A Spoiled Child of Fate
The ancient Romans took a very particular view of the good graces of changeable fortune. They believed that those chosen by fate should be prepared not for easy wins and fabulous successes that can be reached standing on one's head, but instead for injury, ordeals, torture, and — quite probably — harsh failures. Winning a victory over one's failure is the main sign of a true minion of fortune. So let us see if our hero managed to do so.
Andriy Woinarowski was lucky, although his childhood and adolescence were far from cloudless (he was deprived of both father's tutelage and mother's affection). His father Jan Woinarowski was a noble of the Kyiv voevode (province), descendant of a high-born Cossack clan (related to the well-known jurist Yury Nemyrych,) at the same time a Roman Catholic and, for some time, ambassador to the Polish Sejm. Religious differences may have been the reason why he soon split with Andriy's mother, Oleksandra Mazepa-Koliadynska, also of noble Cossack origin. The son was taken away from his father at a very early age. But the boy was lucky: he was taken in and raised by his uncle, his mother's brother, Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Mazepa.
Fate did not spare blows on the lad. His mother died in 1695, when he was 6 years old. But Hetman Mazepa felt personally responsible for providing his nephew with a good education, and he displayed a more tender parental affection for the boy (although the Hetman was known to have no children of his own). Mother Superior Mary Magdalene, Andriy's grandmother, first led this process, and then the Hetman himself took charge of Woinarowski's studies. The young man graduated from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where he received the best education and refinement Ukraine could provide at the time. At the tender age of 16 our hero already knew seven European languages and Latin, ancient and modern history, basics of diplomacy, military training, etc.
And so Andriy, in spite of a difficult childhood, was a spoiled child of fate! The Hetman loved him and respected his sobering intellect, erudition and devotion. Andriy was in line for a princely title and, quite realistically, Hetmanship. From 1705 onwards, the youth would fulfill some very delicate military and diplomatic task missions for Mazepa (in particular, at the Polish royal court). Still earlier, Woinarowski completed his education in Germany. Prince Menshikov himself played up to Woinarowski and promised to marry him off to his sister. According to an eloquent account by English Ambassador to Moscow Charles Whitworth, “Here all consider Mazepa's nephew Woinarowski, a young but educated and efficient man, to be Hetman's chief advisor and assistant.“ Andriy was one of the first initiated into his uncle's hidden concepts, which brought them both to the camp of Swedish King Charls XII. Here fate prepared perilous trials for the young man.
This was the time when the Northern War between Russia and Sweden (1700-1721) was in full swing (both countries had allies which often changed sides: Poland with two contenders for the throne, from Peter the Great and from Charls XII, England, Denmark, Saxony, and northern German principalities). With help from the war, year by year Peter the Great would severely limit Ukrainian autonomy. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were mobilized against Charls, while the Tsar's plans were alien for Ukraine. And although Peter fully trusted Mazepa (for the time being), the Hetman's situation was exceptionally difficult: Swedish troops were nearby the Hetman's state borders. Regardless of who might have won, Ukraine would lose what remained of its independence.
Events sharply gained momentum, until in the fall of 1708 it was announced that Charls XII's troops had invaded Ukrainian land. Mazepa, as his contemporaries retell, fell into despair and assessed this turn of hostility as fatal for Ukraine. The Tsar ordered the Hetman to move his troops to Gorsk, Menshikov's headquarters, and wait there for Peter himself. Mazepa chose a wily tactic: he feigned fatal illness and sent his nephew to Menshikov. But Woinarowski quickly saw that the Menshikov headquarters did not believe the Hetman; moreover, he heard two Russian officers saying,“God save these people! (the Hetman and Cossack higher ranks who sympathized with him — Author ). Tomorrow they will be in fetters.“ Woinarowski hastened to his uncle in Borzna and informed him of this. The Hetman, his nephew, chief of staff Pylyp Orlyk and some more of the highest ranks rushed to unite with the Swedes, which they did on October 28, 1708, near the village of Orlivka. The next series of events are common knowledge: the Hetman's capital of Baturyn was seized by Menshikov's army in November and all those present were wiped out; Zaporizhzhian Cossacks who supported Mazepa in spite of their old grievances were slaughtered; Swedes experienced a series of failures in the winter and spring of 1709; and, finally, Russia claimed a decisive victory near Poltava on June 27, 1709. Woinarowski was with the Hetman all this time, taking his part in battles. Andriy also witnessed the death of his old uncle, exhausted by an eighteen-month pursuit by Peter's forces. This happened in Bendery on August 22, 1709.
