Skip to content

← Home

Korsun Agreement of 1668

The Korsun Agreement of 1668 was a military-political treaty proclaimed on March 11, 1668, at the General Council of the Zaporozhian Host near Korsun by Hetman Petro Doroshenko regarding the acceptance of the Ottoman protectorate ("allegiance to the Sultan"). The agreement legally established the state independence of Cossack Ukraine modeled on the vassal relations of the Moldavian and Wallachian principalities.

Overview

In response to the signing of the Truce of Andrusovo of 1667 between the Tsardom of Muscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which divided Ukraine along the Dnieper River, Hetman Petro Doroshenko initiated negotiations with the government of the Ottoman Empire (the Porte) and the Crimean Khanate. In January 1668, at the Officers' Council (Starshyna Council) in Chyhyryn, a fundamental decision was made to renounce allegiance to the Muscovite Tsar and the Polish King and to unite both banks of the Dnieper under a single mace (bulava).

On March 11, 1668, at the General Council near Korsun, the agreement on the Ottoman protectorate was officially ratified. According to the treaty, the Ottoman Empire recognized the state independence and indivisibility of the Zaporozhian Host, while the Hetman promised to pay tribute ("tribute to the Turkish Tsar and the Crimean Khan") following the example of the rulers (hospodars) of Wallachia and Moldavia. This treaty was of decisive importance for preserving the sovereignty of the Ukrainian Cossack state.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Prerequisites: The Truce of Andrusovo of 1667 and the threat of the final division of the Ukrainian state; Doroshenko's negotiations in July 1667.
  • Chyhyryn Council (January 1668): Adoption of the decision on the unity (sobornist) of Ukraine and an alliance with the Porte and the Khanate without allegiance to Moscow and Warsaw.
  • Korsun General Council (March 11, 1668): Proclamation of the agreement on "allegiance to the Sultan" Mehmed IV.
  • Status and Significance: The treaty legally guaranteed the autonomy and statehood of the Zaporozhian Host, equal in importance to the Pereyaslav Articles of 1654 (and surpassing them in terms of legal clarity regarding sovereignty).
  • Ecclesiastical and Political Consequences: By order of Metropolitan Yosyp Tukalskyi-Nelyubovych, the commemoration of the Muscovite Tsar as head of state was abolished in all Orthodox churches of Ukraine.

Sources and References

  • What Do We Know About "Cossack" Metropolises? — an article by Yevhen Buket about the Korsun Agreement and its impact on the ecclesiastical structure.
  • Petro Doroshenko — Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host, initiator of the Korsun Agreement.
  • Yosyp Tukalskyi-Nelyubovych — Metropolitan of Kyiv, who supported Doroshenko's political course.
  • Peace Treaty of Buchach of 1672 — subsequent international agreement confirming the independence of the Zaporozhian Host under Ottoman protectorate.
  • Metropolis of Brăila — ecclesiastical metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, under whose omophorion the territories of the Cossack state subsequently passed.
  • Khan Ukraine — Cossack lands under the protectorate of the Porte and the Khanate, continuing the tradition of the Korsun Agreement.