Why are Russians called Cossacks?
However, the term Cossack referred to independent horse riding tribes by the Tatar (qazaq or free men) who inhabited the Pontic–Caspian steppe, north of the Black Sea near the Dnieper River. In the late 1980s Cossack groups began to revive, and the Association of Cossacks was formed in July 1990. Cossacks have presented themselves as guardians of Russia’s frontiers, especially in the North Caucasus. Cossacks fought with the separatist forces in the Transdniester conflict in Moldova in 1992.Although constituents of the Cossack, or Kazak in Russian, group are generally Slavic or Turkic-speaking groups in western Russia, some people who came to the region from central European states were also labeled Cossacks. Geographically speaking, Cossacks have been defined as living in the Dnieper region of Russia.The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic, Eastern Orthodox Christian people, originating from the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia.Cossacks were armed with a type of guardless Saber called a Shashka, a long lance, and they used pistols and saddle carbines. They were organized into Sotnyas (Сотня), a unit of about 100-150 people.
What is the Cossacks about?
The Cossacks is a novel by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1863, that explores the life of Olyenin, a young Russian aristocrat who seeks escape from the superficiality of Moscow society by joining the army in the Caucasus. A brilliant short novel based on Tolstoy’s early life as a soldier in the Caucusus, THE COSSACKS has all the energy and poetry of youth while at the same time foreshadowing the great themes of Tolstoy’s later years.In summary, The Cossacks is a terrific story coupled with a glimpse at day-to-day life within unique society of the Cossacks. Highly recommended!