Dmytro Vyshnevetsky
Encyclopedia
Dmytro Ivanovych Vyshnevetsky was a Hetman
of the Ukrainian Cossacks
. He was also known as Baida in the Ukrainian folk songs.
magnate
Ivan Wiśniowiecki
(?-1542) (part of Gediminids
bloodline and the youngest son of Michal Zbaraski) and Anastasia Semenivna Olizarovychevna (?-1536). The Wiśniowiecki family takes its roots from the princely family of Novhorod-Siverskyi
, through Dmitriy Korybut (see Kaributas) and Anastasia of Ryazan
.
At first Dmytro Vyshnevetsky lived in the town of Vyshnivets
of the Kremenets
Powiat
(county
). In 1550–1553, Vyshnevetsky became a starosta
of the Cherkasy
and the Kaniv
Powiats. He was the first true Cossack Hetman
in history.
Dmytro Baida Vyshnevetsky was an able leader, although somewhat of a reckless adventurer. He started organizing a Cossack army in 1550 against the Crimean Khanate
. Displeased with the king Sigismund II Augustus
's policy of Catholization and centralization of power, he was ready to go over to the Turks
. However, he was appointed to fortify the island of Mala Khortytsia on the Dnipro beyond the rapids. According to Hrushevsky, Vyshnevetsky built the fortress out of his own pocket as both Sigismund II Augustus
and Devlet I Giray
refused to provide any assistance. Eventually he managed to develop it to the point that khan
Devlet I Giray
could not take it, and he deflected the khan's efforts to Moskovia.
In 1556 in service to Ivan the Terrible he helped lead two raids of Ukrainian Cossacks and Russians against the Crimean Tatars
around Ochakov. In 1558 he raided around Perekop
. In 1559 he raided down the Donets and Don
. With the start of the Livonian War
, Ivan turned his attention west and Vyshnevetsky returned to the Polish service. In 1561, at the request of the Lithuanian prince, he went back to fortifying Khortytsia
.
In 1563 he was involved in Moldavian affairs, perhaps hoping to obtain the throne of Moldavia, but was defeated by the Turks
, taken prisoner, and tortured to death in Constantinople
.
Vyshnevetsky's fortifications on Khortytsia
, called sich, served as a prototype for later fortifications of the Zaporizhian Sich
.
by Jerzy Hoffman
.
He also appears as an antagonist in The Ringed Castle
, a 1971 novel by Dorothy Dunnett
.
In the film Propala Hramota
(The lost letter, 1972), a fragment of the above mentioned old Ukrainian folk song was sang by Ivan Mykolaychuk
: The bigger version of it could also be found in Hrushevsky's History of Ukraine-Ruthenia.
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
of the Ukrainian Cossacks
Zaporozhian Host
The Zaporozhian Cossacks or simply Zaporozhians were Ukrainian Cossacks who lived beyond the rapids of the Dnieper river, the land also known as the Great Meadow in Central Ukraine...
. He was also known as Baida in the Ukrainian folk songs.
Biography
Dmytro Vyshnevetsky was born into the powerful family of RuthenianRuthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
Ivan Wiśniowiecki
Wisniowiecki
Wiśniowiecki is the name of a family notable in the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were powerful magnates in Ruthenia of Rurikid or Gediminids descent. The family traditions traces their descend to Gediminids, but modern historians believe there is more evidence for the Rurikid...
(?-1542) (part of Gediminids
Gediminids
The Gediminids were a dynasty of monarchs of Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reigned from the 14th to the 16th century. One branch of this dynasty, known as the Jagiellons, reigned also in Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Bohemia...
bloodline and the youngest son of Michal Zbaraski) and Anastasia Semenivna Olizarovychevna (?-1536). The Wiśniowiecki family takes its roots from the princely family of Novhorod-Siverskyi
Novhorod-Siverskyi
Novhorod-Siversky is a historic city in the Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Novhorod-Siversky Raion, and is situated on the bank of the Desna River, 330 km from the capital, Kiev, and 45 km south of the Russian border. Current estimated population:...
, through Dmitriy Korybut (see Kaributas) and Anastasia of Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
.