In the next stage of Andriy's life he was subjected to nearly seven years of exile (in Bendery, Istanbul, Breslav, Vienna, Hamburg...). During this time, our hero displayed enviable diplomatic activity and skill in his attempts to form an anti-Russian coalition, including Turkey (indeed, a Russo-Turkish war began in 1710) and, if possible, England, France, and some German states. Hetman Pylyp Orlyk, the author of the famous Constitution, was the most brilliant figure of the post-Mazepa emigration wave, but Woinarowski was also well- known in those years in many European capitals.
He was by no means an immaculate hero; he hankered for money and lived a luxurious life (he was the only heir to Mazepa's huge property, he successfully sued the highest Cossack ranks for 3,000 gold coins and relinquished the post of a landless Hetman in a long litigation, for what he needed was money, not the mace). Education and wealth introduced him and his wife Hanna Myrovych (who abandoned her husband in Ukraine, Colonel Semen Zabila, to be with him) into the circle of the most glamorous aristocrats of Germany and Europe. He freely combined diplomatic work for the benefit of Ukraine (as he understood it) with many amorous affairs. One of his mistresses, Aurora Koenigsmark, an exceptionally beautiful aristocrat and mother of the well- known general Moritz of Saxony (and, incidentally, the great grandmother of George Sand!), invited Woinarowski to Hamburg in September 1716. This is where the 27-year-old young man met his biggest tragedy...
The Tsar's agents had long been shadowing Woinarowski in Europe. The free and neutral city of Hamburg, filled with many emigrants from dozens of countries, made it possible to get rid, once and for all, of a dangerous diplomat, the follower of Mazepa. The German Friedrich Bittiger, a Russian resident, had done all the necessary work well in advance. On September 25, 1716, Peter I proclaimed an order on board his ship in Copenhagen: to kidnap Woinarowski and bring him to Russia. Hamburg guards were bribed, and Woinarowski's secretary turned out to be Bittiger's spy. All routes of Andriy's movements in Hamburg had been studied. And on October 12, when he was on his way back from Aurora Koenigsmark, twelve Russian dragoons and the bribed guards assaulted his carriage and forcibly placed it under arrest at the Russian embassy. Naturally, it caused a storm of indignation and notes of protest from European ambassadors. Then Peter's people persuaded Aurora Koenigsmark to influence Woinarowski and convince him to surrender to the Tsar, for which he would, of course, be pardoned. And Woinarowski, who was supposed, like nobody else, to know the true value of Tsarist promises, showed a striking naivet О and gave in to Aurora's entreaties...
He spent the rest of his days (23 years!) in life exile in Yakutia, among eternal snows and half-savage people. He was interrogated for a long time, and although he knew about much and many, he never revealed anyone. The last person to see him in 1739 on the banks of the Lena was a well-known German traveler named Mueller.
Andriy Woinarowski made many mistakes and perhaps did some not- so-decent acts. But, facing the disastrous failure of his cause, he displayed exceptional courage and, as a true minion of fortune, managed to overcome his defeat. Aware of this by intuition, the prominent Russian Decembrist poet Kondrat Ryleyev composed his best and last poem “Woinarowski“ based on his life story. And despite some touches of idealization, something else is important. Freedom fighters from different countries recognize each other across the centuries. This is how the talented Russian poet Ryleyev saw a sworn brother in Woinarowski.
