Zamość Fortress ( Polish : Twierdza Zamość ) is a set of fortifications constructed together with the city of Zamość (southeastern Poland). It was built between 1579 and 1618, and the construction was initiated by Chancellor and Hetman Jan Zamoyski . It was one of the biggest fortresses of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , built so solidly that it was able to resist the attacks of both the Cossacks and the Swedes during the Deluge . It was taken down in 1866, although fragments survive.
86-696: Altogether, the fortress went through six sieges, with the first one taking place in 1648, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising . Eight years later it was surrounded by the Swedes, who came there again in 1703, then, in 1809, by the army of the Duchy of Warsaw , which captured it from the Austrians. The longest one was the siege of Zamość of 1813, when the Polish garrison for 8 months defended the fortress from
172-451: A few days, King Charles X Gustav joined the forces. The Swedes began with artillery barrage, but due to lack of heavy guns, it was not successful. Within a few days, Charles X Gustav realized that capturing Zamość, whose fortifications had been strengthened since 1648, was impossible, and on March 1, the invaders withdrew. Swedish siege of Zamość was later described by Henryk Sienkiewicz , in his popular book The Deluge (novel) . Next year,
258-782: A group of supporters he headed for the Zaporozhian Sich . The Cossacks were already on the brink of a new rebellion as plans for the new war with the Ottoman Empire advanced by the Polish king Władysław IV Vasa were cancelled by the Sejm . Cossacks were gearing up to resume their traditional and lucrative attacks on the Ottoman Empire (in the first quarter of the 17th century they raided the Black Sea shores almost annually), as they greatly resented being prevented from
344-534: A large one. After these works, the fortress was not repaired until 1809, when government of the Duchy of Warsaw invested heavily into several changes. New gates were placed, two older gates were bricked up, bastions were enlarged. However, the works were not completed because of the French invasion of Russia . Further improvements were continued by the government of the Congress Poland , which in 1820 bought
430-741: A relatively simple hall open on one side with columns, such as the Talar e-Marmar (containing the Takht e-Marmar , the Marble Throne ) built by Fath Ali Shah in the Golestan Palace in the 19th century. The talar continued to be a popular design feature of aristocratic houses and pavilions in Shiraz, such as those of the Qavam family . It was even employed during the early 20th century, under
516-567: A septangle, with seven bastions, located around 200 meters from each other, as this was the range of the 17th century artillery. The fortress, with its impressive brickwork, 12 m high and 2.5 m thick, was one of the most modern and largest strongholds of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , together with Kamieniec Podolski . In 1683, architect Jan Michal Link began modernization of the fortress, which lasted until 1694. Walls were strengthened, and two smaller bastions were replaced by
602-475: A week, the Swedes withdrew, to return next year with additional troops. Polish defenders, counted at only 260, were unable to resist the attackers and quickly surrendered. Swedish occupation was short and in 1705, Russian soldiers, with permission of Ordynat Tomasz Jozef Zamoyski , entered Zamość. The 1000 Russian garrison remained there until May 1706. After the Partitions of Poland , Zamość became part of
688-700: Is King Jan II Casimir Vasa, in Rus it is Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky". Following the Battles of Zbarazh and Zboriv , Khmelnytsky gained numerous privileges for the Cossacks under the Treaty of Zboriv . When hostilities resumed, however, his forces suffered a massive defeat in 1651 at the Battle of Berestechko , considered to be one of the largest land battles of the 17th century, and they were abandoned by their former allies,
774-674: Is a type of porch or hall in Iranian architecture . It generally refers to a porch fronting a building, supported by columns, and open on one or three sides. The term is also applied more widely to denote a throne hall or audience hall with some of these features. The columned hall or porch has its roots in ancient Persia , as seen in the Achaemenid palace in Persepolis , as well as in Greco-Roman houses and possibly even in
860-469: Is estimated at up to 17 000 (as for August 1813), with 160 cannons. After a few weeks of the siege, epidemic of scurvy broke out in the fortress. However, this was managed and the Polish defence of Zamość continued for several months. In mid-June, both sides signed a temporary truce and the Russians limited their summer actions to blocking the fortress. Months of siege depleted the resources and supplies of
