Introduction of Military Settlements and Liquidation of the Danubian Sich (1817–1828)
A campaign to turn the free population into rightless military settlers. "The trigger was the order abolishing the Buh Cossack Host and turning the Cossacks into military settlers"[1] – the Buh Cossacks' uprising of 1817 was brutally suppressed. There were two acts, on opposite sides of the uprising: the nominal decree of April 17, 1817 transferred the Buh Host's district "into direct military administration" (PSZRI, vol. XXXIV, no. 26,802) - this was the trigger; the decree of October 8, 1817 (no. 27,081), issued after the suppression, formalized the liquidation: "the name of the Buh Cossack Host is abolished"[2]. Later, kish otaman Hladky with part of the Danubian Cossacks "on May 30 (18), 1828 crossed the Kiliya mouth of the Danube, entered the port of Izmail, and joined the Russian army"[3] – this was the end of the last free host: the Danubian Sich "existed from the last quarter of the 18th century until 1828"[3].
Actors
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| G0009 | Russian Empire | 3 |
Instruments Applied
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| S0009 | Diplomacy | 1 |
| S0010 | Regular Army | 1 |
| S0017 | Secret Police and Security Services | 1 |
Procedures Carried Out
The transfer of Cossacks to the status of rightless military settlers (the Arakcheev system), which provoked the uprising of 1817: "The trigger was the order abolishing the Buh Cossack Host and turning the Cossacks into military settlers… The reprisal against the rebellious Cossacks was extraordinarily brutal: many were cut down with sabers, drowned in the Southern Buh, flogged to death"[1]. There were two acts, on opposite sides of the uprising: the nominal decree of April 17, 1817 transferred the Buh Host's district "into direct military administration" (PSZRI, vol. XXXIV, no. 26,802) - this was the trigger; the decree of October 8, 1817 (no. 27,081), issued after the suppression, formalized the liquidation: "the name of the Buh Cossack Host is abolished"[2].
The luring of kish otaman Hladky over to the empire's side in 1828: part of the Danubians "headed by kish otaman Y. Hladky, on May 30 (18), 1828, crossed the Kiliya mouth of the Danube, entered the port of Izmail, and joined the Russian army"[3].
The otaman's defection left the Cossacks remaining beyond the Danube exposed to the Porte's retaliation and put an end to the last free Cossack host: the Danubian Sich "existed from the last quarter of the 18th century until 1828"[3].
References
- Редкол.: В. А. Смолій (голова) та ін. НАН України. Інститут історії України. (2003). Енциклопедія історії України: Т. 1.
- Российская империя (ПСЗРИ); №26802 от 17 апреля 1817 и №27081 от 8 октября 1817 (упразднение Бугского казачьего войска). (1830). Полное собрание законов Российской империи. Собрание первое. Том XXXIV (1817).