«Deserted»
January 1654. Stolnik (pantler) Prince Fyodor Boryatinsky is riding through the Bracław regiment — to bring the Cossacks to the oath of the Muscovite tsar after the Pereiaslav Council. In his roll of towns, opposite Miastkivka, he writes a single word — «пуста» (deserted). Abandoned. No people.
Five months later a Syrian deacon will see this small town with his own eyes and describe its walls, ditches, churches, market, and a colonel with his army. And five weeks after that an eight-thousand-strong Polish-Wallachian army will march up to these walls.
This is 1654 — the best-documented year in the history of Miastkivka. Four independent sources — a Muscovite roll, a Syrian diary, a Cossack letter, and a tsarist report — paint a picture of one town over the course of seven months. From ruins to siege.
Five years that changed everything
In the previous chapter Miastkivka was left in 1649. A Cossack fortress. 253 Cossacks. Sotnyk Zelenskyi. No lords — Aleksander Koniecpolski is somewhere in Poland, and no one is coming back. The town governs itself at the junction of three borders.
In five years the picture has changed radically. Cossack Ukraine has lost the decisive battles — Berestechko (1651), Zhvanets (1653). The Peace of Zboriv, which had granted the Cossacks autonomy, collapsed. Every year — a new war, a new defeat, a new peace on worse terms. Khmelnytsky understood: without an external ally the Hetmanate would not survive.
8 January 1654 — the Pereiaslav Council. The Cossack officer corps swears allegiance to Tsar Alexis of Moscow. This is not a merger and not a submission — it is a military alliance in hope of protection against Poland. But it is a decision that will shape the fate of the region for centuries to come.
After the council, Moscow sends the boyar Vasily Buturlin with officials into the regiments — to bring the population to the oath. This is why a Muscovite stolnik is riding through the Bracław region with a census. This is why there is for the first time a Muscovite document about Miastkivka. Earlier it was recorded by Polish privileges and Cossack registers. Now — the tsar's chancellery. A new empire looks upon our town.
One word in a Muscovite roll
For the Bracław regiment, Buturlin sends Prince Fyodor Boryatinsky. In his roll (AYuZR X, pp. 239–240) Miastkivka stands among dozens of names — and the only thing said of it is:
«Городы полку бряславского: Бряславль, Ободовка, Жабокрицкое, Соколовка, Куничее, Чачалникъ, Таркановка, Хрестища, Равковъ, [...] Мясковка пуста, Вербка, Сарапановка, Китай городъ [...]»AYuZR, pt. X, pp. 239–240
Miastkivka is not alone. A whole swathe of south-western Bracław region lies in ruins. Krypiakevych confirms the scale:
«В 1654 р., після завзятих битв з поляками, в південно-західній частині Браславського полку козацьких застав немає. Міста Браїлів, Красне, Мурахва, Чернівці, М'ястківка означені як пусті, інші не згадуються зовсім.»Krypiakevych I., Administratyvnyi podil Ukrainy 1648–1654, p. 79
But in the very same document there is a second mention (AYuZR X, p. 305), and it reveals something unexpected. Even in its devastated state Miastkivka retains an administrative structure:
«Городъ Демковка, городъ Александровка, городъ Мясковка. Тогожъ города: мѣстечко Горятчковское, мѣстечко Волшенка.»AYuZR, pt. X, p. 305
«Городъ» — not a village, not a sloboda (tax-exempt settlement), but a fortified settlement. Horiachkivske and Vilshanka — subordinate small towns. According to Krypiakevych (p. 134), in 1649 both were separate sotnias; by 1654 they have been absorbed into Miastkivka — the result of consolidation after heavy human losses.
Why deserted: two years of catastrophe
To understand why in January 1654 the whole swathe of the Pobereże lies in ruins, one must look back two years.
February 1651. The town of Krasne, ~50 km to the north-east of Miastkivka. Colonel Danylo Nechai — the same under whose command the Miastkivka sotnia stood in 1649 — is at a wedding feast. The Poles attack by surprise. Nechai falls in battle. The Bracław regiment is routed.
Then came the punitive campaigns of 1652–1653. The Crown army methodically «swept» the south-western Bracław region. The Cossack population fled east and north — to Uman, to Korsuń. From Bar to the Dniester — a wilderness. Not only Miastkivka — the entire south-west.
Alongside Miastkivka in Boryatinsky's roll stand familiar names — Вербка, Сарапановка, Китай-город — neighbours on the Shumylivka. And Brailiv and Mohyliv are also «deserted». This is not one settlement — this is a belt of ruins a hundred kilometres wide.
The night before Easter
April 1654. Cossack Ukraine is coming to its senses after the winter's losses — and then an event occurs that changes everything.
The Poles carry out a coordinated night raid during Holy Week. Simultaneously. On 70–80 market towns. The calculation is cynical: the Cossacks are in the churches, it is Lent, no one will take up arms.
