П. О. Куліш про козацько-селянські війни кінця XVI – першої половини XVII століть
P. O. Kulish about the Cossack-peasant wars at the end of the XVI – the beginning of the XVII centuries

Summary/Abstract: In the article, the P. Kulish’s thoughts about the fight in the XVI-XVII centuries of Ukrainian people against social and national oppression, and for the preservation of the Orthodox faith are considered. P. Kulish was fond of the events peasant and Cossack uprisings against the Polish magnate-gentry at the end of the XVI – first half of the XVII centuries and the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people headed by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Peter Doroshenko, Gajdamacks movements and etc. Studying the history of Ukrainian people and its sharp turns, P. Kulish expressed his opinion about the fight of Ukrainian people against social and national, religious oppression in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Analyzing P. Kulish’s historical and literary works, we make the concludes that he was interested in the events of peasant and Cossack uprisings against the Polish gentry at the end of the XVI – at the beginning of the XVII centuries and the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people headed by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Peter Doroshenko, Gajdamacks movements and etc. Attracting the reader's attention to these events, P. Kulish, especially in the his youth, taking part in the Cyril and Methodius organization, intended to awake in the contemporaries interest to the history of his people by the heroic deeds of the grandfathers and great-grandfathers . He was proud of the Zaporozhye Cossacks struggle against social and national oppression. In the Cossack life, he saw the power of the Ukrainian people, their love of freedom and the pursuit of a happy life. The researcher tried to move those traditions in the present and to intensify them. This feature characterized Taras Shevchenko works. Praised him historical events and heroes of the past inspired to active fight against the landlords and autocracy and gifted the faith in themselves. Highlighting the struggle of the people masses against their oppressors in the past, P. Kulish emphasized the love of freedom of the Ukrainian people, its love for its homeland, the constant desire for freedom and a happy life, self-sacrifice and heroism in combat with the enemy. Analyzing peasant Cossack uprising in Ukraine at the end XVI – the beginning of the XVII, the Russian and Ukrainian noble historiography wanted to hide the truly reasons of them. Ignoring the social factors, they were usually eager to prove that the basis of these uprisings had been the Ukrainian nation fight against the forcible Polonizing and the desire of South Russ to become under the banner of the Russian Tsar. P. Kulish respected P. Konashevich Sagaydachny as a Cossack father, and as a shrewd diplomat in relations with Poland, and as a supporter of protectorate over Ukraine from Russia, and as loyal subjects of the Orthodox Church, and the organizer of Ukrainian people of Crimean Turkish aggression. The researcher appreciated P. Sagaidachny for his patriotism, sensitivity to the needs of its people. It seemed to him that in more favorable circumstances the hetman could solve the Ukrainian problem better than B. Khmelnitsky. So P. Kulish understood that the peasant and Cossack revolts were against feudal and aimed to defense the national dignity and maintain their own faith. According to P. Kulish, pious clergy, militant Orthodox Church inspired his supporters not to fear death and above all respect freedom. The main motives of future revolutionary events at the end of the XVI – the beginning of the XVII centuries were the Orthodox church, religious factors. During his life, P. Kulish changed his views on the role and place in the history of Ukrainian historical figures; the reasons which led to peasant-Cossack protests in Ukraine in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries, including the Ukrainian National Revolution 1648-1676; the essence of historical relations between Ukraine, Poland and Russia etc.

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