Chevalier, Pierre

Chevalier, Pierre, dates of birth and death unknown. French officer of the 17th century. In 1646 he commanded a detachment of Ukrainian Cossacks. He served in the French army from 1648 to 1654 and was secretary of the French embassy in Poland. Between 1653 and 1663 he wrote Histoire de la guerre des Cosaques contre la Pologne. Avec un discours de leur origine, pays, mœurs, gouvernement et religion, which was translated into English (1672) and Ukrainian (1960). Chevalier’s work is a valuable source on the ethnography and history of Ukraine, particularly on the history of the Cossack-Polish War of 1648–54.

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