Starodub regiment

Starodub regiment. An administrative territory and military formation of the Hetman state (see Regimental system). Before becoming a separate regiment in 1663, the Starodub region was an autonomous unit within Nizhyn regiment. The regiment started with 7 companies and by the mid-18th century had 11 companies. Its male population in 1721 was 15,800, including 4,100 registered Cossacks. According to the 1764 census it had 172,800 male inhabitants, including 25,200 Cossacks. Its population had not experienced the Cossack rebellions of the 17th century; hence, it offered less resistance to enserfment than did other regiments. It was also under stronger Russian influence than the population of the rest of the Hetman state. A number of Starodub colonels rose to prominent offices in the Hetman state: Ivan Skoropadsky (1706–8) became hetman, and Mykhailo A. Myklashevsky (1689–1706) and H. Karpovych (1678–80) served on the General Officer Staff.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]