The ancient Romans took a very particular view of the good graces of changeable fortune. They believed that those chosen by fate should be prepared not for easy wins and fabulous successes that can be reached standing on one's head, but instead for injury, ordeals, torture, and — quite probably — harsh failures. Winning a victory over one's failure is the main sign of a true minion of fortune. So let us see if our hero managed to do so.
Andriy Woinarowski was lucky, although his childhood and adolescence were far from cloudless (he was deprived of both father's tutelage and mother's affection). His father Jan Woinarowski was a noble of the Kyiv voevode (province), descendant of a high-born Cossack clan (related to the well-known jurist Yury Nemyrych,) at the same time a Roman Catholic and, for some time, ambassador to the Polish Sejm. Religious differences may have been the reason why he soon split with Andriy's mother, Oleksandra Mazepa-Koliadynska, also of noble Cossack origin. The son was taken away from his father at a very early age. But the boy was lucky: he was taken in and raised by his uncle, his mother's brother, Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Mazepa.
Fate did not spare blows on the lad. His mother died in 1695, when he was 6 years old. But Hetman Mazepa felt personally responsible for providing his nephew with a good education, and he displayed a more tender parental affection for the boy (although the Hetman was known to have no children of his own). Mother Superior Mary Magdalene, Andriy's grandmother, first led this process, and then the Hetman himself took charge of Woinarowski's studies. The young man graduated from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where he received the best education and refinement Ukraine could provide at the time. At the tender age of 16 our hero already knew seven European languages and Latin, ancient and modern history, basics of diplomacy, military training, etc.
And so Andriy, in spite of a difficult childhood, was a spoiled child of fate! The Hetman loved him and respected his sobering intellect, erudition and devotion. Andriy was in line for a princely title and, quite realistically, Hetmanship. From 1705 onwards, the youth would fulfill some very delicate military and diplomatic task missions for Mazepa (in particular, at the Polish royal court). Still earlier, Woinarowski completed his education in Germany. Prince Menshikov himself played up to Woinarowski and promised to marry him off to his sister. According to an eloquent account by English Ambassador to Moscow Charles Whitworth, “Here all consider Mazepa's nephew Woinarowski, a young but educated and efficient man, to be Hetman's chief advisor and assistant.“ Andriy was one of the first initiated into his uncle's hidden concepts, which brought them both to the camp of Swedish King Charls XII. Here fate prepared perilous trials for the young man.
This was the time when the Northern War between Russia and Sweden (1700-1721) was in full swing (both countries had allies which often changed sides: Poland with two contenders for the throne, from Peter the Great and from Charls XII, England, Denmark, Saxony, and northern German principalities). With help from the war, year by year Peter the Great would severely limit Ukrainian autonomy. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians were mobilized against Charls, while the Tsar's plans were alien for Ukraine. And although Peter fully trusted Mazepa (for the time being), the Hetman's situation was exceptionally difficult: Swedish troops were nearby the Hetman's state borders. Regardless of who might have won, Ukraine would lose what remained of its independence.
Events sharply gained momentum, until in the fall of 1708 it was announced that Charls XII's troops had invaded Ukrainian land. Mazepa, as his contemporaries retell, fell into despair and assessed this turn of hostility as fatal for Ukraine. The Tsar ordered the Hetman to move his troops to Gorsk, Menshikov's headquarters, and wait there for Peter himself. Mazepa chose a wily tactic: he feigned fatal illness and sent his nephew to Menshikov. But Woinarowski quickly saw that the Menshikov headquarters did not believe the Hetman; moreover, he heard two Russian officers saying,“God save these people! (the Hetman and Cossack higher ranks who sympathized with him — Author ). Tomorrow they will be in fetters.“ Woinarowski hastened to his uncle in Borzna and informed him of this. The Hetman, his nephew, chief of staff Pylyp Orlyk and some more of the highest ranks rushed to unite with the Swedes, which they did on October 28, 1708, near the village of Orlivka. The next series of events are common knowledge: the Hetman's capital of Baturyn was seized by Menshikov's army in November and all those present were wiped out; Zaporizhzhian Cossacks who supported Mazepa in spite of their old grievances were slaughtered; Swedes experienced a series of failures in the winter and spring of 1709; and, finally, Russia claimed a decisive victory near Poltava on June 27, 1709. Woinarowski was with the Hetman all this time, taking his part in battles. Andriy also witnessed the death of his old uncle, exhausted by an eighteen-month pursuit by Peter's forces. This happened in Bendery on August 22, 1709.
