| Sack of Baturyn | |
| Native Name: | Батуринська трагедія |
| Partof: | the Great Northern War |
| Location: | Baturyn, Cossack Hetmanate |
| Target: | Rebel Cossack and civilians |
| Date: | October 27, 1708–November 2, 1708 |
| Type: | Massacre |
| Fatalities: | 9,000–15,000 |
| Perpetrators: | Russian Imperial Army |
The sack of Baturyn, or the Baturyn tragedy (Ukrainian: Батуринська трагедія) was a seizure of Baturin fortress during the Great Northern War (1700–1721), by Russian troops under the command of Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, They captured and destroyed Baturyn on November 2, 1708. The fortress of Baturyn was the capital of The Cossack Hetmanate (Hetman Mazepa) at the time; according to various estimates, between 9,000 to 15,000 civilians and defenders of Baturyn were killed.
During the Great Northern War (1700–1721) progress, Hetman Mazepa ceased to consider himself loyal to Tsar Peter I and on November 7 (October 28) 1708, when Charles XII was on his way to Moscow and forced to divert his forces toward Central Ukraine, Mazepa joined the Swedish advance. He was followed by about 3000 Cossacks and leading members of the Zaporozhian Army. Upon learning of Mazepa's desertion to the Swedish side, Peter I ordered General Alexander Menshikov to destroy the Hetmanate's capital.[1] That decision of Tsar Peter must be considered within the context of the Great Northern War between Russia and Sweden. In October 1708 Charles XII was caught far away from his winter quarters. His army didn't have enough provision and missed ammunition because one month earlier Russian troops had captured Swedish ammunition convoy led by Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt during the Battle of Lesnaya. That convoy was heading to Charles XII army. Mazepa suggested to Charles XII that Baturyn was a good place to recover. The Baturyn fortress had enough food and ammunition to replenish Charles XII army during winter 1708-1709. Hence Tsar Peter's I decision was triggered by three factors: 1) Prohibit the replenishment of Charles XII's army in Baturyn; 2) Intimidation of the Cossaсk Hetmanate population to prevent its support of Mazepa; 3) Personal revenge for Mazepa's desertion. Alexander Menshikov had very limited time to capture Baturyn before the arrival of Charles XII's army. Some sources mention that Menshikov had just two weeks advantage. Menshikov suggested that Baturyn's defenders surrender but they refused. Menshikov then started the assault of the Baturyn fortress.
Menshikov, on the eve of the storming of Baturyn, commanded 20 dragoon regiments, numbering from 15 to 20 thousand dragoons.[2] But at that time Baturyn was a fortress, armed with a large number of guns. In view of this, Menshikov tried to persuade the defenders of the fortress to surrender, but the Baturyns not only rejected the offer of capitulation, but also responded with cannon shots at Menshikov's positions. The Russian Army failed to storm the fortified city, and only after penetrating through a secret raid did the twice-superior forces of Menshikov gain the advantage and at 6 o'clock in the morning, November 13 (2), 1708, entered Baturyn territory and insidiously attacked the defenders of the fortress. Despite fierce opposition from the garrison, within two hours, the Russian troops completed the capture of the city. When Hetman Mazepa later saw the consequences of the Baturyn massacre in Moscow, "this spectacle struck him in the heart"; Mazepa wept zealously for Baturyn, watching how much human blood in the city and suburbs was full of puddles.[3]
The bloody events in Baturyn are confirmed by many documentary sources. Mykola Markevich (1804–1860) wrote:Rigelman (1720–1789) described the events as follows:According to the French historian Jean-Benoit Scherer (1741–1824):
Archaeological excavations in Baturyn have been conducted by Ukrainian researchers since 1995. In 2001, Canadian scientists joined them. In 2005, the Baturyn Foundation was founded by President Victor Yushchenko and supported by several Canadian charities and academic organizations. That same year, 150 students and scientists from the Universities of Chernihiv and Nizhyn and the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy took part in the excavations, and the following year 120 students and scientists from universities and museums-reserves of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Hlukhiv, Rivne, Baturyn and the University of Graz (Austria). In 1996-2007, archaeologists discovered 138 burials in Baturyn from the time of the reign of Ivan Mazepa, 65 of them belong to those killed during the capture of Baturyn (mostly women, children and the elderly). Thus, in 17 of the 33 graves excavated in 2005, skeletons of women and children buried without a position in a coffin and visible signs of Christian rites were found.