The Decline of Ukrainian Autonomy

Soon after the death of Bohdan Khmelnytsky Russia started to interfere into Ukrainian affairs more severely, hoping not only to limit Ukraine’s autonomy, but to abolish it completely. It was a natural process for such a centralized empire as Russia was. Russia could not tolerate the existence of semi-independent lands on its territory. Ukraine was supposed to be turned with time into one of Russia’s provinces.

Nevertheless, the absorption of the Hetmanate (the name of Ukrainian autonomous territory) into the Russian Empire was a long process. Because the tsarist government needed Ukrainian support during numerous wars against Turkey and Crimea, it was careful not to alienate the Ukrainians.

With time the practice of electing colonels by Cossacks was gradually stopped; instead, they were appointed by the Russian government. Many Russian nobles were granted lands in Ukraine by the tsar. They did not have local roots and thus did not care about Ukraine’s autonomy. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was placed under the jurisdiction of Moscow patriarchate. The Russian government encouraged marriages between members of the Ukrainian starshyna and the Russian nobility. The activity of Ukrainian officials was supervised by special Russian governmental officials who often interfered into the affairs of the Hetmanate and limited its rights. In general, the rights of Ukrainian Hetman State were slowly being reduced year after year.

The Golden Autumn of the Hetmanate

After the death of hetman Danylo Apostol in 1734 the Russian government decided to stop the practice of hetmanship in Ukraine entirely. A temporary administration was formed in Ukraine instead of hetmanship. It was named “The Administration of the Hetman Government” and consisted of 8 members: 4 Ukrainians and 4 Russians. But when Queen Elizabeth secretly married Oleksii Rozumovsky (a handsome ordinary Ukrainian Cossack Oleksa Rozum, who had a beautiful opera voice that charmed the empress) the hetmanship was restored again. Olesksii’s brother Kyrylo was appointed hetman in 1750 at the age of 22. (Before that at the age of 18, after having finished his education in Germany, Kyrylo was appointed president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences).

Under Rozumovsky, the Hetmanate experienced the golden autumn of its autonomy. The new hetman built palaces in Baturyn and his capital Hlukhiv, and established a luxury court based on that of the tsar. Many Russian officials had to leave Ukraine. The hetman significantly improved the judicial system and made some changes in the military, modifying the uniform and drills, and improving the artillery.³⁴ Kyrylo Rozumovsky made a lot in the sphere of education, educating Cossacks sons. Plans were drawn up to establish a university in Baturyn, Mazepa’s old capital.

Unfortunately, under the influence of the starshyna the hetman considerably limited the rights of peasants. In 1760 he issued a decree that allowed peasants to change their place of residence only with the permission of their previous owner. Even then, all the property of the peasant who wanted to move remained in the possession of the previous owner.

The hetman wanted to enlarge his power and tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain the right for Ukraine to have diplomatic relations with foreign states. He also failed to get permission for Ukrainian troops not to be involved in conflicts not directly related to Ukrainian interests. The empress also refused him to establish a hereditary hetmanship for the Rozumovsky family.

In 1762 Catherine II ascended the Russian throne through a military coup in which hetman Rozumovsky supported her. In 1763 hoping that the new empress would respect his support during the coup d’état the hetman and the starshyna sent her a petition asking to allow the creation of a parliament for the starshyna modeled after the Polish sejm and the expansion of Ukraine’s rights in general. The reaction of Catherine was negative. She was an ardent centralizer and decided to abolish the position of a hetman in Ukraine entirely. Rozumovsky had to resign his post on 10 November 1764.

Piotr Rumyantsev, an outstanding Russian military leader and statesman, was appointed to rule Ukraine as its governor-general. He was aided by the so-called second Little Russian Collegium (commission), which consisted of four Russians and four Ukrainians. His task was to prepare the ground for elimination of Ukrainian autonomy. Population census was carried out with the aim of introducing a new system of taxation. Thus gradually such Ukrainian institutions of self-government as General Military Chancellery, General Military Court and others were abolished.