In the next stage of Andriy's life he was subjected to nearly seven years of exile (in Bendery, Istanbul, Breslav, Vienna, Hamburg...). During this time, our hero displayed enviable diplomatic activity and skill in his attempts to form an anti-Russian coalition, including Turkey (indeed, a Russo-Turkish war began in 1710) and, if possible, England, France, and some German states. Hetman Pylyp Orlyk, the author of the famous Constitution, was the most brilliant figure of the post-Mazepa emigration wave, but Woinarowski was also well- known in those years in many European capitals.
He was by no means an immaculate hero; he hankered for money and lived a luxurious life (he was the only heir to Mazepa's huge property, he successfully sued the highest Cossack ranks for 3,000 gold coins and relinquished the post of a landless Hetman in a long litigation, for what he needed was money, not the mace). Education and wealth introduced him and his wife Hanna Myrovych (who abandoned her husband in Ukraine, Colonel Semen Zabila, to be with him) into the circle of the most glamorous aristocrats of Germany and Europe. He freely combined diplomatic work for the benefit of Ukraine (as he understood it) with many amorous affairs. One of his mistresses, Aurora Koenigsmark, an exceptionally beautiful aristocrat and mother of the well- known general Moritz of Saxony (and, incidentally, the great grandmother of George Sand!), invited Woinarowski to Hamburg in September 1716. This is where the 27-year-old young man met his biggest tragedy...
The Tsar's agents had long been shadowing Woinarowski in Europe. The free and neutral city of Hamburg, filled with many emigrants from dozens of countries, made it possible to get rid, once and for all, of a dangerous diplomat, the follower of Mazepa. The German Friedrich Bittiger, a Russian resident, had done all the necessary work well in advance. On September 25, 1716, Peter I proclaimed an order on board his ship in Copenhagen: to kidnap Woinarowski and bring him to Russia. Hamburg guards were bribed, and Woinarowski's secretary turned out to be Bittiger's spy. All routes of Andriy's movements in Hamburg had been studied. And on October 12, when he was on his way back from Aurora Koenigsmark, twelve Russian dragoons and the bribed guards assaulted his carriage and forcibly placed it under arrest at the Russian embassy. Naturally, it caused a storm of indignation and notes of protest from European ambassadors. Then Peter's people persuaded Aurora Koenigsmark to influence Woinarowski and convince him to surrender to the Tsar, for which he would, of course, be pardoned. And Woinarowski, who was supposed, like nobody else, to know the true value of Tsarist promises, showed a striking naivet О and gave in to Aurora's entreaties...
He spent the rest of his days (23 years!) in life exile in Yakutia, among eternal snows and half-savage people. He was interrogated for a long time, and although he knew about much and many, he never revealed anyone. The last person to see him in 1739 on the banks of the Lena was a well-known German traveler named Mueller.
Andriy Woinarowski made many mistakes and perhaps did some not- so-decent acts. But, facing the disastrous failure of his cause, he displayed exceptional courage and, as a true minion of fortune, managed to overcome his defeat. Aware of this by intuition, the prominent Russian Decembrist poet Kondrat Ryleyev composed his best and last poem “Woinarowski“ based on his life story. And despite some touches of idealization, something else is important. Freedom fighters from different countries recognize each other across the centuries. This is how the talented Russian poet Ryleyev saw a sworn brother in Woinarowski.
Выпуск газеты №:
№29, (1999)Section
Culture
