacks were besieged in a fortified camp near Lake Kurakovskoye and forced to sign the Kurakovsky Treaty. Under its terms, the rebels received an amnesty, but all the privileges that Sagaidachny managed to achieve were canceled. The register was again reduced to 6 thousand, the Cossacks were forbidden to go to sea. They were also forbidden to “live on the master’s estates” - either leave or become a serf.
At the same time, the Cossacks began to receive sensitive blows from the Turks. The new Sultan Murad IV began to build up the fleet and appointed capable sailors to command. In 1625, the Cossacks launched a massive raid, plundering Trebizond and 250 coastal villages. 50 galleys were sent against them. 300 boats rushed to attack the Turks. But strong winds and rough seas gave the large ships an advantage; they won, sinking many Cossack boats. And in the next raid, the Ottoman fleet destroyed another 20 Zaporozhye seagulls with their teams. Murad also resumed the project of an anti-Polish alliance with Russia. Its Greek ambassador, Thomas Cantacuzene, traveled back and forth between Istanbul and Moscow. He kissed the cross on behalf of the Sultan, “why should he and Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich be friends... stand for one thing against enemies.” The Sultan took the obligation to prohibit “the Crimean Tsar and the Nogai and Azov people from going to war on Moscow lands.” In 1627 the agreement was concluded. And stern orders were sent to the Don to stop the raids. Filaret threatened: “Or do you imagine that we, the great sovereign, cannot deal with you?”
Another problem was “theft” on the Volga. There was no talk of any lofty goals here. But the main trade route from Persia to Russia passed along the Volga, and the loot was rich and easy: silk, spices, Indian jewelry. And the “thieves’ Cossacks” went on a rampage, attacking merchants. The government undertook special expeditions to clear the Volga of these gangs. But they took refuge on the Don, and the Don people, tempted, sometimes joined them. The Tsar turned to the Army, demanding to stop these outrages. And the circle convened by the chieftain Rodilov, agreed that such robbery is unworthy. They said: “From now on and forever, no one from the Don should go to the Volga to steal; and if anyone shows up on the Don, he will be executed by death.”
However, sea voyages were different. Here, too, they went “for zipuns,” but as part of the fight against the enslavers of Christians. In 1628, the royal ambassadors Yakovlev and Evdokimov arrived on the Don to reconcile the Cossacks with the Crimeans and Azovites. The Donets, in general, did not refuse, but declared: “Let’s make peace, we won’t take Turkish cities and villages if there is no enthusiasm from the Azov people, if the Azov people stop going to the sovereign’s Ukraine, destroying the sovereign’s cities, our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, They won’t completely take their wives and children and sell them. If the Azovites pull back, then God and the sovereign will, but we will not tolerate it...” But this condition was impossible to fulfill, because the Sultan did not curb his subjects. And in the same year, the Cossacks attacked Crimea, burned Karasu and the Ministry of Culture. In 1629 they came to Istanbul. Part of the Cossack squadron operated at the entrance to the harbor, and 12 boats broke into the Bosphorus. They were pinned down by 14 Turkish galleys. Then the Cossacks landed on the shore, locked themselves in a Greek monastery and fired back. Their comrades, hearing the noise of the battle, approached in 50 boats, boarded and burned 2 galleys, landed troops and rescued the besieged. After which they cleared out, taking away a large loot.
The Turkish ambassador Kantakouzin came to Moscow with a whole bunch of complaints. He also added on his own behalf, conveying in the appropriate vein the pictures that he saw on the Don. Filaret became angry. 60 Cossacks accompanying the embassy were arrested and sent into exile.
Ambassador Savinov was supposed to go to Istanbul with Cantacuzin; he was ordered to announce to the Cossacks that until they corrected themselves, they would not receive a salary. And in order to intimidate the Don, governor Karamyshev was sent with ambassadors with a detachment of 700 archers. And they did it in vain. And the choice was unsuccessful. Karamyshev was the same one who in 1612 almost surrendered Volokolamsk to the Poles and was removed from command by the Cossacks. Now he was eager to wipe their noses, he made noises everywhere that the Cossacks and atamans would be “executed and hanged.” That he, they say, will unite with the Tatars and together with them will bring the Don to reason. The result was disastrous. The Cossacks were outraged by the arrest of their comrades in Moscow. And then Karamyshev added anger with his antics. They dragged him to the circle, chopped him up and drowned him. True, the ambassadors were not touched, they were escorted to Azov, they did not even take the large amount of money that Karamyshev was carrying. But the government's response was harsh. The village located in Moscow, the ataman Vasilyeva and 70 Cossacks were imprisoned, some were executed. They stopped sending salaries.
