Military treasury

Military treasury (viiskova skarbnytsia, heneralnyi skarb). The treasury and finance department of the Hetman state. (The Zaporozhian Sich also had a military treasury.) Until 1728 it was part of the private assets of the hetman, who managed it with the help of trusted individuals. Hetman Ivan Briukhovetsky (1663–8) appointed Roman Rakushka ‘supervisor of the military treasury.’ Finally, in 1728, the position of general treasurer was introduced, but the military treasury was ultimately under the control of the Russian government, which assigned three comptrollers to supervise the general treasurer and his chancellery and to watch for irregularities in collecting and spending revenues. The military treasury was abolished along with the Hetman state in 1764.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]