Między Żółtymi Wodami a Brześciem. Wokół szlacheckich wizji rozwiązania konfliktu na Ukrainie w latach 1648-1653

ENThis article is dedicated to analyzing the attitudes of the Polish nobility towards the conflict unfolding in Ukraine between 1648 and 1653. The main focus is on both the reactions of the nobility to the outbreak of the uprising in 1648 and the assessment of the nobility’s opinions regarding the nature of the Cossack uprising, as well as the various concepts proposed during these years for resolving the Cossack rebellion. The article seeks to understand not only the panic and fear that permeated almost all contemporary actions of the Polish elite but also the noble opinions on the character of the uprising and the solutions proposed to address it. Attention is also given to the impact of the noble’s perception of the Chmielnicki uprising on the formulation of key projects for solving the Ukrainian problem. In exploring the nobility’s stance towards the uprising in Ukraine, the article attempts to answer the following questions: Did the nobility view the Cossack uprising solely as a socio-economic movement taking the form of a rebellion of subjects against their despised lords? Was there an awareness among them of the national and religious dimensions of the uprising? Finally, was there recognition of the political ambitions of Bohdan Chmielnicki?.A detailed analysis of contemporary noble correspondence, laudatory addresses, instructions from regional assemblies, both Crown and Lithuanian, diaries, occasional poetry, and historiographical works reveals that the nobility did not have a single perception of the Cossack uprising. Although they primarily viewed the events in Ukraine during this period as a social conflict combined with a national uprising, the cited primary sources indicate that religious and political motives were also considered significant by this milieu. The article concludes with reflections on how the nobility engaged with the ‘peaceful’ and ‘military’ approaches to resolving the Ukrainian conflict during the contemporary Sejm sessions.