c. 1639–1709
Ivan Mazepa
Hetman and patron of Cossack Baroque
Hetman who ruled the Hetmanate for over 20 years and tried to free Ukraine from Moscow’s control. A generous patron who funded the building and restoration of many churches in the Cossack Baroque style.
Key accomplishments
- Hetman for over 20 years (1687–1709), one of the longest tenures
- Funded the building and restoration of many churches in the Cossack Baroque style
- Expanded the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, which received the status of an academy
- Alliance with Sweden in 1708 to free Ukraine from dependence on Moscow
Who he was
Ivan Mazepa was born into a family of Ukrainian nobility on a homestead that later became the village of Mazepyntsi near Bila Tserkva. His exact date of birth is unknown; March 20, 1639, is traditionally given. He received a brilliant education, at the Kyiv-Mohyla College and in Europe, served at the court of the Polish king and spoke several languages. In 1687 the Cossack officers (the starshyna) elected him Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host on the Left Bank, east of the Dnipro.
His story
Mazepa was one of the greatest patrons of the arts in Ukraine’s history. At his expense, many churches were built and restored, including in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. The style of these buildings went down in history as Cossack (Mazepa) Baroque. He supported printing, schools and the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
For about twenty years Mazepa was an ally of the Muscovite tsar and fought alongside him, including in the Azov campaigns. But seeing how Peter I was restricting the autonomy of the Hetmanate and exhausting the Cossacks with wars, in 1708 he went over to the side of the Swedish king Charles XII. In response, Menshikov’s troops destroyed the hetman’s capital, Baturyn, together with its inhabitants. After the defeat at Poltava in 1709, Mazepa retreated to Bender, where he died; he was reburied in the Monastery of St. George in the city of Galați (now in Romania). The Russian Church pronounced an anathema on him, and for centuries the word “Mazepist” (mazepynets) was used in the empire as a slur against Ukrainians who sought independence.
Why it matters today
Mazepa became a symbol of Ukraine’s attempt to break free from Moscow’s rule. His portrait appears on the 10 hryvnia banknote.
