Samiylo Kishka (Ukrainian:Самійло Кішка,Polish:Samuel Koszka, born approximately in 1530 – died in 1602[1] (1620) was anobleman ofDołęga coat of arms fromBratslav. He was akish otaman andHetman ofZaporozhian Sich (1574 – 1575, 1599 – 1602). Samiylo Kishka headed theCossack army in a range of sea campaigns against the Turks,Moldavian raids, theLivonian campaign (1600–1603), as well as a number of maritime campaigns against theCrimean Khanate:Gezlev,Izmail,Ochakiv, andAckerman.
Samiylo Kishka was born in 1530 into a family of noblemen fromBratslav. At the age of twenty, he began to live as a Cossack. During the first years of being an active Cossack, he took part in several campaigns headed byDmytro Vyshnevetsky, a Hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, who is considered the founder of the firstZaporozhian Sich inKhortytsia. Being an ordinary Cossack, he confrontedTatar attacks on the Ukrainian lands.[2]
Hetman Samiylo Kishka is famous for heading the Cossacks in successful naval expeditions against the Turks. In the late 1560s, he began leading sea campaigns against the Turks. Cossack campaigns brought much concern to the Ottoman Empire, so the sultanSelim II decided to use diplomatic and military means to influenceRzeczpospolita KingSigismund II Augustus. The King attempted to terminate the Cossacks' sea campaigns, but that tactic failed.[2]
In 1573 Samiylo Kishka was defeated by the dominant Ottoman forces. He was taken prisoner and chained in a Turkish galley. He spent 25 years there until heescaped in 1599. His escape was the result of slaves' armed uprising. Afterward, he was elected Hetman for several more years.[3][2]
In 1599 Samiylo Kishka helped the Polish king in a war with theWalachians inMoldavia, where he organized land raids.[4]
In 1600 Samiylo Kishka started negotiations with KingSigismund III Vasa and managed to achieve Poland's recognition of the Cossacks as a social stratum. Additionally, the King supported a campaign against theCrimean Khanate.[2]
Later in 1600, the Polish king received help from the Cossacks inPolish–Swedish War (1600–1629). Kiska took 2,000–4,000 Zaporozhian Cossacks that fought on the Polish side for several years. Kishka aimed to repeal anti-Cossack legislation. Additionally, certain payments for participation in military campaigns, in addition to maintenance costs, were agreed upon.[4]
In 1602, during that campaign, Samiylo Kishka died in theSiege of Fellin (present-dayViljandi inEstonia). The Cossacks elected another commander and continued to fight, though they ceased being paid by the Polish government. Consequently, they resorted to looting local towns and villages for sustenance and other needs.[5]
There are some historical songs andDumas with moral and patriotic ideological subtext that are dedicated to Samiylo Kishka.[6]
Borys Yanovsky wrote the epic operaA Song Of The Black Sea about Hetman Samiylo Kishka and his Zaporogian Cossacks in Turkish captivity.[7]