View source for Elected Cossacks

{{Cossacks}}
'''Elected Cossacks''' ({{langx|uk|Виборні козаки|Vyborni kozaky}}) were [[Cossack]]s in [[Left-bank Ukraine|Left-bank]] and [[Sloboda Ukraine]], who were economically independent from various institutions and participated in military service using their own weapons. Elected Cossacks were separated as a group according to a 1701 [[universal (act)|universal]] of [[hetman]] [[Ivan Mazepa]]. 

Elected Cossacks retained their freedom from taxation in exchange for their military service, meanwhile the rest of Cossack troops who were unable to finance their military service were to be made equal to commoners. However, due to mass protests and dissatisfaction of poorer Cossacks, this reform was initially introduced only in [[Nizhyn Regiment]] of the [[Cossack Hetmanate]]. Following the reforms of the [[Russian Empire|Russian imperial]] government in 1734, Cossacks were divided into two groups: Elected Cossacks and [[Cossack helpers]] (''pidpomichnyky''). In the early 1780s many elected Cossacks were incorporated into the [[Russian Imperial Army]], meanwhile others joined groups of commoners.

In Sloboda Ukraine elected Cossacks were introduced according to a decree of Tsar [[Peter the Great|Peter I]] in 1700 as a hereditary class. All elected Cossacks had to serve in the army with their own equipment, horses and weapons. After the abolition of Sloboda regiments by [[Catherine the Great|Catherine II]] in 1765 elected Cossacks in the region changed their status to "{{ill|military citizens|ru|Войсковые обыватели}}" equal in status to [[state serf|state peasants]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=ВИБОРНІ КОЗАКИ|date=2003|url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=DOP&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Vyborni_kozaky|access-date=2025-05-31}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Registered Cossacks]] - a similar social estate in Ukraine under [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian]] rule

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkPath=pages\E\L\ElectCossacks.htm Elect Cossacks] in [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com Encyclopedia of Ukraine]
{{refend}}

[[Category:Cossacks]]
[[Category:History of the Cossacks in Russia]]
[[Category:Military history of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Ukrainian Cossacks]]