THE REPORT OF NIZHYN VOIVODES IN THE «ACTS OF SOUTH WESTERN RUSSIA»

Abstract

The author analyzes the economic documentation sent by the Nizhyn governors to the Malorossiyskyi Prykaz in the 1650s and 1670s. The excerpts published in the Acts relating to the History of Southern and Western Russia. This source the author used to show the nature of the interaction between the Nizhyn Voivodship and the government, to identify the main issues voivode had to report on and the tasks he had to solve, as well as to consider the situation of the Russian military contingent in Nizhyn.
The author notes that the royal pledges led by the voivods appeared in Chernihiv, Nizhyn, Pereyaslav and other Ukrainian cities in the late 1650s. The names of the Nizhyn voivods, who served in the 1650-1670s, were identified, and the author described their activities. She found out that the voivode had to build a fortress in the city to defend against enemies, manage the affairs of their garrisons, send to Moscow financial statements of expenditures, to issue a sovereign's pay to the archers, to fight against their escape, which was very common, and in addition to monitor on the activities of the local Cossack administration and internal policy in the territories subordinate to them, submit to the king petitioners and petitions, provide information on events in the Ukrainian lands and in the neighboring territories, involve the local population in the work . Under the rule of Ivan Bryukhovetsky, voivode had to collect taxes from inhabitants of the Hetmanate (except for Cossacks and clergy). The author concludes that it was through regular reports that the voivode in Moscow knew about the state of affairs in the Hetmanate region and, following the information received, adjusted their policy towards the Ukrainian lands. Therefore, the voivodship runoff can be considered a valuable source from the history of the hetman's Ukraine itself.