946-564: The Austrian Empire , to which it belonged until 1809. During Napoleonic Wars , units of the Duchy of Warsaw , under Prince Jozef Poniatowski , besieged Zamość and managed to capture it. The siege began on May 15, 1809, when units under General Ignacy Kamienski approached the fortress, whose garrison consisted of 3000 soldiers, commanded by Colonel Ferdinand von Pulszky . Two days later, Polish forces were strengthened by additional units under French general Jean Pelletier, who served in
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#17327830997861032-607: The Battle of Jezierna or Jeziorna (November 1655). There is some overlap between the last phase of the uprising and the beginning of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) , as Cossack and Russian forces became allied. Estimates of the death tolls of the Khmelnytsky uprising vary, as do many others from the eras analyzed by historical demography . As better sources and methodology are becoming available, such estimates are subject to continuing revision. Population losses of
1118-525: The Crimean Tatars . They were forced at Bila Tserkva to accept the Treaty of Bila Tserkva . A year later, in 1652, the Cossacks had their revenge at the Battle of Batih , where Khmelnytsky ordered Cossacks to kill all Polish prisoners and paid Tatars for possession of the prisoners, an event known as the Batih massacre . However, the enormous casualties suffered by the Cossacks at Berestechko made
1204-402: The Khmelnytsky Uprising , Zamość was surrounded by joint Cossack — Tatar forces under command of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Tugay Bey . The fortress was defended by approximately 4700 soldiers under castellan of Elbląg Ludwik Weyher and Wladyslaw Myszkowski . Also, within city walls, there were numerous refugees from lands of Red Ruthenia , Podolia and Volhynia . On November 5,
1290-561: The November Uprising , the fortress was one of main centers of Polish resistance. Commanded by Julian Sierawski and later Jan Krysinski , its garrison consisted of 3800 soldiers. Zamość was a base of Polish units operating in the area of Lublin , however, after Polish defeat in the Battle of Ostrołęka , the Russians took the initiative. The blockade of Zamość began in July 1831, and the fortress itself capitulated on November 21, as
1376-676: The Ottoman Empire in the Moldavian Magnate Wars . After being held captive in Constantinople , he returned home as a Registered Cossack , settling in his khutor Subotiv with a wife and several children. He participated in campaigns for Grand Crown Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski , led delegations to King Władysław IV Vasa in Warsaw and generally was well respected within the Cossack ranks. The course of his life
1462-877: The Pahlavi dynasty , as part of the Persian revivalist trends in architecture during this time. In ancient times, as depicted in the sculptured façade of Darius tomb at Persepolis show, the talar had three tiers, with Atlant statues upholding each. This design typified the subject-people of the monarch. The talar built by the Qajar dynasty as part of the Golestan Palace is a spacious chamber with flat ceiling decorated with mirror panels. The walls are also decorated with mirror work called aineh-kari , which produced numerous angles and coruscations. This article about an Iranian building or structure related topic
1548-601: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , which led to the creation of a Cossack Hetmanate in Ukraine. Under the command of hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky , the Zaporozhian Cossacks , allied with the Crimean Tatars and local Ukrainian peasantry , fought against Polish domination and the Commonwealth's forces . The insurgency was accompanied by mass atrocities committed by Cossacks against prisoners of war and
1634-469: The Russians . The last siege took place during the November Uprising , when Zamość was the last point of Polish defence which fell to the Russians. The fortress, which had in the meantime become obsolete, was closed down in 1866. Zamość fortress, as well as the town of Zamość, are the brainchild of Chancellor Jan Zamoyski , who in the second half of the 16th century decided to found a new, private city in
1720-546: The Swedish Army . Among those kept there, was Field Marshal Arvid Wittenberg , who died in prison of natural causes. Late 17th century marked the decline of the Commonwealth, a decline reflected in the general state of repair of the fortress. The Great Northern War did not spare Zamość, as on February 11, 1703, Swedish units under General Magnus Stenbock approached the stronghold and besieged it. However, after
1806-536: The Tatars to join him in a potential assault against their shared enemy, the Commonwealth. By April 1648 word of an uprising had spread throughout the Commonwealth. Either because they underestimated the size of the uprising, or because they wanted to act quickly to prevent it from spreading, the Commonwealth's Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Potocki and Field Crown Hetman Marcin Kalinowski sent 3,000 soldiers under