«Вони прийшли і напали зненацька в ночі на Велику п'ятницю, суботу і Пасху на 70–80 базарів у країні козаків, знаючи, що жителі зайняті молитвами в церквах і що козаки ніколи не беруться за зброю у великий піст. При цьому нападі вони порубали мечем усіх, кого застигли, навіть грудних немовлят, розпарювали животи вагітних жінок і втекли.»Paul of Aleppo, bk. IV, ch. III–IV
Khmelnytsky sent pursuers — they destroyed the Polish rearguard together with the Jesuit who had incited it. The Cossacks then struck back — «they fell upon certain Polish market towns, cut down all they found there, and put them to the torch».
A Syrian on the Shumylivka
Around 12 June 1654, a Monday. The Patriarch of Antioch Macarius III with his son Paul of Aleppo is travelling from Moldavia to Moscow. The caravan crossed the Dniester at Raszków on 10 June (Saturday), passed through Dmytrashkivka and Horiachkivka — and is now turning west. Towards Miastkivka.
This is a detour. The direct route from Horiachkivka to Zhabokrych — ~20 km to the north-east. But the caravan deliberately turns west to Miastkivka (~7.6 km), and then back east to Zhabokrych (~24.5 km) — a total detour of ~32 km instead of ~20 km direct.
Why? Macarius's route led from the sphere of the Ottoman Empire through Moldavia to Moscow, crossing the most dangerous zone — the triple border of Poland, Moldavia and the Crimean Khanate. Miastkivka was the only major garrison that controlled this very triangle. Without a Cossack escort the onward journey would have been suicide. The patriarch came here by design.
Reconstruction of the route
| Date (O.S.) | Day | Place | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 June | Saturday | Raszków | Crossing the Dniester |
| 11 June | Sunday | Raszków → Dmytrashkivka | Departure «after noon», arrival in the evening |
| ~12 June | Monday (morning) | Dmytrashkivka → Horiachkivka | 1.5 miles. Reception at the church of St Michael, a short halt |
| ~12 June | Monday (evening) | Horiachkivka → Miastkivka | 2 miles. Overnight stay. Meeting with Colonel Mikhail |
| ~13 June | Tuesday | Miastkivka → Zhabokrych → Obodivka | Departure «early in the morning», then on all day |
| 14 June | Wednesday | Obodivka → on towards Uman | Continuation of the route to Kyiv |
And this is what Paul of Aleppo records:
«Ми виїхали з Димітрашкова через його знамениту дерев'яну кріпость і мости. Проїхавши півтори милі, прибули в інший базар, по імені Хораджкоука (Горячковка). При нашому наближенні також вийшли за місто назустріч нашому владиці патріарху всі жителі, великі і малі і жінки. [...] ввели нас при звоні дзвонів у свою церкву на ім'я Св. Михаїла. Потім нас повели в трапезу, а нашим коням дали трави. Ми пробули тут недовго. Нас вийшли проводити за місто.»Paul of Aleppo, bk. IV, ch. V (trans. Murkos)
«Проїхавши ще дві милі, ми прибули в інший базар, по імені Лясковска (Мясковка?), який має дерев'яну стіну і кріпость. Тепер копають рови навколо цих міст через те, що зробили ляхи в ніч перед Пасхою. Назустріч нам також вийшли всі жителі цього міста, священники в облаченнях, з хоругвами і свічками, при співі дітей, і полковник Михаїл, який стояв зовні міста з 12 000 війська для нагляду за кордоном країни ляхів, Молдавії і країни татарів. Нас ввели в церкву на ім'я Владичиці. В місті є ще інша церква на ім'я Св. Миколая. В ньому ми переночували. Рано поутру всі вийшли нас проводжати і спорядили з нами кількох ратників.»Paul of Aleppo, bk. IV, ch. V (trans. Murkos)
Pause here. This is the first and only eyewitness description of what Miastkivka looked like. Not a list of names, not a line in a register — a living testimony. Let us take it apart piece by piece.
What Paul of Aleppo saw
| Detail | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| A wooden wall and a fortress | Wall (palisade) + a separate stone fortress | In neighbouring Dmytrashkivka and Zhabokrych the fortresses are expressly called wooden — in Miastkivka they are not. Probably a stone structure (still standing today) |
| Ditches being dug | Fortification right now | Directly linked to the Easter raid (April) |
| Church of the Theotokos (Vladychytsia) | The main church | = church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, left bank of the Shumylivka (still in use today) |
| Church of St Nicholas | The second church | Right bank. Not preserved (burned down) |
| Colonel Mikhail | Cossack commander | Who he is — will become clear from the document about the siege |
| «12,000 troops» outside the town | A field camp | The figure is exaggerated (see below), but the garrison is large |
| Watch over the border | The triple border | Poland, Moldavia (the Ottomans), Crimea — all three threats |
| Escort for the patriarch | Cossack convoy | «They furnished us with several men-at-arms» for the onward route |
Two churches on either bank of the Shumylivka — these are the two centres of the two slobodas that Beauplan marked on his map c. 1637. The church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on the left bank is still in use today. St Nicholas on the right — has not survived.
