Maksym Kryvonis ( Ukrainian: ''Максим Кривоніс'', Polish: ''Maksym Krzywonos''; literally means "crooked-nose") was one of the

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

leaders and a commander of the Ukrainian peasants against the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

. For the first time in the history of Lviv, during the siege of the city his regiment captured the Vysokyi Zamok Castle, which was defended by the strong Polish–Lithuanian garrison. Kryvonis was one of the most important figures during the

Khmelnytskyi Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack–Polish War, Khmelnytsky insurrection, or the National Liberation War, was a Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Co ...

in 1648.

Origins

The question about his origins remains unresolved. A Polish pamphlet published in 1648 claimed that he was a serf of the Nemyrych family (a hypothesis favoured by Soviet historiography). However, a German source about a meeting with Kryvonis in 1648 says that he is of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

origin ("ein gebohrenen Schott"). In this case his real name may well have been not a nickname based on his crooked or broken nose, but a translation of his Scottish family name Cameron.

Khmelnytsky Uprising

Kryvonis was one of the most effective generals of the uprising. He was awarded the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of Cherkasy Regiment. His actions in Korsun and Pylyavtsi battles in 1648 led to crushing Cossack victories over the Polish armies. His actions against prince

Jeremi Wiśniowiecki Prince Jeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, nicknamed ''Hammer on the Cossacks'' (), was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prince of Vyshnivets, Lubny and Khorol in the Crown of the Kingdom of Pola ...

at Makhnivka and Starokostiantyniv were less successful. Also, there are different accounts of Kryvonis's demise: killed (shot) during the siege of

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, assassinated (poisoned) by Jesuits, killed by orders of

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms (Ruthenian language, Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern , Polish language, Polish: ; 15956 August 1657) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble ...

who loathed him, or perished of plague during the siege of Zamość in 1648.

Atrocities

Cossacks took part in massacres and devastation of Jewish communities during the Uprising. Kryvonis led the capture of

Tulchyn Tulchyn (, ; ; ; ; ; ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast (Oblast, province) of western Ukraine, in the historical region of Podolia. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Tulchyn Raion (Raion, district). Its population is 13,896 (2023 estim ...

, killing 1,500

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in process, but sparing

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

in exchange for handing over Jews and their property. Jewish chronicles of that time portray Kryvonis as being responsible for the most brutal attacks on Jews and Poles in 1648. Leonid Plyushch states that Kryvonis's

pogroms A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century attacks on Jews i ...

are often attributed to

Literature

Kryvonis (Polish: ''Maksym Krzywonos'') was also a character in

With Fire and Sword ''By Fire and Sword'' () is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1884. It is the first volume of a series known to Poles as The Trilogy, followed by '' The Deluge'' (''Potop'', 1886) and '' Fire in the Step ...

, a novel by Nobel-winning 19th-century Polish author

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

. In the 1999 movie based on the novel he was played by Maciej Kozłowski.

References

External links

Article on the Ukrainian Government Portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kryvonis, Maxym Year of birth unknown 1648 deaths Ukrainian Cossacks Zaporozhian Cossacks Colonels of the Cossack Hetmanate Cossack rebels Zaporozhian Cossack military personnel of the Khmelnytsky Uprising Ukrainian people of Scottish descent Ukrainian military leaders 17th-century military personnel 17th-century military officers 17th-century Ukrainian people Antisemitism in Ukraine Ukrainian mass murderers Genocide perpetrators