Divin – Chronological Memoirs - Chapter 2: Under Lithuania and Poland, 1320

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Divin – Chronological Memoirs

Chapter 2: Under Lithuania and Poland, 1320 – 1794
The Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples were under the rule of Lithuania and Poland during 1320 – 1794.

{15} When we were Cossacks,
Even before the union – then
How fun the years passed!
We called Poles our friends,
We were proud of witting steppes;
In the yards bloomed like
Lilies, they sang and loved,
The mothers were proud of their sons,
The witting sons... they grew,
The sons grew and entertained
Those sad in their old years,
Whilst, in the name of Christ,
Priests, having come, did not set fire
To our land, for now the great oceans
Have not flowed with tears and blood...
Organs, in the name of Christ’s
Suffering have faced fierce doom...
That’s right, Pole, and friend, and brother of mine!
Cruel priests, magnates
Separated us, dissolved us.
We would have still walked together.
Give the Cossack your hand, once again
And give him a clean heart!
And again, in the name of Christ
We will renew our peaceful land.

T. G. Shevchenko, In Those Days When We Were Cossacks

Relationships between the Poles and the people of what would become Belarus -- a story of a great opportunity: lost.

Under the leadership of a powerful, charismatic leader, Gediminas, Lithuania became a true regional power that took some land from Russia -- then established a working relationship with the Russians. During this time, pagan Lithuanians began converting to the Russian Orthodox faith. But later, the Lithuanian state grew away from Russia and closer to the Poles. The Lithuanian ruler became a sovereign of Poland and converted to Polish Roman Catholicism. He turned viciously on his former Lithuanian friends and co-religionists. Many Lithuanians were persuaded to convert. The Roman Catholics became increasingly militant. This was the origin of many centuries of religous strife in the area.

Eventually, in 1569, the Polish–Lithuanian relationship progressed to unification. The result was to significantly increase the Polish cultural-political influence over the region.

In 1596, the regional Orthodox church declared itself under the authority of the Roman Catholic Pope. But many Orthodox clerics objected, as did the mass of the peasants. The Roman Catholic Popes assigned the Jesuits to reinforce their dominance in the area, and the Orthodox clerics and peasants suffered increasing persecution. The peasants were further alienated from their Polish masters, as were the Cossacks. The result was a massive, destructive regional uprisings. The Poles lost, but remained in control of the Divin area. Thus the Diviner peasants continued to suffer.

Notes: Witting, or aware of one's circumstances, is used here to depict the idea that the young men of the Cossacks had some informed expectations. The poem goes on to say that the sons entertained the older generation; the context of them being "witting" suggests that they entertained the elders of their own volition, not because this was a societal norm. The essence of the Russian word which "witting" was translated from contains elements of both "willful" and "free".

Page Last Updated: 12-Jul-2015