The procession that Paul describes — priests in vestments, banners, candles, the singing of children — is not merely ceremony. It is the mark of a full-fledged urban community. Five months ago this was «deserted». Now — two churches, a market, craftsmen, a fortress with a garrison. The town has come back to life.
«Lyaskovska» = Miastkivka
Why did Paul write «Lyaskovska» and not «Miastkivka»? And why are we so sure this is one and the same town?
The identification rests on four independent arguments:
1. The route. The caravan travels from Horiachkivka (subordinate to Miastkivka) to Zhabokrych. «Lyaskovska» stands exactly between them — where Horodkivka stands today.
2. Two churches. The Theotokos (Vladychytsia) and St Nicholas — an exact match of dedications. The church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Horodkivka is still in use today on the left bank of the Shumylivka.
3. Krykun. The historian Mykola Krykun (Bracław Voivodeship, 2008, p. 244) identified «Lyaskovka» as Miastkivka.
4. Murkos. The translator from the Arabic himself, Georgy Murkos, proposed «Miaskovka?» (with a question mark) — he saw the resemblance but was not certain of his reading of the manuscript.
18 July: the siege
Five weeks pass after the patriarch's visit. The Bracław colonel — the same «Mikhail» the patriarch had seen, — is no longer stationed at Miastkivka. He is in Bracław. From there he writes to the hetman (~17 July): at Mohyliv on the Dniester, ~50 km to the south-west, Polish troops are massing. How many — unknown. Zelenskyi sends out scouts «для языковъ» — to take prisoners.
And then he marches out with the regiment towards the Dniester. And on 18 July, passing through Miastkivka, he falls into a trap.
«...писалъ къ гетману брясловской полковникъ Михайло Озеленка съ брясловскимъ козакомъ съ Семеномъ Власенкомъ: пошолъ де было брясловской полковникъ на Поляки въ Днѣстру; и Гюля де въ 18 день, какъ будетъ онъ съ полкомъ своимъ въ мѣстечкѣ въ Мясковкѣ, отъ Бряслова въ восми миляхъ...»AYuZR, pt. X, pp. 701–704
«Eight miles from Bracław» — with the Polish mile at ~7.5 km this is ~60 km. It matches exactly the real distance from Bracław to Horodkivka by road (~55–60 km).
«...и на нихъ напали Поляки и Волохи, корунной обозной Совостьянъ Моховской, а съ нимъ полскихъ и волоскихъ людей конныхъ 6000, да пѣшихъ 2000, и въ томъ мѣстечкѣ въ Мясковкѣ ихъ Черкасъ облегли; и онъ, брясловской полковникъ, пишетъ до гетмана, чтобъ ему велѣлъ помочя подать...»AYuZR, pt. X, p. 702
Sebastian Machowski (Sebastian Machowski h. Abdank) — no ordinary commander. This is the Grand Crown Camp-Master (obożny wielki koronny) — one of the highest military offices of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, responsible for fortifications, the army camp and its baggage train. This is not a raid — it is a systematic operation of the Crown forces.
Forces at Miastkivka, 18 July 1654
| Side | Composition | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Attackers | Crown cavalry + Moldavian horse | 6,000 horse |
| Siege infantry | 2,000 foot | |
| Total (Machowski) | 8,000 | |
| Defenders | Bracław Cossack regiment + local inhabitants | The document does not give a figure; the 1649 Register — 2,053 Cossacks in the whole regiment |
The Wallachian (Moldavian) contingent is no accident. The Principality of Moldavia in 1654 was manoeuvring between Poland, the Ottoman Empire and Cossack Ukraine. Wallachian participation means: Machowski was coordinating a coalition operation on the very same triple border that, five weeks earlier, had been controlled by Colonel Mikhail.
«Наспѣхъ»
The Cossack Semen Vlasenko rides from Miastkivka to Khvastiv, where Khmelnytsky is stationed. ~250 km. Three days in the saddle. On 21 July the news reaches the hetman.
Khmelnytsky reacts the same day. With that same Cossack Vlasenko he dispatches orders to the two Uman colonels:
«...гетманъ писалъ съ тѣмъ же брясловскимъ козакомъ къ умонскому полковнику Семому Ормяненку да къ умонскому жъ пѣшихъ Черкасъ полковнику Леску, чтобъ они съ конными и съ пѣшими людми шли къ брясловскому полковнику на помочь подъ Мясковку, наспѣхъ.»AYuZR, pt. X, p. 703
«Наспѣхъ» — with all haste. The Uman regiment — ~80 km from Miastkivka, 2–3 days' march. The situation is critical.
