Historian Every Saturday. Tairova-Yakovleva: Mazepa and Peter I — who betrayed whom? (17.02.2024)
An academic lecture by Tetiana Tairova-Yakovleva, a leading scholar of Mazepa (D.Sc. in history; until 2022 at St. Petersburg University; the conversation is in Ukrainian). Key points for the article: the Hetmanate as a full-fledged state (borders, administration, a separate judiciary, taxes, an army) with the problem of legitimacy in an age of vassal-seigneurial relations; and a direct answer to the question of “who betrayed whom” — Peter I broke all his agreements with Ukraine. Complements the topic on the myth of Mazepa’s “betrayal” with the perspective of a scholar from the “accusing” side.
Key moments
- 23:41 The Hetmanate had all the attributes of a state: borders, an administrative and a separate judicial system, taxes, an army
- 22:23 The problem of legitimacy: Khmelnytsky appealed to the times of Volodymyr; Ukraine, set among three great powers, could not stand alone
- 52:16 "Who betrayed whom": Peter betrayed Mazepa — he broke all his agreements with Ukraine
- 16:29 The "History of the Rus" was written when Ukrainians were aggrieved by the changed attitude of an empire they considered themselves co-creators of