The Cossack hetmans of the 17th–18th centuries are associated not only with victories and campaigns, but also with a complex political struggle that sometimes resembles a thriller more than academic history. According to historian Kyrylo Halushko, the Ukrainian political elite of the time lived in conditions where betrayal was a common survival strategy.
History shows that the hetman's rule was accompanied by palace coups, contract killings, information campaigns, conspiracies of the foremen, intrigues of foreign states, poisonings and executions, as well as the presence of secret agents of neighboring empires.
Thus, after the Hadyak Agreement of 1658, Ivan Vyhovsky faced a conspiracy of the foremen, who accused him of serving the Poles. In 1664, he was stripped of his mace, arrested, and executed by firing squad in Makhnov by order of the crown hetman Sebastian Charnetsky.
Ivan Bryukhovetsky, the first hetman of Left-Bank Ukraine, entered into direct vassal relations with Moscow, but was killed during a meeting with Petro Doroshenko, hetman of Right-Bank Ukraine, in 1668. His assassination had an element of internal conspiracy and the probable involvement of Moscow agents.
In 1687, the first Ukrainian “palace coup” took place - Hetman Ivan Samoilovych was removed from the starshyn conspiracy in favor of Ivan Mazepa. After that, Samoilovych was exiled to Siberia, and Mazepa strengthened his political authority by demonstrating obedience to Moscow.
The 18th century brought new political intrigues: secret poisonings, murders in the elders' families, operations by Moscow agents, rivalries between colonels, and the mysterious deaths of church figures who opposed centralization. The Russian authorities employed large-scale information and psychological campaigns against Hetman Mazepa, using fake letters, church anathemas, and bribery of elders.
The history of the Hetmanate demonstrates that force was not always the key factor, and that intrigue, conspiracy, and external pressure played a decisive role. These lessons remain relevant today, as Ukraine once again faces pressure from external forces.
Brief information about hetmans:
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Ivan Vyhovsky (1657–1659) – author of the Hadyatka Agreement, executed in 1664.
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Ivan Bryukhovetsky (1663–1668) – Hetman of Left-Bank Ukraine, murdered for political reasons.
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Petro Doroshenko (1665–1676) – Hetman of Right-Bank Ukraine, sought to unite Ukraine.
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Ivan Samoilovych (1672–1687) – Hetman of Left-Bank Ukraine, deposed in a conspiracy of the elders.
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Ivan Mazepa (1687–1708) – a famous hetman, became the victim of a discrediting campaign by Moscow.
