Fellow of the standard

Fellow of the standard (bunchukovyi tovarysh or pidbunchuzhnyi). A member of the notable military fellows in the Hetman state, assistant to the general standard-bearer (heneralnyi bunchuzhnyi). Although they held no specific office, fellows of the standard were obliged to perform military and, in peacetime, administrative duties when requested by the hetman. During campaigns they were positioned around the hetman (‘under the standard’), serving as his direct aides; at military ceremonies they carried small standards. In the 17th century fellows of the standard were under the direct jurisdiction of the hetman; in the 18th century they were responsible to the General Military Court. The title was abolished in 1764.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]