Khmelnytsky Uprising: A View from Both Sides
film with Polish subtitles
In the consciousness of most Ukrainians, Bohdan Khmelnytsky is remembered as a hero who fought against the “Polish lords” and created the prototype of a Ukrainian state with broad autonomy – the Hetmanate. In Polish historiography, however, the Cossack leader is often portrayed as a rebel who, driven by personal grievances, rose up against central authority and the nobility. This uprising became a kind of “time bomb”, leading to profound changes in the socio-political life of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the new episode of Realna Istorija, we show the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Ruthenian voivodeships of the Commonwealth – today’s Ukraine – towards the events often described there as a “national liberation war”, the social composition of the warring sides, their objectives, and the factors that prompted Khmelnytsky to form an alliance with Moscow in 1654.
The personal story of Bohdan Khmelnytsky is well known: Daniel Czapliński, the deputy starosta of Chyhyryn, attacked his estate in Subotiv, abducted his fiancée, plundered his property and, according to later sources, killed his younger son. Even King Władysław IV was unable to restore justice quickly – the monarch’s powers to intervene in private matters were limited, and decisions were made by the Sejm and the courts dominated by the nobility. The nobility, often unsympathetic towards the Cossacks, typically sided with their own. Yet was this truly the main cause of such a large-scale uprising?
Equally fascinating and instructive for modern viewers is the discussion of Khmelnytsky’s diplomatic activity and his strategy for gaining allies. Why were the March Articles of 1654 so dangerous? Did Khmelnytsky realise his mistake after concluding an alliance with Moscow? You will find answers to these and other questions in the new film about Polish-Ukrainian relations in the seventeenth century.
The film features perspectives from historians from both Poland and Ukraine:
- Dr Piotr Kroll (University of Warsaw)
- Dr Volodymyr Pylypenko (historian, educator, guide)
Watch now and discover the real story.