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Nikita GalaganUkrainian national hero
Country:
 Ukraine |
Content:
- Ukrainian National Hero
- Legend of Ivan Susanin
- Early Life
- Involvement in Uprisings
- Meeting with Bohdan Khmelnytsky
- Life in Korsun
- Involvement in the Battle
Ukrainian National Hero
Biography of Nikita GalaganNikita Galagan, a Ukrainian national hero, played a significant role in the Korsun Battle on May 16, 1648. On the orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he willingly subjected himself to torture in order to deceive the enemy about the condition of the Cossack forces. He led a 25,000-strong Polish army into impenetrable thickets, allowing the Cossack forces to attack the Poles in unfavorable conditions. As a result of the battle, 18,000 soldiers, including 80 senior commanders and hetmans Potocki and Kalinowski, were killed or captured from the Polish army.
Legend of Ivan Susanin
In the media and popular scientific literature, it has been suggested that Nikita Galagan's feat formed the basis of the legend of Ivan Susanin. Unlike Ivan Susanin, whose feat is questioned because it is not directly reflected in historical documents, there are direct documentary evidence regarding Galagan. This feat of Galagan was portrayed in the film "With Fire And Sword" by Jerzy Hoffman.
Early Life
Nikita Galagan was born in the city of Korsun and came from an ancient Cossack family. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Cossacks. During that time, since the time of Hetman Sahaidachny, it was customary for Cossacks to provide education to their children. At his father's insistence, Nikita enrolled in the Kyiv Brotherhood school, which he successfully completed over time and was registered as a Cossack.
Involvement in Uprisings
During the anti-Polish uprising led by Taras Tryasilo, Galagan joined the rebels and participated in their campaigns. After the uprising was defeated, Galagan was removed from the register, deprived of his property, and classified as a serf under Prince Yarema Vishnevetsky. Unwilling to accept his fate, Galagan left Korsun and escaped to the Zaporozhian Sich, hoping to regain his Cossack rights through battle. With this goal in mind, he joined the Cossack-exempted troops led by Ostryanitsa and Gunya and participated in another anti-Polish uprising. However, this uprising also did not succeed.
Returning to the Sich, Galagan joined the army of Ataman Maksym Gulak, who agreed to fight against the Persians on behalf of the Turkish Sultan in exchange for a reward. Galagan participated in the campaign through Kuban and the Caucasus to Persia, where he seized a significant amount of gold as a trophy. Upon his return, Galagan decided to redeem his Cossack rights with money.
Meeting with Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Having heard that Bohdan Khmelnytsky, whom he knew well before, had been appointed as the Chyhyryn sotnyk, Galagan went to meet him and told him about all his misfortunes. Khmelnytsky promised to help restore Nikita's rights and wrote a request to Yarema Vishnevetsky. For five thousand gold coins, Vishnevetsky agreed to free Galagan from serfdom and classify him as a burgher. However, he refused to consider reinstating him with Cossack rights and returning his property.
Life in Korsun
In 1647, Galagan, now free and having enough money, returned to Korsun. Despite not being officially reinstated as a Cossack and being classified as a burgher, Nikita carried a saber and considered himself a Cossack. Around the same time in Korsun, Galagan met Eufrosinia, the daughter of a registered Cossack named Danilo Tsimbaluk, whom he eventually married and settled in Danilo's house.
Involvement in the Battle
In March, troops of Hetman Potocki arrived in Korsun from Cherkasy and stationed themselves near the castle. Galagan decided to scout the Polish forces and went to their camp in hopes of finding someone he knew. There, he encountered his comrade Dorosh Bilyk, who had been demoted from a Cossack to a dragoon for disobedience. During the conversation with Bilyk, Galagan gathered valuable information.
Defending his wife's honor, Galagan killed a haiduk and, in order to escape persecution, fled from Korsun. In a ravine near Stebleva, Nikita gathered a group of fellow fugitives. The group established a camp in a ravine near Kruty Bayrak. New fugitives joined them almost daily, and the group eventually numbered three hundred people. The Cossacks dug trenches along the path from Korsun to Bohuslav, where the Polish forces were likely to move, and set traps and obstacles to hinder them.
