Bohdan Khmelnytsky rises again, this time on the plains of Texas
by Ihor and Natalia Lysyj
TYLER, Texas - On April 6, 1648, Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky met and defeated advance guard of the Polish army at Zhovti Vody on the right bank of the Dnipro River near the Zaporozhian Sich. It was the opening salvo of the Ukrainian War of Liberation that lasted from 1648 to 1657. The war annihilated the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the superpower of the Europe at that time, and impacted the history of Europe for three and a half centuries.
A re-enactment of the beginning of Ukrainian War of Liberation took place in Tyler, Texas, on April 8 - 358 years and two days after the historic battle. Under a blue Texas sky, the warriors of the Polish and the Kozak armies met again to fight the unforgotten battle as part of the Four Winds Renaissance Faire that was held on a grassy meadow just outside of town. Although the combat was a staged one, the muskets, the sabers and the cannons were real. And so were the combat participants, Kozaks, peasants, Dragoons and Hussars alike.
The Polish contingent came to Texas from all points of the compass. On their side we found the Polish Light Artillery that hailed from the East coast and had its own cannon and artillery crew with supporting cavalry; Suligowski's Regiment of the Polish Commonwealth, hailing from California, boasted the famous Winged Hussars; Walter Buttler's Dragoons and Prince Manheim's Light Artillery, arrived from Arkansas; and the Gardes-Ecossais Regiment de Hepborn, a reincarnation of a Scots regiment that fought in the 30 Years War (1618-1648) in France, came from Alabama.
The diversity of the Polish troops was historically accurate. Poles employed many mercenaries in their wars with the Kozaks, while the Kozaks were not adverse to using Tatar horsemen in combat with the Poles. While all Polish warriors were out of state, the Kozak warriors, on the other hand, were all native Texans. You could call them "the home team." The only participant in the battle who could claim Slavic heritage was a young man from Vero Beach, Fla., whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from the Ternopil region in western Ukraine circa 1910.
In this historically accurate re-enactment of the battle, the Polish troops gleamed in their gold- and silver-plated armor, while the Kozaks were in ragtag but colorful attire, typical of any insurgency in any war.
While not scripted, the battle was nevertheless masterfully directed by Adam Roberts von Schleuter, who goes by the name of Max and hails from Arkansas. He is a master swordsman, a battle coordinator and a history scholar, and comes from a noble family in Germany with a long military tradition. His ancestors were involved in the 30 Years War in Germany, which ended in a stalemate and the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The treaty divided Western Europe into two parts, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
Unemployed as a result of the peace treaty, Max's ancestors sought work elsewhere. One of his ancestors fought as a mercenary in the Ukrainian War of Liberation (1648-1657). It is not clear on which side he fought, as he never came home, but Max said he would like to think he was on the side of the Kozaks.
The costumes, armaments and tactics used in the re-enactment were dramatic and realistic, which enhanced the viewing experience. The battle was followed by a lecture and military arts demonstration in the encampment occupied by both Kozak and Polish troops. Here, among the tents and open fires, the encampment between the battle scenes replicated ancient life.
A giant cauldron over the open fire pit was filled with venison, goat meat, vegetables and other ingredients, following a Polish hunters' recipe dating back to the 17th century, and was stewed for the re-enactors' evening meal. We toasted the company with a cup of flavorful mead brewed by Max with honey and bread yeast, following an old and authentic Ukrainian recipe.
A collection of armaments, implements and artifacts of the period was displayed, and a short lecture was given about the life of the period. A fascinating amulet worn around the neck by the Kozaks, besides the customary cross, was purported to be a "flea catcher." In addition to the swords, sabers and other implements of the period, a "first aid" box, filled with the tools of the trade and with instructions attached to the lid - was opened for examination; a demonstration of the treatments available in those days at the hands of barbers-physicians was presented. Other period pieces, such as dice made of spinal bones and unnumbered playing cards, were also on display.
In the presentation following the battle, both the Polish and the Kozak sides stated their cases. The Poles, represented by their szlachta (nobility) stressed their superior armaments and skills in mounted warfare, including the contribution of their cavalry - the best in the world they claimed - to wining the war of independence for America. Adam Roberts von Schleuter, who represented the Kozak point of view, stressed the struggle against prevailing injustice that nourished the spirit of the insurgents and propelled them to victory.
Khmelnytsky gets mixed reviews in history books, including some by Ukrainian historians. On one hand he is cherished as the founder of the modern concept of Ukraine as a nation and a state, while on the other hand he is chastised for signing the Pereiaslav Treaty with the Russian tsar - the treaty that eventually undid all his great accomplishments.
However, one must remember that it was Hetman Khmelnytsky who established a sovereign Kozak state in the 17th century after the collapse of Kyivan Rus' under the Mongols' onslaught in the 13th century. He did so by liberating the people on the lands of ancient Kyivan Rus' from Polish hegemony and oppression.
But there are always unintended consequences of each and every action. By destroying the barrier of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that held Muscovy in check, Khmelnytsky opened the doors for Russian aggression and expansion into Europe - a process that lasted for almost 350 years, until it was finally reversed in 1989 with the fall of Berlin Wall. So many generations, including our own, lived our lives in the shadow of Bohdan Khmelnytsky's legacy.
Ihor and Natalia Lysyj are free-lance writers who live in Austin, Texas.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 21, 2006, No. 21, Vol. LXXIV
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