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#17327830997861892-541: The Transilvanian army under George II Rákóczi appeared near Zamość, but it did not even try to capture the mighty fortress. According to a legend, when Swedish representatives came to the town and proposed the capitulation of the fortress, Jan ‘Sobiepan’ Zamoyski answered: "I am the Lord for myself and I will not give Zamość to the Swedes". In the last stage of the war, Zamość was a prison for high-ranking officers of
1978-696: The Ukrainian Orthodox population; at the same time, it led to the eventual incorporation of eastern Ukraine into the Tsardom of Russia initiated by the 1654 Pereiaslav Agreement , whereby the Cossacks would swear allegiance to the tsar while retaining a wide degree of autonomy. The event triggered a period of political turbulence and infighting in the Hetmanate known as the Ruin . The success of
2064-524: The Uniate Church . While all of the people did not unite under one church , the concepts of autonomy were implanted into consciousness of the area and came out in force during the military campaign of Bohdan Khmelnytsky . Born to a noble family, Bohdan Khmelnytsky attended a Jesuit school, probably in Lviv . At the age of 22, he joined his father in the service of the Commonwealth, battling against
2150-601: The Zaporizhian Sich and quickly killed the guards assigned by the Commonwealth to protect the entrance. Once at the Sich, his oratory and diplomatic skills struck a nerve with oppressed Ruthenians. As his men repelled an attempt by Commonwealth forces to retake the Sich, more recruits joined his cause. The Cossack Rada elected him Hetman by the end of the month. Khmelnytsky threw most of his resources into recruiting more fighters. He sent emissaries to Crimea , enjoining
2236-741: The fall of Constantinople it began this process by insisting that the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus′ was now the primate of the Russian Church . The pressure of Catholic expansionism culminated with the Union of Brest in 1596, which attempted to retain the autonomy of the Eastern Orthodox churches in present-day Ukraine , Poland and Belarus by aligning themselves with the Bishop of Rome . Many Cossacks were also against
2322-471: The 1637 rebellion, he realized that Cossacks, while having an excellent infantry, could not hope to match the Polish cavalry, which was possibly the best in Europe at the time. However, combining Cossack infantry with Crimean Tatar cavalry could provide a balanced military force and give the Cossacks a chance to beat the Polish army. On January 25, 1648, Khmelnytsky brought a contingent of 400–500 Cossacks to
2408-749: The 1980s historians still considered 100,000 a reasonable estimate of the Jews killed and, according to Edward Flannery , many considered it "a minimum". Max Dimont in Jews, God, and History , first published in 1962, writes "Perhaps as many as 100,000 Jews perished in the decade of this revolution." Edward Flannery , writing in The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-Three Centuries of Antisemitism , first published in 1965, also gives figures of 100,000 to 500,000, stating "Many historians consider
2494-530: The Commonwealth becoming increasingly weak, Cossacks became more and more integrated into the Russian Empire , with their autonomy and privileges eroded. The remnants of these privileges were gradually abolished in the aftermath of the Great Northern War (1700–1721), in which hetman Ivan Mazepa sided with Sweden. By the time that the last of the partitions of Poland ended the existence of
2580-469: The Commonwealth in 1795, many Cossacks had already left Ukraine to colonise the Kuban and, in process, were russified . Sources vary as to when the uprising ended. Russian and some Polish sources give the end-date of the uprising as 1654, pointing to the Treaty of Pereyaslav as ending the war; Ukrainian sources give the date as Khmelnytsky's death in 1657; and few Polish sources give the date as 1655 and
2666-476: The Cossack-Polish War", Harvard Ukrainian Studies 1 (1977): 153–77. While many of them were killed, Jewish losses did not reach the hair-raising figures that are often associated with the uprising. In the words of Weinryb ( The Jews of Poland , 193–4), "The fragmentary information of the period—and to a great extent information from subsequent years, including reports of recovery—clearly indicate that
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2752-420: The Cossacks (note the Treaty of Hadiach of 1658), the new Cossack subjects became even more dominated by Russia. The Hetmanate entered a new political situation which was far different than in the Commonwealth, and the church was much more subordinate to the tsar there. Russia had a traditional practice of imprisoning as well as executing Orthodox officials, which was foreign to people from the Commonwealth. With
