Maksym Kryvonis | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Kryvonis in the monument “Heroes of the Liberation War of the Ukrainian People 1648–1654” inZhovti Vody | |
| Nickname(s) | Perebyinis |
| Born | Around 1600 |
| Died | November 1648 Zamość,Belz Voivodeship,Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Allegiance |  Zaporozhian Host |
| Years of service | 1648 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands | Lysianka Regiment Cherkasy Regiment Korsun Regiment Bila Tserkva Regiment Uman Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Children | Oleksandr Kryvonosenko [uk] |
Maksym Kryvonis (Ukrainian:Максим Кривоніс,Polish:Maksym Krzywonos; literally means "crooked-nose") was one of theCossack leaders and a commander of theUkrainian peasants against thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. For the first time in thehistory of Lviv, during the siege of the city his regiment captured theVysokyi Zamok Castle, which was defended by the strongPolish–Lithuanian garrison. Kryvonis was one of the most important figures during theKhmelnytskyi Uprising in 1648.
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The question about his origins remains unresolved. A Polish pamphlet published in 1648 claimed that he was a serf of theNemyrych family[2] (a hypothesis favoured by Soviet historiography). However, a German source about a meeting with Kryvonis in 1648 says that he is ofScottish origin ("ein gebohrenen Schott").[3] In this case his real name may well have been not a nickname based on his crooked or broken nose, but a translation of his Scottish family nameCameron.
Kryvonis was one of the most effective generals of the uprising. He was awarded the rank ofcolonel ofCherkasy Regiment. His actions inKorsun andPylyavtsi battles in 1648 led to crushing Cossack victories over the Polish armies. His actions against princeJeremi Wiśniowiecki atMakhnivka andStarokostiantyniv were less successful.
Also, there are different accounts of Kryvonis's demise: killed (shot) during the siege ofLviv, assassinated (poisoned) by Jesuits, killed by orders ofBohdan Khmelnytsky who loathed him, or perished of plague during thesiege of Zamość in 1648.
Cossacks took part in massacres and devastation of Jewish communities during the Uprising. Kryvonis led the capture ofTulchyn, killing 1,500Jews in process, but sparingPoles in exchange for handing over Jews and their property.[4] Jewish chronicles of that time portray Kryvonis as being responsible for the most brutal attacks on Jews and Poles in 1648.[5]Leonid Plyushch states that Kryvonis'spogroms are often attributed toBohdan Khmelnytsky.[6]
Kryvonis (Polish:Maksym Krzywonos) was also a character inWith Fire and Sword, a novel byNobel-winning 19th-century Polish authorHenryk Sienkiewicz. Inthe 1999 movie based on the novel he was played byMaciej Kozłowski.
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