Chyhyryn campaign (1676)

Last updated
Chyhyryn campaign
Part of Russo-Turkish War (1672–1681) and The Ruin (Ukrainian history)
DateAugust–October 1676
Location
Result Russian victory
Territorial
changes
End of Doroshenko's rule on the Right-bank Ukraine
Belligerents
Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg Right-bank Hetmanate Flag of Oryol ship (variant).svg Russia
Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg Left-bank Hetmanate
Flag of the Zaporizhian Sich.svg Zaporozhian Sich
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg Petro Doroshenko   White flag icon.svg Flag of Oryol ship (variant).svg Grigory Romodanovsky
Flag of Oryol ship (variant).svg Patrick Gordon
Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg Ivan Samoilovich
Flag of the Zaporizhian Sich.svg Ivan Sirko
Strength
200 serdiuks [1]
59 cannons [a]
50,000

The Chyhyryn campaign was a military expedition launched by the Russian-led army in September 1676, in order to oust Petro Doroshenko from power. The campaign ended in a Doroshenko's surrender and became a pretext for the Chyhyryn campaigns of 1677 and 1678.

Contents

Background

The Russian forces and the Cossacks of Ivan Samoylovych had previously launched a campaign with the goal of capturing the Right-bank from Doroshenko and the Ottoman Empire. After facing initial success and besieging Chyhyryn, the Ottoman army of Kara Mustafa Pasha was sent to recapture the region. After the victory at Ladyzhyn, the Cossack–Russian army was forced to lift the siege and retreat behind the Dnieper. The cities that previously pledged their loyalty to Samoylovych were brutally pacified. However Doroshenko, who was in a disastrous situation due to most of starshyna cutting ties with him, surrendered and pledged loyalty to Alexis of Russia in the presence of Ivan Sirko in October 1675. [2] This was, however, unaccepted by Romodanovsky and Samoilovich who were demanding him to pledge loyalty to the tsar in the Left-bank. Doroshenko refused. Some modern historians consider Doroshenko's surrender as an attempt to win the time. [3] Although Doroshenko was temporarily left with no external support, it was renewed in the spring of 1676, [4] when the Crimean–Cossack army began preparing for a major raid on the Left-bank Ukraine.

Campaign

After concerning that most of the Ottoman army is fighting on the Polish front, in August 1676, the Russian–Cossack army went on a campaign. On 11 August, Romodanovsky left Kursk and on 30 August, his army united with Samoilovich's Cossacks near Lokhvytsia. [1] Soon they approached Chyhyryn, quickly defeated the local guard and besieged the city. Seeing no other choice, on 19 September, Doroshenko surrendered Chyhyryn and the hetman's title to Ivan Samoylovych [5] and was exiled to Left-bank, from where he was sent to Russia. [6] [7] The Russians soon entered Chyhyryn and placed a garrison there. Most of the Right-bank starshyna also joined Samoylovych.

Aftermath

Petro Doroshenko handed over his Hetman's insignia to Ivan Sirko. [8] The campaign ended Doroshenko's rule on the Right-bank, which, according to some Ukrainian historians consider, ended the Ukrainian national revolution. [9] [10] M.O. Krovkov became a new voivode of Chyhyryn. Ottoman Empire did not wanted to lose the Right-bank and in February 1677, it appointed Yurii Khmelnytsky as a hetman of Right-bank Ukraine. [4] In order to help Khmelnytsky in regaining control over Right-bank Ukraine, the Ottomans and their allies launched two Chyhyryn campaigns. The first one ended unsuccessfully, the siege of Chyhyryn was lifted and the Ottoman army retreated beyond the Inhul. However, in the second campaign the Turks managed to oust the Russians and the Cossacks from Chyhyryn, although they left the city after some time due to frequent raids of Ivan Sirko. [11]

Notes

  1. 21 of them were disabled

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 Velikanov 2022, p. 162.
  2. "20.Правобережний гетьман Петро Дорошенко і його боротьба за об'єднання України". StudFiles (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  3. Velikanov 2022, p. 159.
  4. 1 2 Velikanov 2022, p. 160.
  5. "Петро Дорошенко – найтрагічніша постать гетьмана..." (in Ukrainian). 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  6. Лук'янюк, Володимир; Лук'янюк, Володимир (2018-09-18). "Цей день в історії : 19 вересня 1676 : Зречення Петра Дорошенка". Цей день в історії. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  7. Velikanov 2022, p. 156.
  8. Zenon E. Kohut (2005). Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Scarecrow Press. p. 538. ISBN   0-8108-5387-6.
  9. "Українська національна революція ХVII ст. (1648-1676 рр.) - Смолій В., Степанков В. - 2009". djvu.online. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  10. "НАЦІОНАЛЬНА РЕВОЛЮЦІЯ 1648–1676". resource.history.org.ua. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  11. "Chyhyryn campaigns, 1677–8". www.encyclopediaofukraine.com. Retrieved 2025-08-15.