Sotnik
Encyclopedia
Sotnik or Sotnyk was a military rank
among the Cossack
starshyna (officers), Strelets Troops (17th century) in Muscovy and Imperial
Cossack cavalry (since 1826), the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the Ukrainian Galician Army
, and the Ukrainian People's Army
.
of hundred men in most Slavonic
languages. In the Russian rank structure sotnik was developed into Poruchik
which eventually turned into Lieutenant
. The Ukrainian rank structure contained sotnyk rank well into the 20th century and was equivalent with captain, The rank did not officially change, but rather fell out of use after the elimination of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army by the Soviet Army and intelligence services.
The word is often translated as Captain, however the Lieutenant transliteration is also in common usage, and for the sake of the historical and social clarity the original rank name is used.
, Cossack Hetmanate
, and Sloboda Ukraine
, territories were organized along the lines of military organization and commanded by officers. During the Khmelnytsky Uprising
and in the Cossack Hetmanate
(17th-18th centuries), sotnyks were leaders of territorial administrative subdivisions called sotnyas. Such sotnyks were subordinated to polkovnyks (colonel) who were in control of a polk (primary administrative division) and a regiment (military unit).
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
among the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
starshyna (officers), Strelets Troops (17th century) in Muscovy and Imperial
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
Cossack cavalry (since 1826), the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army , was the Ukrainian military of the West Ukrainian National Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. -Military equipment:...
, and the Ukrainian People's Army
Ukrainian People's Army
The Ukrainian People's Army , also known as the Ukrainian National Army were often quickly reorganized units of the former Russian Imperial Army or newly formed volunteer detachments that later joined the national armed forces. The army for a long period lacked a certain degree of uniformity,...
.
Military rank
Literally it means commanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of hundred men in most Slavonic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
languages. In the Russian rank structure sotnik was developed into Poruchik
Poruchik
Poruchik was a military rank in several Slavic countries, such as the Russian Empire and the Republic of Poland, equivalent to Lieutenant. "Poruchik" means "messenger", "officer for orders". This is a Slavic copy of the term "Lieutenant" .In Russia this rank was first introduced in Strelets New...
which eventually turned into Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. The Ukrainian rank structure contained sotnyk rank well into the 20th century and was equivalent with captain, The rank did not officially change, but rather fell out of use after the elimination of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army by the Soviet Army and intelligence services.
The word is often translated as Captain, however the Lieutenant transliteration is also in common usage, and for the sake of the historical and social clarity the original rank name is used.
Administrative rank
Holders of the rank also served as leaders of territorial units. In the Cossacks' paramilitary society of the Zaporozhian HostZaporozhian 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...
, Cossack Hetmanate
Cossack Hetmanate
The Hetmanate or Zaporizhian Host was the Ruthenian Cossack state in the Central Ukraine between 1649 and 1782.The Hetmanate was founded by first Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Khmelnytsky Uprising . In 1654 it pledged its allegiance to Muscovy during the Council of Pereyaslav,...
, and Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine was a historical region which developed and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the southwestern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia....
, territories were organized along the lines of military organization and commanded by officers. During the Khmelnytsky Uprising
Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...
and in the Cossack Hetmanate
Cossack Hetmanate
The Hetmanate or Zaporizhian Host was the Ruthenian Cossack state in the Central Ukraine between 1649 and 1782.The Hetmanate was founded by first Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Khmelnytsky Uprising . In 1654 it pledged its allegiance to Muscovy during the Council of Pereyaslav,...
(17th-18th centuries), sotnyks were leaders of territorial administrative subdivisions called sotnyas. Such sotnyks were subordinated to polkovnyks (colonel) who were in control of a polk (primary administrative division) and a regiment (military unit).