"COSSATS NATION" AND ITS LEADERS AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE MOSCOW STATE AND SWEDEN: ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER "AMSTERDAM" IN 1708

Abstract

The publication examines the military-political situation in 1708 on the borders of Ukraine and the reasons for the national liberation action of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, namely his transition to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII in the reports of the French-language publication “Amsterdam”. It has been established that the pages of the publication regularly covered the events of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721 and the figures of the Hetmans of Ukraine – Ivan Mazepa, Ivan Skoropadskyi and Pylyp Orlyk – repeatedly appeared in connection with the events of 1708. The newspaper informs the reader about the almost step-by-step march of the Swedish army to the borders with the Moscow Kingdom and the Hetmanate. The reports of “Amsterdam” clearly define the intentions of Hetman Ivan Mazepa and the reasons for his fateful decision. The actions of Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Mazepa are presented taking into account the general military situation and European policy. Information about the intentions of Hetman Ivan Mazepa appears in reports six months before Ivan Mazepa’s transition to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII. This may indicate that the person providing the news was well-informed, since such an action was kept secret, even from the Hetman’s closest entourage. The “News” edition also depicted the “images” of the Cossacks, marked the name “Ukraine” and settlements that had important military and political significance. The pages of “Amsterdam” reflected the significant international activities of the Swedish king, Polish and Ukrainian leaders, in particular their contacts with the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate and Moldova. Thus, all of the above indicates that the European reader had the opportunity to receive timely and truthful information about Ukrainian affairs and the actions of the Ukrainian leadership, and the military-political situation in the Ukrainian lands had an important European dimension.