| Part of a series on |
| Cossacks |
|---|
 |
| Cossack hosts |
| Other Cossack groups |
| History |
| Notable Cossacks |
| Cossack terms |
| Cossack folklore |
Among Zaporozhian Cossacks, starshyna was a collective noun for admitistrative categories of military officers and state officials. In common parlance the term referred to the privileged social stratum of the Cossack society. [1]
Starshyna was subdivided into:
- General Starshyna (Генеральна старшина), headed by Hetman (or Quartermaster General as acting Hetman)
- Regimental (Polkova) Starshyna, headed by Polkovnyk (Colonel)
- Regimental Obozni (Quartermaster) (Ukrainian : Полковий обозний) – first Deputy Colonel. He was in charge of artillery and fortress fortifications. In the absence of a colonel he replaced him, but he was not authorized to issue universal orders (as opposed to the commanding colonel).
- Regimental Judge (Ukrainian : Полковий суддя) – was in charge of a civil court in the ratusha
- Regimental Osavul (Ukrainian : Полковий осавул) – assistant Colonel in Military Affairs
- Regimental Khorunzhyi (Ukrainian : Полковий хорунжий) – commander of the "Khorunzhy Cossacks", guarding the colonel and the starshyna. He was in charge of regimental music and was responsible for keeping the khorugv (regiment flag).
- Regimental scribe (Ukrainian : Полковий писар, romanized: Polkovyi pysar) – secretaries at the ratusha. One was in charge of military affairs, and the other of civilian affairs.
- Some members of the regimental starshyna, 18th century
- Starshyna of Hundred (Sotenna) – headed by Sotnyk
- Sotenny otaman (Ukrainian : Сотенний отаман) – the deputy Sotnyk, implemented the duties of an obozni and a judge on a sotnia level
- Sotenny Osavul (Ukrainian : Сотенний осавул) – assistant sotnik in military affairs
- Sotenny Khorunzhy (Ukrainian : Сотенний хорунжий) – headed the sotnia's flags
- Sotenny Scribe (Ukrainian : Сотенний писар) – a secretary
- Junior Starshyna (Молодша старшина) – headed by Otaman
- Chancellery: Regimental scribe , General scribe
Later, sometime after the Khmelnytsky's Uprising, it was also associated with the Ukrainian nobility which derived out of the officership and the Hetman.