2838-509: The Cossacks to ally with the Russian tsar in the Treaty of Pereyaslav , which led to the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) . When Poland–Lithuania and Russia signed the Truce of Vilna and agreed on an anti-Swedish alliance in 1657, Khmelnytsky's Cossacks supported the invasion of the Commonwealth by Sweden's Transylvanian allies instead. Although the Commonwealth tried to regain its influence over
2924-687: The Jews of Poland during the fatal decade 1648–1658 were appalling. In the reports of the chroniclers, the number of Jewish victims varies between one hundred thousand and five hundred thousand. But even if we accept the lower figure, the number of victims still remains colossal, even exceeding the catastrophes of the Crusades and the Black Death in Western Europe. Some seven hundred Jewish communities in Poland had suffered massacre and pillage. In
3010-660: The Messiah, and contributed in later years to growing interest in Hasidism . The accounts of contemporary Jewish chroniclers of the events tended to emphasize large casualty figures, but since the end of the 20th century they have been re-evaluated downwards. Early 20th-century estimates of Jewish deaths were based on the accounts of the Jewish chroniclers of the time, and tended to be high, ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 or more; in 1916 Simon Dubnow stated: The losses inflicted on
3096-567: The Poles found a lot of support not only in his regiment but also throughout the Sich . All through the autumn of 1647, Khmelnytsky travelled from one regiment to another and had numerous consultations with different Cossack leaders throughout Ukraine. His activity raised the suspicions of Polish authorities already used to Cossack revolts, and he was promptly arrested. Polkovnyk ( colonel ) Mykhailo Krychevsky assisted Khmelnytsky in his escape, and with
3182-555: The Polish Army. Joined Polish-French forces were aided by local population, also several Austrian recruits were Polish, and during the attack, these soldiers did not engage themselves in the fighting. The attack took place in the night of May 19/20, 1809, from 2 to 4 a.m. The main impact was directed on the Lublin Gate, which surprised the Austrians, as they had been expecting the attack on the weakest, southern wall. The fortress
3268-518: The Ukrainian cities situated on the left banks of the Dnieper, the region populated by Cossacks ... the Jewish communities had disappeared almost completely. In the localities on the right shore of the Dnieper or in the Polish part of Ukraine as well as those of Volhynia and Podolia, wherever Cossacks had made their appearance, only about one tenth of the Jewish population survived. From the 1960s to
3354-638: The anti-Polish rebellion, along with internal conflicts in Poland, as well as concurrent wars waged by Poland with Russia and Sweden (the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) and Second Northern War (1655–1660) respectively), ended the Polish Golden Age and caused a secular decline of Polish power during the period known in Polish history as "the Deluge ". In Jewish history , the Uprising is known for
3440-451: The atrocities against the Jews who, in their capacity as leaseholders ( arendators ), were seen by the peasants as their immediate oppressors and became the subject of antisemitic violence. In 1569 the Union of Lublin granted the southern Lithuanian-controlled Ruthenian voivodeships of Volhynia , Podolia , Bracław and Kiev —to the Crown of Poland under the agreement forming
3526-415: The catastrophe may have not been as great as has been assumed." A 2003 study by Israeli demographer Shaul Stampfer of Hebrew University dedicated solely to the issue of Jewish casualties in the uprising concludes that 18,000–20,000 Jews were killed of a total population of 40,000. Paul Robert Magocsi states that Jewish chroniclers of the 17th century "provide invariably inflated figures with respect to
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3612-445: The city from ordynat Stanislaw Kostka Zamoyski. All buildings within 1200 meters from the walls were destroyed, and within the radius of 2400 meters, only wooden structures were permitted. A Blockhaus was constructed as well as extensive entrenchments. Buildings in the town were remodelled so that they would serve the military. They were stripped of Baroque decorations and rebuilt in the neoclassicistic style. In November 1648, during
3698-645: The civilian population, especially against the Roman Catholic and Ruthenian Uniate clergy and especially the Jews , as well as savage reprisals by loyalist Jeremi Wiśniowiecki , the voivode of Ukrainian descent (military governor) of the Ruthenian Voivodeship . The uprising has a symbolic meaning in the history of Ukraine 's relationship with Poland and Russia . It ended the Polish Catholic szlachta ′s domination over