At first Dmytro Vyshnevetsky lived in the town of Vyshnivets
Vyshnivets
Vyshnivets is a small town in the Zbarazkyi Raion of the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. The town is located on the Horyn River, a right tributary of the Prypiat. The population of the town is 3,469...
of the Kremenets
Kremenets
Kremenets is a city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenets Raion , and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Monastery...
Powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
(county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
). In 1550–1553, Vyshnevetsky became a starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
of the Cherkasy
Cherkasy
Cherkasy or Cherkassy , is a city in central Ukraine. It is the capital of the Cherkasy Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast...
and the Kaniv
Kaniv
Kaniv is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper...
Powiats. He was the first true Cossack Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
in history.
Dmytro Baida Vyshnevetsky was an able leader, although somewhat of a reckless adventurer. He started organizing a Cossack army in 1550 against the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
. Displeased with the king Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
's policy of Catholization and centralization of power, he was ready to go over to the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. However, he was appointed to fortify the island of Mala Khortytsia on the Dnipro beyond the rapids. According to Hrushevsky, Vyshnevetsky built the fortress out of his own pocket as both Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
and Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate during whose long reign the khanate rose to the pinnacle of its power....
refused to provide any assistance. Eventually he managed to develop it to the point that khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate during whose long reign the khanate rose to the pinnacle of its power....
could not take it, and he deflected the khan's efforts to Moskovia.
In 1556 in service to Ivan the Terrible he helped lead two raids of Ukrainian Cossacks and Russians against the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
around Ochakov. In 1558 he raided around Perekop
Perekop
Perekop is a village located at the Perekop Isthmus connecting Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. It is known for the Fortress Or Qapi that served as the gateway to Crimea...
. In 1559 he raided down the Donets and Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
. With the start of the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
, Ivan turned his attention west and Vyshnevetsky returned to the Polish service. In 1561, at the request of the Lithuanian prince, he went back to fortifying Khortytsia
Khortytsia
Khortytsia is a national cultural reserve located on one of the largest islands of the Dnieper river, in Ukraine.The island has played an important role in the history of Ukraine, specially in the history of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. This historic site is located within the city limits of...
.
In 1563 he was involved in Moldavian affairs, perhaps hoping to obtain the throne of Moldavia, but was defeated by the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, taken prisoner, and tortured to death in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Vyshnevetsky's fortifications on Khortytsia
Khortytsia
Khortytsia is a national cultural reserve located on one of the largest islands of the Dnieper river, in Ukraine.The island has played an important role in the history of Ukraine, specially in the history of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. This historic site is located within the city limits of...
, called sich, served as a prototype for later fortifications of the Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich
Zaporizhian Sich was socio-political, grassroot, military organization of Ukrainian cossacks placed beyond Dnieper rapids. Sich existed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the region around the today's Kakhovka Reservoir...
.
In popular culture
Probably not having any relationship to the situation, Vyshnevetsky's portrait is clearly featured in the epic-movie The DelugeThe Deluge (film)
The Deluge is the English title of the Polish film Potop, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1974. The film is based on the novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz...
by Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is the father of early Macintosh development team member Joanna Hoffman.-Selected filmography:*Battle of Warsaw 1920...
.
He also appears as an antagonist in The Ringed Castle
Lymond Chronicles
The Lymond Chronicles is a series of six novels, written by Dorothy Dunnett, which were first published between 1961 and 1975. The series is set in mid-sixteenth century Europe and the Mediterranean and tells the story of a young Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond, from 1547 through...
, a 1971 novel by Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò...
.
In the film Propala Hramota
Propala Hramota
Propala hramota is a 1972 Soviet musical-comedy film by Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kiev. It is one of many films which were eventually banned by the Soviet censorship. It was broadcasted only in the early 1990th, after the fall of the Union. The movie is considered a pearl of the national Ukrainian...
(The lost letter, 1972), a fragment of the above mentioned old Ukrainian folk song was sang by Ivan Mykolaychuk
Ivan Mykolaychuk
Ivan Mykolaychuk was a Ukrainian actor, producer, and screen writer.He is best known for playing the Hutsul Ivan in Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors , based on Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky's book of the same name...
: The bigger version of it could also be found in Hrushevsky's History of Ukraine-Ruthenia.