The Little Russia Office (russian: Приказ Малыя Россіи) was a Muscovite state agency (

Prikaz A prikaz (russian: прика́з, ''prikaz''; , plural: ) was an administrative, judicial, territorial, or executive office functioning on behalf of palace, civil, military, or church authorities in Muscovy and in Russia from the 15th to the 1 ...

) and administrative body of the

Tsardom of Muscovy The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I in ...

in charge of affairs connected with the

Cossack Hetmanate The Cossack Hetmanate ( uk, Гетьманщина, Hetmanshchyna; or ''Cossack state''), officially the Zaporizhian Host or Army of Zaporizhia ( uk, Військо Запорозьке, Viisko Zaporozke, links=no; la, Exercitus Zaporoviensis) ...

and the

Left-bank Ukraine Left-bank Ukraine ( uk, Лівобережна Україна, translit=Livoberezhna Ukrayina; russian: Левобережная Украина, translit=Levoberezhnaya Ukraina; pl, Lewobrzeżna Ukraina) is a historic name of the part of Ukrain ...

. Created on {{OldStyleDateNY, 10 January 1663, 31 December 1662, the office existed until 1722 when it was transformed into the Collegium of Little Russia and moved to

Hlukhiv Hlukhiv ( uk, Глу́хів, ) or Glukhov (russian: Глухов, translit=Glukhov) is a small historic town on the Esman River. It is a city of regional significance in the Sumy region of Ukraine. Hlukhiv is administratively incorporated as ...

. The Little Russia Office was part of the bigger Ambassadorial Office and since 1671 was chaired by the head of the office. Located in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, since 1707 the agency had its resident general in the hetman's capital. Conditions of the office were expressed in articles (or statutes; russian: статьи) which were concluded with every newly elected Hetman.

Overview

Noticeable is the fact that the Little Russia Prikase was created about a week later after the official confirmation of Hetman

Pavlo Teteria Pavlo Teteria ( uk, Павло́ Тете́ря; russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Тете́ря, pl, Paweł Morzkowski herbu Ślepowron) (1620s–1670) was Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine (1663–1665). His real name is Pavlo Morzhkovsky. ...

Chyhyryn Chyhyryn ( uk, Чигирин, ) is a city and historic site located in Cherkasy Raion of Cherkasy Oblast of central Ukraine. From 1648 to 1669 the city was a Hetman residence. After a forced relocation of the Ruthenian Orthodox metropolitan see ...

after he was elected the Hetman of Zaporizhian Host earlier in October 1662. The prikase sanctioned an alternative elections of hetman which led to election of the

Kosh Otaman Kish otaman ( uk, Кошовий отаман, ; russian: Кошевой атаман, ; pl, Ataman koszowy; also known as of the Zaporizhian Host) was a chief officer of the ''Kish'' (central body of government) of the Zaporozhian Host in the 1 ...

Ivan Briukhovetsky Ivan Briukhovetsky ( uk, Іван Брюховецький, links=no, pl, Iwan Brzuchowiecki, links=no, russian: Иван Брюховецкий, links=no) (died 18 June 1668) was a hetman of Left-bank Ukraine from 1663 to 1668. In the early year ...

as another Hetman of Zaporizhian Host in

Nizhyn Nizhyn ( uk, Ні́жин, Nizhyn, ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the administrative center of Nizhyn Raion. It ...

in June 1663 (see

Chorna rada of 1663 {{Refimprove, date=April 2008 The Chorna rada of 1663 ( ua, Чорна рада) was a Cossack Rada meeting on 17–18 June, 1663 near Nizhyn, Ukraine, where thousands of common Cossacks, Zaporozhians, Ukrainian peasants, including the Cossack ...

). The creation of dual hetmanship conditionally divided Ukraine along the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...

which later in 1667 saw its virtual and legal realization at the

Treaty of Andrusovo The Truce of Andrusovo ( pl, Rozejm w Andruszowie, russian: Андрусовское перемирие, ''Andrusovskoye Pieriemiriye'', also sometimes known as Treaty of Andrusovo) established a thirteen-and-a-half year truce, signed in 1667 bet ...

Composition and functions

The prikase consisted of four clerks ( dyaks) and 15-40 assistants (podyachny). It controlled the Hetman and its officer council implementing a prikase-voivode system of the Russian administration in Ukraine. The prikase prevented any attempts that were undertaken to succeed Ukraine from Russia in its early stage. In 1722 it was transformed into the Collegium of Little Russia suspending next Hetman elections indefinitely.

Primary

* maintained ties on the tsar's behalf with the hetman's government and representatives in Moscow * kept the tsar informed of developments * gathered intelligence * supervised and supplied the Muscovite garrisons in several of the Hetmanate's towns * mitigated conflicts between them and the people * oversaw the construction of fortresses and bridges * looked after the interests of Russian merchants in Ukraine * issued travel permits * settled jurisdictional disputes

Additionally

* monitored the administrative institutions of the Hetman state * monitored the hetman's correspondence with foreign rulers * reviewed the hetman's appointments * interfered in the affairs of the Orthodox church in Ukraine

Heads

* 1663–1667 Boyar Pyotr Saltykov, dyak Ivan Mikhailov * 1667–1668 Boyar

Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin Afanasy Lavrentievich Ordin-Nashchokin (russian: Афанасий Лаврентьевич Ордин-Нащокин) (1605–1680) was a Russian statesman of the 17th century. He was the first junior noble to attain the ''boyar'' title and high ...

(part of Ambassadorial Prikaz) * 1668–1676 Council Courtier

Artamon Matveyev Artamon Sergeyevich Matveyev (Артамон Сергеевич Матвеев in Russian) (1625–1682) was a Russian statesman, diplomat and reformer. Biography Because his father - Sergey Matveyev - was a notable diplomat, Artamon Matveyev ...

, dyaks Grigoriy Bogdanov and Yakov Pozdyshev ** since 1670 part of Ambassadorial Prikaz

Articles

* 1654 March Articles * 1659

Pereyaslav Articles The Pereyaslav Articles ( uk, Переяславські статті, translit=Pereiaslavski statti, russian: Переяславские статьи) were concluded on October 27, 1659 between Yurii Khmelnytsky, the son of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and ...

Moscow Articles of 1665 {{Use dmy dates, date=May 2022 The Moscow Articles of 1665 was an agreement signed on 11 October 1665 between the Cossack Hetmanate Hetman Ivan Briukhovetsky and the Tsardom of Russia. The treaty put Left-Bank Ukraine under the control of the Russi ...

External links

Little Russian Office
at the

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' ( uk, Енциклопедія українознавства, translit=Entsyklopediia ukrainoznavstva), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was creat ...

Little Russian Office
at the Encyclopedia of history of Ukraine

at the

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...

Little Russia Prikase

Soviet Historical Encyclopedia The Soviet Historical Encyclopedia is the Soviet encyclopedia of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union (1961–1976) on the history of peoples of the whole world until the 70s of the 20th century. Content Includes articles-terms on the histo ...

. 1663 establishments in Russia 1722 disestablishments in the Russian Empire Russia–Ukraine relations Cossack Hetmanate