The Cossack Myth

In the years following the Napoleonic Wars, a mysterious manuscript began to circulate among the dissatisfied noble elite of the Russian Empire. Entitled The History of the Rus', it became one of the most influential historical texts of the modern era. Attributed to an eighteenth-century Orthodox archbishop, it described the heroic struggles of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Alexander Pushkin read the book as a manifestation of Russian national spirit but Taras Shevchenko interpreted it as a quest for Ukrainian national liberation and it would inspire thousands of Ukrainians to fight for the freedom of their homeland. Serhii Plokhy tells the fascinating story of the text's discovery and dissemination unravelling the mystery of its authorship and tracing its subsequent impact on Russian and Ukrainian historical and literary imagination. In so doing he brilliantly illuminates the relationship between history, myth, empire and nationhood from Napoleonic times to the fall of the Soviet Union. 'This book succeeds admirably on many levels. It is a fresh and subtle reflection on nations and nationalism, a scrupulously detailed piece of archival investigation, and - not least - a beautifully paced academic 'whodunit?'. Significant scholarship is rarely so engaging.' Simon Franklin, University of Cambridge '... delightful ... [The] Cossack Myth is a rich and erudite monograph disguised as a detective story. Serhii Plokhy simultaneously crafts a social history of early-nineteenth-century Cossack noble clans, a history of modern Ukrainian history writing, and a demonstration of how national discourses and identities are born in and shaped by empire, even to the present day.' Nancy S. Kollmann, William H. Bonsall Professor in History, Stanford UniversityIntroduction; Part I. The Mystery: 1. A call for freedom; 2. The Cossack annals; 3. The birth of the myth; Part II. On a Cold Trail: 4. A noble heart; 5. The Cossack prince; 6. The Kyiv manuscript; Part III. Pieces of a Puzzle: 7. A matter of time; 8. Uncovering the motive; 9. How did he do it?; 10. The Cossack treasure; Part IV. Unusual Suspects: 11. People and places; 12. The Cossack aristocrats; 13. The liberated gentry; 14. A history teacher; Part V. A Family Circle: 15. A missing name; 16. Family matters; 17. The rivals; Epilogue; Appendix: Cossack family networks.