3784-399: The command of Potocki's son, Stefan , towards Khmelnytsky, without waiting to gather additional forces from Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki . Khmelnytsky marshalled his forces and met his enemy at the Battle of Zhovti Vody , which saw a considerable number of defections on the field of battle by Registered Cossacks , who changed their allegiance from the Commonwealth to Khmelnytsky. The victory
3870-491: The defenders. In October 1813, some 1200 soldiers were sick and almost all were starving. All horses, dogs and cats were eaten, within one month, 450 persons died. On October 22, news of Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Leipzig reached Zamość, and it lowered the spirits of the Poles. The decision to capitulate was taken on November 19, after eight months of siege. Out of 4000 defenders, 1500 died, mostly of disease and hunger. The fortress became part of Congress Poland . During
3956-400: The design of his own palaces in Shiraz. Here, the talar was combined with an iwan (vaulted hall open to one side) to form pillared halls opening onto a courtyard on one side. Under the Qajar dynasty , which eventually captured Shiraz and reunified Iran at the end of the 18th century, this feature was imported to the new royal palaces in Tehran. Under the Qajars, a talar could refer to
4042-426: The enemy burned nearby villages, but the fortress itself was untouched. Soon afterwards, Cossack engineers managed to remove water from southern mound, exposing the wall in that area. However, Khmelnytski's forces were inadequate, and winter was approaching. Since the defenders were also aware of their difficult situation, both sides signed a truce. For the price of 20 000 talars , the Cossack-Tatar forces decided to end
4128-423: The entire Commonwealth population in the years 1648–1667 (a period which includes the Uprising, but also the Polish-Russian War and the Swedish invasion ) are estimated at 4 million (roughly a decrease from 11 to 12 million to 7–8 million). Before the Khmelnytsky uprising, magnates had sold and leased certain privileges to arendators , many of whom were Jewish, who earned money from the collections they made for
4214-412: The fields and one grave alone contained over 270 bodies... All the infants were less than a year old since the older ones were driven off into captivity. The surviving peasants wander about in groups, bewailing their misfortune. From Autumn of 1654 to Spring of 1655 during the "Bracław Campaign" Stefan Czarniecki's army with the support of Crimean Tatars murdered 100,000 Ukrainians some sources even put
4300-407: The idea of a columned hall from Achaemenid examples and used it in the design of new royal palaces and pavilions, most notably the Ali Qapu and Chehel Sotoun palaces in Isfahan during the 17th century. In these examples, the talar is open on three sides. Karim Khan Zand , the ruler of Shiraz in the mid-18th century, borrowed from Safavid models and employed this feature in new ways for
4386-418: The idea of creating an independent state impossible to implement. Khmelnytsky had to decide whether to stay under Polish–Lithuanian influence or ally with the Muscovites. The Tatars of the Crimean Khanate , then a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire , participated in the insurrection, seeing it as a source of captives to be sold. Slave raiding sent a large influx of captives to slave markets in Crimea at
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#17327830997864472-418: The initial stages of the uprising, armies of the magnate Jeremi Wiśniowiecki , on their retreat westward inflicted terrible retribution on the civilian population, leaving behind them a trail of burned towns and villages. In addition, Khmelnytsky's Tatar allies often continued their raids against the civilian population, in spite of protests from the Cossacks. After the Cossacks' alliance with Tsardom of Russia
4558-700: The lack of reliable data, it is impossible to establish more accurate figures—were killed by the rebels, and to this day the Khmelnytsky uprising is considered by Jews to be one of the most traumatic events in their history. In the two decades following the uprising the Commonwealth suffered two more major wars ( The Deluge and Russo-Polish War (1654–67) ; during that period total Jewish casualties are estimated at another 20,000 to 30,000. In Jewish circles, this massacre became known as Gzeyres Takh Vetat, sometimes shortened to Takh Vetat (spelled in multiple ways in English. In Hebrew : גזירת ת"ח ות"ט ). This translates to "the (evil) decrees of (years) 408 and 409" referring to
