BOHDAN ZINOVII Khmelnytskyi

Hetman of the Zaporizhzhya Army Bohdan (Zinovii) Mykhailovych Khmelnytskyi
(pp. 1595-1657)
An experienced soldier and diplomat, a prominent statesman, one of the most educated people of his time, Khmelnytsky, without a doubt, belongs to the constellation of the most outstanding figures of history of all time. This was already well understood by the hetman's contemporaries, considering him a national hero, comparing him with Alexander the Great.
The future hetman of Ukraine was born in the family of the Orthodox noble Mykhailo Khmelnytskyi. He received his primary education in the schools of Chhyryn and Kyiv. Subsequently, he continued his studies at the Jesuit college in Lviv. He mastered Polish and Latin, and eventually Turkish and French.
He shot well with a bow and never left his saber. He could play the bandura in good humor. He did not shy away from drinking honey, vodka or beer. And he entered the history of Ukraine as an ardent defender of the Orthodox faith.
Both contemporaries and descendants evaluated the figure of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in different ways. For some, he was a knight for whom Ukraine rose to its feet, for others - a ruthless and treacherous helmsman.
According to his character, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was a bright leader, and therefore had undeniable authority. As a politician and commander, he was skeptical, able to think soberly. In the conditions of continuous wars, he managed to create a powerful army, state economy, administration and financial system.
Khmelnytsky directed all his efforts to ensure national interests. He had no priorities in foreign policy, he was often unlucky with his allies. Some historians compare the Ukrainian hetman with his contemporary, the leader of the English Revolution of the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell.
The year 1648 was particularly successful for Khmelnytskyi. Having won lightning victories over the Polish nobility, he entered Kyiv on December 23, accompanied by two hundred elders and Cossacks. Almost the whole city welcomed him. According to the chronicler, the people of Kyiv rejoiced at the hetman ten times more "than at any of their governors...".

Khmelnytskyi's fame spread far beyond the borders of Ukraine. Ambassadors from the Crimean Khan, the Turkish Sultan, and the Russian Tsar Oleksiy Mikhailovich came to him. And later, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi received a certificate of hetmanship from the Polish king.
The value of a person's existence is determined by how he understands and realizes his life purpose. People who did not set themselves the goal of gaining fame deserve the greatest popular love and respect. That is why they are immortal, because a person lives as long as they remember him and pray for him.