born с 1595, Chigirin, Ukraine
died Aug. 16, 1657, Chigirin
Ukrainian Cossack leader (1648–57).
Although he was educated in Poland and served with the Polish military, he fled to the fortress of the Zaporozhian Cossacks in 1648 and organized a rebellion among them. After winning support from dissatisfied Ukrainian peasants and townspeople, he marched against Poland. After years of war, he sought aid from the Russians in 1654, and they subsequently invaded Poland, achieving the transfer of Ukrainian lands from Polish to Russian control. His attempts to secure autonomy for his Cossack followers resulted only in their later subjection to Russian rule.