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The 1649 Battle of ZborivArchaeology, History
and Preservation
The Battle of Zboriv is one of the most important events in the history of Eastern Europe.
Fought in the summer of 1649 between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Cossacks of Ukraine, the battle was the culmination of two years of fighting and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Zboriv.
In the Treaty, Polish Crown recognized that the three principalities of Kiev, Bratslav, and Chenihiv formed an autonomous Ukrainian Cossack State.
In January 1650, the Treaty was ratified by the Sejm, the highest legislative body in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, the terms of the Treaty of Zboriv were not followed and fighting continued for decades, eventually drawing in neighboring powers - the Muscovite Principality, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Ottoman Empire. In the end, both Poland and Ukraine were ravaged.
While polemics and historical scholarship have downplayed the significance of the battle and resulting treaty, the Ukrainian Cossacks, such as Hetman Pylyp Orlyk, believed that Ukraine became a recognized independent principality throughout Europe as a direct result of the events that took place at Zboriv.
Since 2002, Dr. Adrian Mandzy, Associate Professor of History at Morehead State University, has been working with scholars from both Poland and Ukraine to further our understanding of the events of 1649. The following pages serve to illustrate Professor Mandzy�s research to date and provide information about this ongoing program. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Mandzy at
a.mandzy@moreheadstate.edu.