4644-411: The last resistance point of the country. After the November Uprising, the fortress declined. Technological advance in warfare was decisive and finally, tsar Alexander II of Russia officially closed the stronghold in 1866. In the following years, large parts of fortifications were demolished. In 1992, Zamość, which is one of the classical monuments of Renaissance urban layout in Europe, was included on
4730-416: The list of the World's Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. 50°43′01″N 23°15′10″E / 50.71694°N 23.25278°E / 50.71694; 23.25278 Khmelnytsky Uprising See Aftermath The Khmelnytsky Uprising , also known as the Cossack–Polish War , or the Khmelnytsky insurrection , was a Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of
4816-493: The loss of life among the Jewish population of Ukraine. The numbers range from 60,000–80,000 (Nathan Hannover) to 100,000 (Sabbatai Cohen), but that "[t]he Israeli scholars Shmuel Ettinger and Bernard D. Weinryb speak instead of the 'annihilation of tens of thousands of Jewish lives', and the Ukrainian-American historian Jaroslaw Pelenski narrows the number of Jewish deaths to between 6,000 and 14,000". Orest Subtelny concludes: Between 1648 and 1656, tens of thousands of Jews—given
4902-399: The lower-class Ruthenians, with the introduction of Counter-Reformation missionary practices and the use of Jewish arendators to manage their estates. Local Orthodox traditions were also affected from the assumption of ecclesiastical power by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1448. The growing Russian state in the north sought to acquire the southern lands of Kievan Rus' , and with
4988-494: The magnates by receiving a percentage of an estate's revenue. By not supervising their estates directly, the magnates left it to the leaseholders and collectors to become objects of hatred to the oppressed and long-suffering peasants. Khmelnytsky told the people that the Poles had sold them as slaves "into the hands of the accursed Jews." With this as their battle cry, Cossacks and the peasantry massacred numerous Jewish and Polish–Lithuanian townsfolk, as well as szlachta during
5074-413: The middle of nowhere, named after himself. The foundation charter was issued on April 3, 1580, and the first name of the town was Zamośćie by the Wieprzec river. Both fortifications and the city were planned by Italian architect from Padua , Bernardo Morando . He decided to take advantage of the two local rivers — Topornica and Labunka , whose waters were used to fill the moat. The first castle
5160-416: The most numerous and accessible representatives of the szlachta regime. The uprising began a period in Polish history known as The Deluge (which included the Swedish invasion of the Commonwealth during the Second Northern War of 1655–1660), that temporarily freed the Ukrainians from Polish domination but in a short time subjected them to Russian domination. Weakened by wars, in 1654 Khmelnytsky persuaded
5246-404: The new Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Rzeczpospolita ). The Kingdom of Poland already controlled several Ruthenian lands which formed the voivodeships of Lviv and Belz . The combined lands would be formed into the Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland . Although the local nobility were formally granted full rights within the Rzeczpospolita by a 1572 royal decree, this
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#17327830997865332-517: The number as high as 300,000. The rebellion had a major effect on Poland and Ukraine . With Fire and Sword is a historical fiction novel, set in the 17th century in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. With Fire and Sword is also a Polish historical drama film directed by Jerzy Hoffman . The film is based on the novel With Fire and Sword , the first part in Henryk Sienkiewicz 's The Trilogy . Talar A talar or talaar ( Persian : تالار )
5418-701: The number of Jews that died during the national uprising of Ukrainians to 18,000–20,000 people between the years 1648–1649; of these, 3,000–6,000 Jews were killed by Cossacks in Nemirov in May 1648 and 1,500 in Tulczyn in July 1648. Due to the widespread murders, Jewish elders at the Council of Vilna banned merrymaking by a decree on July 3, 1661: they set limitations on wedding celebrations, public drinking, fire dances, masquerades, and Jewish comic entertainers. Stories about massacre victims who had been buried alive, cut to pieces, or forced to kill one another spread throughout Europe and beyond. These stories filled many with despair, led others to identify Sabbatai Zevi as
5504-399: The peasant uprisings now troubled a nobleman such as Khmelnytsky; however, after discussing information gathered across the country with his advisers, the Cossack leadership soon realized the potential for autonomy was there for the taking. Although Khmelnytsky's personal resentment of the szlachta and the magnates influenced his transformation into a revolutionary, it was his ambition to become
