Semyon Paliy
or Semen Palii
(, , ) (early 1640s – 24 January / 13 May 1710) was a
Zaporozhian Cossack
The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossac ...
polkovnyk
(; ) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states, ''coronel'' in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking states and '' oberst'' in several German-speaking and Scandinavian count ...
(colonel). Paliy was compared to
Ivan Sirko
Ivan Dmytrovych Sirko ( – August 11, 1680) was a Zaporozhian Cossack military leader, Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host and putative co-author of the famous semi-legendary Cossack letter to the Ottoman sultan that inspired the major p ...
due to his exploits against
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...
and
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
.
Origin
Semyon Paliy's middle name is Filipovich, and real last name is Gurko. Paliy was born in 1640.
He's native to the town of
Borzna
Borzna (, ), also referred to as Borsna, is a city in Nizhyn Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Borzna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population:
Geography
Borzna is located on the Desna ...
,
Chernihiv
Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is
The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...
region.
Paliy settled in the
Zaporizhian Sich
The Zaporozhian Sich (, , ; also ) was a semi-autonomous polity and proto-state of Zaporozhian Cossacks that existed between the 16th to 18th centuries, for the latter part of that period as an autonomous stratocratic state within the Cossa ...
during 1670s, gaining fame as a brave fighter and
Zaporozhian Cossack
The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossac ...
.
Career
In 1683, Paliy led a force consisting of 5,000
Zaporozhian Cossacks
The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossa ...
during
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...
. In 1685, Paliy moved to
Right-bank Ukraine
The Right-bank Ukraine is a historical and territorial name for a part of modern Ukraine on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, corresponding to the modern-day oblasts of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, as well as the western parts o ...
and joined the service of
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 ...
, under King
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...
. During his years in Polish service, Paliy proved himself as an able Cossack commander in wars against
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...
and
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
.
Among other military deeds his men achieved, Paliy's Cossacks successfully raided Ottoman fortresses, among which were
Ochakov
Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...
, Akkerman and Kiliya. Paliy carried out successful raids against Tatars, inflicting a series of defeats on them and taking many captive. Paliy also liberated many Christian captives and was respected by
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...
for his exploits. In 1686–1687, he took part in joint campaigns with Poles into
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
. He became the
ataman
Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...
of
Right-bank Ukraine
The Right-bank Ukraine is a historical and territorial name for a part of modern Ukraine on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, corresponding to the modern-day oblasts of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, as well as the western parts o ...
, still under Polish control (while the
Left-bank Ukraine
The Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left (east) bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy.
Left-bank Ukrain ...
was under Russian control). Paliy wanted to unify right and left-bank Ukraine, ruled by one and sole
Cossack Hetman
A Hetman of Zaporizhian Cossacks is a historical term that has multiple meanings.
Officially the post was known as Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host ().Mytsyk, Yu. Hetman (ГЕТЬМАН)'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. Hetman of Zaporizhia ...
.
By the end of the 1680s Semyon Paliy, however, became wary of Polish overlordship. In 1689 he was imprisoned by Poles after attacking
Nemyriv
Nemyriv ( ; ) is a historic city in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) in Ukraine, located in the historical region of Podolia. It was the administrative center of former Nemyriv Raion (district). Population:
Nemyriv is one of the oldest cities in Vin ...
, but regained freedom after
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...
's intervention next year.
In 1699 a new Polish king
Augustus II
Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...
disbanded the
Cossack militia and signed
a peace treaty with Ottoman Turkey. Cossacks were angered by this situation, and in 1702 Paliy started
an open rebellion against the crown, the last of the major
Cossack uprisings
The Cossack uprisings (also kozak rebellions, revolts) were a series of military conflicts between the Cossacks and the states claiming dominion over the territories they lived in, namely the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russian Empire du ...
against the Commonwealth. Together with a number of other Cossack
polkovnyk
(; ) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states, ''coronel'' in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking states and '' oberst'' in several German-speaking and Scandinavian count ...
s, Paliy and his rebels captured
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva ( ; , ) is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated on the Ros (river), Ros River in the historical region of right-bank Ukraine. It is the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (which does not include the city of Kyiv) and serves as the ...
,
Fastiv
Fastiv (, ) is a city in the Kyiv Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. On older maps it is depicted as Khvastiv (; ). Administratively, it serves as the administrative centre of the Fastiv Raion (district), to which it does not administratively ...
, Nemyriv and a few other towns. Rebellious Cossacks massacred their traditional enemies - Polish
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
, Catholic priests and Jews - in the area they controlled. The rebels sent several requests to the Left-bank
hetman
''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...
Ivan Mazepa
Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (; ; ) was the Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host and the Left-bank Ukraine in 1687–1708. The historical events of Mazepa's life have inspired Cultural legacy of Mazeppa, many literary, artistic and musical works. He was ...
, as well as to
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, asking the Russians to help them free right-bank Ukraine from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, but those remained without an answer.
On October 17, 1702, Paliy and his Cossacks were defeated by the Polish army near the town of
Berdychiv
Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...
and later at Nemyriv and at Verbykhy in February 1703. Paliy's last stand was at Bila Tserkva.
Russian Tsar
Peter I and Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa, who were allied with Poland against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
at the time, ordered Paliy to surrender Bila Tserkva, but he and his men refused.
Mazepa, who was wary of Paliy's radical social policies, convinced Peter I to allow him to intervene, which he successfully did, taking over major portions of right-bank Ukraine, while Poland was weakened by
the invasion of Swedish king
Charles XII
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...
. Fearing the popularity of Paliy, Mazepa had him exiled to Siberia in 1705.
In 1709 after Mazepa switched sides and joined the Swedes against Russia, Paliy together with other enemies of Mazepa was freed from exile. During the
Battle of Poltava
The Battle of Poltava took place 8 July 1709, was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. The Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeated the Swedish army commanded by Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld. The battle would l ...
he fought against Mazepa and Charles XII in the ranks of Cossacks loyal to Russia.
After the battle he continued his service in Bila Tserkva Regiment.
Burial
Semyon Paliy died on 24 January or 13 May, 1710 in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
and was buried in the nearby
Mezhyhirya Monastery
__NOTOC__
The Mezhyhirya Savior-Transfiguration Monastery () was an Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox female monastery that was located in the neighborhood of Mezhyhiria outside of the Vyshhorod city limits.
The monastery was located just t ...
.
Legacy
After his death Paliy became a
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythology, mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in Folk music, folk songs, folk tales ...
of many Ukrainian songs and legends. A church in the city of
Fastiv
Fastiv (, ) is a city in the Kyiv Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. On older maps it is depicted as Khvastiv (; ). Administratively, it serves as the administrative centre of the Fastiv Raion (district), to which it does not administratively ...
(still preserved) was named ''Tserkva Paliya'' after him.
Semyon Paliy is portrayed in later fictional literature describing his times, most notably in the Cossack series by
Volodymyr Malyk.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Brockhaus-Efron entry*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paliy, Semen
1640s births
1710 deaths
People from Borzna
People from Chernihiv
People of the Great Turkish War
People of the Great Northern War
Battle of Poltava
Ukrainian military leaders
Colonels of the Cossack Hetmanate
Ukrainian folklore
Ukrainian legends
Zaporozhian Cossacks
17th-century Ukrainian people
18th-century Ukrainian people
17th-century military officers
18th-century military officers
Cossack rebels
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy alumni
Ukrainian exiles
Ukrainian exiles in the Russian Empire