Did it hold?
The document breaks off. The outcome of the siege is not recorded. The report was delivered to the tsar on 5 August 1654 by Oleksii Kashintsov of Chernihiv — but it contains only the notice of the fact of the siege, not its end.
But there is indirect evidence — and it all points in one direction.
The colonel is alive and continues as colonel. Ten years later he appears in the hearth-tax register of 1664 as the owner of a town adjoining Miastkivka. Death or capture would have been recorded.
Miastkivka continues to exist. It appears in the 1664 hearth-tax register (AYuZR VII.2), and in the list of Koniecpolski estates of 1672. Demoted to a «sloboda» — but not vanished.
The relief was real. The Uman regiment, ~80 km away, could have arrived in 2–3 days. The hetman's order was direct and immediate.
The summer campaign did not achieve its aim. In the autumn of 1654 the Grand Crown Hetman Potocki brought into the Bracław region a far larger army — some 30,000 men. If Machowski's summer campaign had settled the matter, such forces would not have been needed. Machowski died that same year, 1654.
Colonel Mikhail
It is time to return to the question we set aside: who was this Colonel Mikhail whom the patriarch met with an army under the walls of Miastkivka, and who five weeks later found himself under siege?
The document of the siege calls him «Михайло Озеленка» — a Cossack nickname-distortion. In the 1649 Register the sotnyk of the Miastkivka sotnia is entered as «Михаило Зеленскии». Name, region, rank — all match. This is Mykhailo Zelenskyi. The same sotnyk we saw in the previous chapter. In five years of war he has risen from sotnyk to colonel of the whole Bracław regiment — rapid, but a typical Cossack advancement during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, when the need for commanders grew year upon year.
This is one of the few cases where a Cossack colonel remains tied to his native sotnia town. Zelenskyi became colonel of the whole Bracław regiment — yet he stands with his army precisely at Miastkivka. Not in Bracław, not in Uman — here, at the crossing of three borders. And here he returns into the siege.
A thread that does not break
Of the four Cossack names given in the document of the siege — Zelenskyi, Vlasenko, Orhiianenko, Lesko — three could not be found again in any source. This is typical for rank-and-file Cossack officers of the 17th century.
But Zelenskyi left a trail that runs further — across 25 years, through five documents, from our town to the last word before the Turkish devastation.
Career of Mykhailo Zelenskyi (1649–1674)
| Year | Source | Title | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1649 | 1649 Register of the Zaporozhian Host, p. 253 | Sotnyk of the Miastkivka sotnia | Miastkivka |
| ~17.VII.1654 | AYuZR X, p. 701 | Colonel of Bracław | Writes from Bracław |
| 18.VII.1654 | AYuZR X, p. 702 | Colonel «Ozelenka» | The siege of Miastkivka |
| Aug. 1654 | AYuZR XI, p. 714 | Colonel Zelenskoy | At Balanivka |
| 1664 | AYuZR VII.2, p. 561 | Pułkownik Bracławski | Estate at Kleban |
| 12.VII.1674 | AYuZR XI, p. 523 | Colonel of Podole | Writes from Kleban |
1664: Zelenskyi is the owner of the small town of Kleban (Klebań alias Sławogrod), ~42 km north of Horodkivka, near Tulchyn (AYuZR VII.2, p. 561). Ten years later, on 12 July 1674, he signs a letter from Kleban itself (AYuZR XI, p. 523). One estate — across ten years — practically rules out the possibility of a namesake.
In the 1674 letter (AYuZR XI, p. 523) he begs Hetman Samoilovych for urgent help: «Изволь съ войсками сюда вступити [...] а буде бы не поспѣшилъ, то конечно погибель христіянская вскорѣ была». Zelenskyi has already abandoned Kleban and is in retreat.
And in the postscript to that same letter:
«Подлинная вѣдомость пришла, что Кусница со всѣмъ пропала; по разоренію жъ, имѣть и иные городы разоряти орды съ Турками.»AYuZR, vol. XI, p. 523
Kusnitsa — that is Kosnica, a small town on the Markivka river. Our Markivka. The Chronicle of an Eyewitness (ed. Dzherel, p. 118) confirms: «притягнувши, турчин Косницю достал, і усіх людей вистинано» — having come up, the Turk took Kosnica, and all the people were cut down.
Zelenskyi — former sotnyk of Miastkivka, now colonel of Podole — reports from Kleban on the fall of Kosnica on our river. What is happening to Miastkivka itself at this moment — he does not say. But from another document in the same volume (AYuZR XI, pp. 612–621, interrogation of prisoners, 14 August) it is known that the Crimean khan had his camp at Miastkivka, and the town «had not yet been taken».