5590-440: The pirate activities by the peace treaties between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. Rumors about the emerging hostilities with "the infidels" were greeted with joy, and the news that there was to be no raiding after all was explosive in itself. However, the Cossack rebellion might have fizzled in the same manner as the great rebellions of 1637–1638 but for the strategies of Khmelnytsky. Having taken part in
5676-476: The realm of historical demography , became more widely adopted and tended to result in lower fatality numbers. Newer studies of the Jewish population of the affected areas of Ukraine in that period estimate it to be 50,000. According to Orest Subtelny : Weinryb cites the calculations of S. Ettinger [ he ] indicating that about 50,000 Jews lived in the area where the uprising occurred. See B. Weinryb, "The Hebrew Chronicles on Bohdan Khmelnytsky and
5762-672: The rebellious Hetmanate were devastated by the uprising and ensuing massacres, though occasionally a Jewish population was spared, notably after the capture of the town of Brody (the population of which was 70% Jewish). According to the book known as History of the Rus , Khmelnytsky's rationale was largely mercantile and the Jews of Brody, which was a major trading centre, were judged to be useful "for turnovers and profits" and thus they were only required to pay "moderate indemnities" in kind. One estimate (1996) reports that 15,000–30,000 Jews were killed or taken captive, and that 300 Jewish communities were completely destroyed. A 2014 estimate puts
5848-457: The royal delegation. Khmelnytsky answered that he would comply with his monarch's request and then turned back. He made a triumphant entry into Kiev on Christmas Day in 1648, and he was hailed as "the Moses, savior, redeemer, and liberator of the people from Polish captivity... the illustrious ruler of Rus". In February 1649, during negotiations with a Polish delegation headed by nobleman Adam Kysil in Pereiaslav , Khmelnytsky declared that he
5934-441: The ruler of a Ruthenian nation that expanded the uprising from a simple rebellion into a national movement. Khmelnytsky had his forces join a peasant revolt at the Battle of Pyliavtsi , striking another terrible blow to weakened and depleted Polish forces. Khmelnytsky was persuaded not to lay siege to Lviv, in exchange for 200,000 red guldens, according to some sources, but Hrushevsky stated that Khmelnytsky did indeed lay siege to
6020-561: The second figure exaggerated and the first a minimum." Martin Gilbert in his Jewish History Atlas published in 1976 states, "Over 100,000 Jews were killed; many more were tortured or ill-treated, others fled ...." Many other sources of the time give similar figures. Although many modern sources still give estimates of Jews killed in the uprising at 100,000 or more, others put the numbers killed at between 40,000 and 100,000, and recent academic studies have argued fatalities were even lower. Modern historiographic methods, particularly from
6106-418: The siege and returned home for the winter. In the summer of 1655, the joint Russo-Cossack forces approached near the fortress, but they did not try to capture it. Instead, when late that year Jan II Zamoyski decided to support King John II Casimir of Poland , Zamość was besieged by the Swedes (see: The Deluge (Polish history) ), whose troops appeared at the gates of the stronghold on February 25, 1656. After
6192-537: The tents of Central Asian nomads who moved into Iran over the centuries. The talar can also refer to the representation of a throne carved on the rock-cut tomb of Darius at Naqsh-e Rostam , near Persepolis, and above the portico which was copied from his palace. The talar was revived in Iranian architecture under Abbas I ( r. 1588–1629 ) during the Safavid period . Safavid architects appropriated
6278-401: The time of the Uprising. Ottoman Jews collected funds to mount a concerted ransom effort to gain the freedom of their people. Within a few months almost all Polish nobles, officials and priests had been wiped out or driven from the lands of present-day Ukraine. The Commonwealth population losses in the uprising exceeded one million. In addition, Jews suffered substantial losses because they were
6364-528: The town, for about two weeks. After obtaining the ransom, he moved to besiege Zamość , when he finally heard about the election of the new Polish King, John Casimir II , whom Khmelnytsky favored. According to Hrushevsky John Casimir II sent him a letter in which he informed the Cossack leader about his election and assured him that he would grant Cossacks and all of the Orthodox faith various privileges. He requested for Khmelnytsky to stop his campaign and await
6450-494: The years 1648–1649. Yeven Mezulah , the contemporary 17th-century chronicle by Nathan ben Moses Hannover , an eyewitness, states: Wherever they found the szlachta , royal officials or Jews, they [Cossacks] killed them all, sparing neither women nor children. They pillaged the estates of the Jews and nobles, burned churches and killed their priests, leaving nothing whole. It was a rare individual in those days who had not soaked his hands in blood ... Most Jewish communities in
