Chyhyryn regiment

Chyhyryn regiment (Чигиринський полк; Chyhyrynskyi polk). An administrative military-territorial unit of the Hetman state (see Regimental system) existing as an independent formation in 1648–83 and 1704–11. It was one of the original six core regiments of registered Cossacks during the pre-Hetman era and the most prominent regiment in Right-Bank Ukraine. In 1649 the regiment was composed of 19 companies with 3,222 registered Cossacks. Eleven of these companies were on the Right-Bank: Chyhyryn, Kryliv, Voroniv, Buzhyn, Borovytsia, Medvedivka, Zhabotyn, Smila, Oloviatyn, Bakliiv, and Orliv. Eight were from Left-Bank Ukraine: Vermiivka, Zhovnyn, Maksymiv, Kremenchuk, Potik, Omelnyk, Hovtva and Ostapiv. The Left-Bank companies were transferred to the Myrhorod regiment with the Treaty of Andrusovo (1667).

The regimental town of Chyhyryn was the first capital of the Hetman state and the regiment served as the Hetman's Guard in 1648–76. It was the residence of Hetmans Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ivan Vyhovsky, Yurii Khmelnytsky and Pavlo Teteria. It served as the capital of Right-Bank Ukraine under Hetman Petro Doroshenko in 1665–76. It was destroyed in 1678 by the Turkish army after Doroshenko's abdication, and the area fell to the hospodar of Moldavia. From 1704 to 1709 the regiment came under Ivan Mazepa's jurisdiction. In 1711 the regiment was abolished by the Treaty of Prut and its population transferred to Left-Bank Ukraine.

[This article was written in 2005.]