Historical records of the Cossacks before the 16th century are scant, as is the history of the Ukrainian lands in that period. In 1261, Slavic people living in the area between the Dniester and the Volga were mentioned in Ruthenian chronicles. These included Moldavia and the Crimean Khanate. Īs the Grand Duchies of Moscow and Lithuania grew in power, new political entities appeared in the region. Some Turkologists, however, argue that Cossacks are descendants of the native Cumans of Ukraine, who had lived there long before the Mongol invasion. Some historians suggest that the Cossack people were of mixed ethnic origin, descending from East Slavs, Turks, Tatars, and others who settled or passed through the vast Steppe. In contrast, Slavic settlements in southern Ukraine started to appear relatively early during Cuman rule, with the earliest, such as Oleshky, dating back to the 11th century.Įarly "Proto-Cossack" groups are generally reported to have come into existence within what is now Ukraine in the 13th century as the influence of Cumans grew weaker, although some have ascribed their origins to as early as the mid-8th century. It is known that new settlers inherited a lifestyle that long pre-dated their presence, including that of the Turkic Cumans and the Circassian Kassaks. Their arrival was probably not before the 13th century, when the Mongols broke the power of the Cumans, who had assimilated the previous population on that territory. It is unclear when people other than the Brodnici and Berladnici (which had a Romanian origin with large Slavic influences) began to settle in the lower reaches of major rivers such as the Don and the Dnieper after the demise of the Khazar state. Map of the Wild Fields in the 17th century 8.5.1 Registered Cossacks of the Russian Federation.5.10 Anticommunist Cossacks in exile and World War II, 1920–1945.5.9 Cossacks in the Soviet Union, 1917–1945.
The Cossacks were particularly noted for holding democratic traditions. They were a semi-nomadic and semi-militarized people, who, while under the nominal suzerainty of various Eastern European states at the time, were allowed a great degree of self-governance in exchange for military service. The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Orthodox Christian people group originating in the steppes of Ukraine.