6536-432: The years 5408 and 5409 on the Jewish calendar, which corresponds to the years 1648 and 1649 on the non-Jewish calendar. While the Cossacks and peasants (known as pospolity ) were in many cases the perpetrators of massacres of Polish szlachta members and their collaborators, they also suffered the horrendous loss of life resulting from Polish reprisals, Tatar raids, famine, plague and general destruction due to war. At
6622-571: Was "the sole autocrat of Rus" and that he had "enough power in Ukraine, Podolia , and Volhynia ... in his land and principality stretching as far as Lviv, Chełm , and Halych ". It became clear to the Polish envoys that Khmelnytsky had positioned himself no longer as simply a leader of the Zaporozhian Cossacks but as that of an independent state and stated his claims to the heritage of the Rus'. A Vilnius panegyric in Khmelnytsky's honour (1650–1651) explained it: "While in Poland it
6708-442: Was altered, however, when Aleksander Koniecpolski , heir to hetman Koniecpolski's magnate estate, attempted to seize Khmelnytsky's land. In 1647 Chyhyryn deputy of starosta (head of the local royal administration) Daniel Czapliński openly started to harass Khmelnytsky on behalf of the younger Koniecpolski in an attempt to force him off the land. On two occasions raids were made to Subotiv, during which considerable property damage
6794-515: Was built in 1579, and in the following years additional buildings were added — the Arsenal (1582), Lublin Gate (1588), Lwów Gate (1599) and Szczebrzeszyn Gate, completed in 1603 by Blaise Gocman, each one with a drawbridge. The entire complex was not finished until 1620, by another Italian architect, Andrea dell'Aqua , who was helped by Jan Wolff and Jan Jaroszowic. The fortress was shaped as
6880-604: Was captured after a few hours. One of participants of the siege, Joanna Zubrowa , became the first woman to receive the Virtuti Militari . After Napoleon's failed invasion on Russia (1812), the fortress was besieged by the Russian forces, which approached Zamość in February 1813. Polish defenders, under General Maurycy Hauke were well-prepared, with 4000 soldiers, 130 cannons and food supplies for four months. The Russians were commanded by General Rath, and their number
6966-481: Was done and his son Yurii was badly beaten, until Khmelnytsky moved his family to a relative's house in Chyhyryn . He twice sought assistance from the king by traveling to Warsaw, only to find him either unwilling or powerless to confront the will of a magnate. Having received no support from Polish officials, Khmelnytsky turned to his Cossack friends and subordinates. The case of a Cossack being unfairly treated by
7052-467: Was enacted, the Tatar raids became unrestrained; coupled with the onset of famine, they led to a virtual depopulation of whole areas of the country. The extent of the tragedy can be exemplified by a report of a Polish officer of the time, describing the devastation: I estimate that the number of infants alone who were found dead along the roads and in the castles reached 10,000. I ordered them to be buried in
7138-414: Was especially important in regard to powerful and traditionally influential great princely families of Ruthenian origins, among them Wiśniowiecki , Czartoryski , Ostrogski , Sanguszko , Zbaraski , Korecki and Zasławski , which acquired even more power and were able to gather more lands, creating huge latifundia . This szlachta , along with the actions of the upper-class Polish magnates , oppressed
7224-455: Was often ignored by city councils, and both the nobility and city burgers were under enormous pressure to convert to Roman Catholicism and use of the Polish language . This assimilation of Polish culture on the part of the Ruthenian nobility alienated them from the lower classes, and most especially to the Cossacks , who proved stubbornly resistant to Catholicism and Polonization . It
7310-475: Was on the run from its peasants, their palaces and estates in flames. All the while, Khmelnytsky's army marched westward. Khmelnytsky stopped his forces at Bila Tserkva and issued a list of demands to the Polish Crown, including raising the number of Registered Cossacks, returning churches taken from the Orthodox faithful and paying the Cossacks for wages, which had been withheld for five years. News of
7396-510: Was quickly followed by rout of the Commonwealth's armies at the Battle of Korsuń , which saw both the elder Potocki and Kalinowski captured and imprisoned by the Tatars. In addition to the loss of significant forces and military leadership, the Polish state also lost King Władysław IV Vasa, who died in 1648, leaving the Crown of Poland leaderless and in disarray at a time of rebellion. The szlachta
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