Zaporizhian Sich - Origins

Origins

The first Zaporizhian Sich was established on the Island of Small (Mala) Khortytsia in 1552 by Dmytro Vyshnevetsky when the Ruthenian prince built a fortress at Nyz Dnieprovsky (Lower Dnieper) and placed a cossack garrison there. In 1558, however, that fortress was destroyed by Tatar forces. Soon another Sich was created on the now-flooded island of Tomakivka as a fortified encampment 40 miles south near the modern city of Marhanets. That Sich also was razed by Tatars in 1593. With the destruction of the Tomakivka Sich the third Sich was created on the Bazavluk island in 1593 that today is flooded as well. It managed to stay until 1638 when it was destroyed by a Polish expeditionary force against a cossack uprising. There also was another Sich which was first mentioned in 1628 at Mykytyn Rih near the today's city of Nikopol. From here Bohdan Khmelnytsky's uprising began in 1648. And, of course, there was the Chortomlyk Sich that was mercilessly razed by the Russian forces right after the Battle of Poltava for Cossack betrayal of the oath of loyalty to the Russian Tsar on the side Charles XII (1709). Then another Sich was built at the mouth of the Kamianets river, which also was destroyed by Russian Empire government in 1711. The cossacks then fled to the Crimean Khanate to avoid persecution and founded the Oleshky Sich in 1711 (today it is the city of Tsuryupinsk). In 1734, however, they were allowed to return back to the Russian Empire. Being discriminated in the Khanate cossacks gladly accepted the offer to return and build another Sich in close proximity to the former Chortomlyk Sich. This was the last Sich which was banned in 1775 by the Government of Catherine the Great. It was the end of the war between the Russian and Ottoman Empires, for possession of the steppes near the Black Sea and Crimea. Russia's government needs no more service of the Zaporizhian Cossacks for protection of the borders in that area. The small part of cossasks (5 thousands people)) left Zaporizh to serve the Ottoman Empire at the mouth of the Danube River, where they founded Dunube Sich. Most of the Cossacks (12 thousands people) served for the government of Russia in the basin of the Kuban river, Stavropol province of Russia. They turned into the Kuban Cossacks after.

The term "Sich" — a noun derived from the verb in estern Slavic languages sikty (сікти) "to chop" or "cut", meaning to clear a forest for an encampment, or to build a fortification with the trees that have been chopped down.

As a rule, Siches located close to the fords across Dnieper on the right river bank, from where cossacs easily controlled the Tatars invasion to Rzeczpospolita part of Ukraine.

The list of Zaporizhian Siches:

• Khortytsia Sich, 1556–1557 years.
• Tomakivka Sich, 1564–1593 years.
• Bazavluk Sich, 1593–1638 years.
• Mikitska Sich, 1639–1652 years.
• Chortomlyk Sich, 1652–1709 years.
• Kamenetz Sich, 1709–1711 years.
• Oleshky Sich, 1711–1734 years.
• Nova Podpolnenska Sich, 1734–1775 years.
• Danubian Sich, 1775–1828 years.

The remoteness of the location and rapids on the Dnieper River provided effective protection from attack.