Maksym Zalizniak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zalizniak (Zaliznyak, Zheleznyak), Maksym, (b. early 1740s in Medvedkovo near Chyhyryn - date and place of death unknown, after 1768) - Zaporizhian Cossack, leader of the Koliivshchyna rebellion. He was born in a poor peasant family. At a very young age he joined Zaporozhian Host as a mercenary.

By 1767 he already retired from Sich and was a lay brother at Motroninsky Monastery. Witnessing Polish oppression of Ukrainian peasants in right-bank Ukraine Zalizniak decides to raise the banner of people rebellion and heads the uprising. He calls himself a colonel of Zaporizka Sich and starts spreading the rumors that Catherine II (the Great) granted him a written permission to exterminate Poles and Jews in Ukraine. Hundreds of people responded to Zalizniak’s call. In April 1768 Zalizniak emerged out of Motroninsky Forest and started advancing toward Uman.

Uman and Lisyanka became the places of the most violent bloodshed during Koliivshchyna. At Uman Zalizniak joined forces with Ivan Gonta, who was initially ordered to attack Zalizniak. After Uman fell (see Massacre of Uman), Zaliznyak declared reinstatement of Hetmanshina and himself - new Hetman. Koliivshchyna proved to be too much for the Poles and they appealed to Russia for help. Fearing that the rebellion would set a spark off in left-bank Ukraine, Catherine crushed the rebels (known as "haydamaky" – see Haidamaka). Zalizniak and Gonta were tricked by Russian colonel Guriev and captured.

As a subject of Russian Empire, Zalizniak was kept under arrest by the Russians, unlike Ivan Gonta, who was turned over to the Poles for execution. On July 8, 1768 Zalizniak and 73 rebels were imprisoned in Kievo-Pecherskaya Fortress. At the end of the month the case was ordered to trial by Kiev Provincial Court. The exact verdict of this trial is unknown, but in view of the fact that Zalizniak operated outside Russian borders he and his cohorts were spared the death sentence (unlike Pugachev, for example). It is believed that the captives were sentenced to exile to Far East or Siberia. Zalizniak was punished by severe whipping and was branded. By November 1, 1768 Zalizniak was deported to Belgorod. In Ahtyrka vicinity he and 51 comrades were able to escape by disarming the guards. Most of the fugitives including Zalizniak were quickly captured. His further whereabouts are unknown.

In people’s memory Maksym Zalizniak lives as a hero of struggle for Ukrainian identity and Christian Orthodox faith. His idealized image is a subject of many folk songs, legends and lore.