ꠇꠍꠣꠇ were free armed people, representatives of the military state, mercenary soldiers. They were members of the self-governing male military communities that have existed since the 15th century on the territory of the Ukrainian "Wild Fields", in the area of the middle reaches of the Dnieper and the Don. The main occupation of the Cossacks was war, including the protection of Ukrainian lands from the Crimean and Nogai Tatars, participation in military campaigns of neighboring lords, and protection of the borders of neighboring states.
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They preferred the hardships of hard campaigns to the peaceful life of slaves. From their history, we learn how fathers passed on to their sons a proud sense of independence as the most precious heritage, and the slogan "death or freedom" was their only testament, passed from father to son, together with the great-grandfather's weapon.[1]
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— Жан-Бенуа Шерер (Йоган Бенедикт), німецький і французький історик, географ
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Чи у них один Хмельницький? Тисячами їх рахувати б треба! Одного сьогодні стратять,— на його місце іншого, справнішого і розумнішого виберуть, і то такого, щоб їх справи пильнував![2]
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— Микола Потоцький
- ↑ Крип'якевич, с. 251
- ↑ Крип'якевич, с. 186
