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 Pylyp Orlyk descended from Czech family. The Orlyks family was an old baron family spread in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Some of them had to leave Czech lands due to political conditions.
Pylyp Orlik, the Ukrainian hetman descended from the Polish branch of the family. His father, Stepan, was a Catholic and his mother descended from the Orthodox Christian family of the Malahovski. They lived in Bilenshchina in Oshmyanskiy povit(district) in Kosut village. There, on 11 October 1672 Pylyp Orlyk was born.
His father, Stepan Orlyk took part in Polish-Ottoman War (1672-1676) and was killed near Khotin in December 1673 at age of 51. Pylyp Orlyk remained an orphan and was christened according to Orthodox rite.
There's almost nothing we know about his young life. He attended school near his home. Later he was accepted to Kiev Mohyla academy (that had the official status of collegium). Here he studied philosophy and eloquence under Professor Stepan Yavorskiy.
After his graduation Pylyp Orlyk got the post of consistorial clerk in Kiev metropolitanate in 1692(or 1693) thanks to the assistance of Yavorskiy. Later he got the position in hetman chancery.
After he was accepted to the General Military Chancery he had been promoting fast. His marriage with a daughter of Poltava colonel Pavlo Gertsik assisted him in the promotion. He married Gertsik's daughter on 23rd November 1698. This marriage made him closer to Cossacks aristocracy.
Orlyk was one of new kind of Mazepa's collaborators who depended on him greatly. The hetman was the godfather for Orlyk's first child, his son Grygir who was born in 1702 when Orlyk was a senior military clerk. Soon after that he got the post of general pysar (chancellor). For his work and loyalty he received land from the hetman. He owned villages in Starodubshchina, Chernigivschina, Poltavshchina and some property in Gadyachchina.
Mazepa did not reveal all of his plans to his general pysar though he used to tell about his plans bit by bit. Sometimes the hetman pretended and gave the wrong information to Orlyk being not sure in his loyalty. However, finally he told everything about his plan to Pylyp Orlyk in October 1707.
During the difficult time of 1708-1709 Orlyk was a Mazepa's loyal adherent. In October 1708 he compiles an instruction to Bystritskiy who was supposed to have a diplomatic mission in Sweden.
He followed Mazepa during the Swedish-Ukrainian military campaign in Ukraine. There is no information about his work during the campaign. After the battle near Poltava, Orlyk and his family followed Mazepa to the exile.
In July 1709 refugees achieved Bendery. Being mortally, ill Ivan Mazepa died in a few months on the night of 21 September 1709.
So, the Cossacks and officers were left without any funds. Now the one, who was going to become the hetman, was also going to found himself in a very difficult situation. There were not many candidates. Voynarovskiy, Mazepa's nephew, avoided to became a candidate though he claimed his right for all the Mazepa's treasures and property including governmental property. So Orlyk was one of the most likely to be elected as the new hetman as the most noble man in the emigration in Bendery.
The determinant factor of Orlyk's election was the support by Charles XII of him as a candidate. Voynarovskiy was glad and promised to give 3,000 ducats to the new hetman. Pylyp Orlyk demanded significant support from the king and he obtained king's assecuration.
On the 5th April 1710 elections act was conducted which proclaimed the general pysar (chancellor) Pylyp Orlyk as the hetman of Ukraine. On the same day the document "The Constitution of rights and liberties of Viysko Zaporozke" («Pacta et Constitutiones legum libertatumqe Exercitus Zaporoviensis») was proclaimed. On 10th May 1710 Charles XII signed an assecuration «Diploma assecuratorium pro Duce et Exercitu Zaporoviensi», which proclaimed Swedish king's support of the new hetman.
Between 1711 and 1714, Pylyp Orlyk maintains close relations with Ottoman government, Polish rebels and the Swedish king Charles XII trying to restore Ukrainian independence by any means necessary. He played one of the most notable roles in convincing Ottomans to declare war on Russian empire. Together with Crimean Tatars and small groups of Cossacks from Zaparozhska Sich, Orlyk carried out unsuccessful raids into Right-bank Ukraine.
On 23rd January 1711 «pacta conventa» was signed, which stated the alliance between Cossacks and Crimean Tatars on the basis of independence of Ukraine and with a condition that Crimean khan wasn't allowed to sign a peace treaty with Russians. During the war Tatars guaranteed safety to Ukrainian people. One of the paragraphs defined Slobids'ka Ukraine (modern Eastern Ukraine) as a part of Ukrainian state and Don Cossacks as vassals of Ukrainian hetman. The same year Orlyk assigned a resident at Crimean government. Unfortunately, his name is unknown.
On 25th March the siege of Bila Tserkva began. The fortress had everything necessary to defend for long time. Orlyk had no siege artillery (only 4-6 cannons) so the fortress wasn't taken by storm. The siege ended when Tatars left the battlefield in order to come back to their lands. It was spring so they were afraid that ice covered rivers could melt and they would have to experience great difficulties on their way home. Some of Cossacks who supported Orlyk left their leader as well. They had to return to their homes to protect their families and homes from Tatars who were pillaging Ukrainian villages on their way home. Orlyk and his allies had to retreat. Russians were already on their march to make a counter-strike against Turks. In summer of 1711 Russian army approached the river Prut and was surrounded by joint Ottoman, Tatar, Polish and Ukrainian forces. Instead of making Peter I capitulate Ottoman Grand Vizier accepted a peace treaty and let Russian army return to Russian empire border.
After diplomatic negotiations between Pylyp Orlyk and Ottoman government and Russian empire, on 5th March, 1712 sultan declared Orlyk as a ruler of Right-bank Ukraine and Zaporozhian sich. Hetman could be elected freely and Ottoman government claimed no interference into Ukrainian internal affairs. Orlyk was very upset by such news. He expected Ottoman empire to claim the Left-bank Ukraine as a part of the independent Ukrainian state under Ottoman protection. He also hoped that Ottomans will support him with military power but they did not. In such situation, though he had known that it might be a pretext for Poland to attack his forces, he had to send his Cossacks to Right-bank Ukraine. Orlyk's Cossacks could hold the Right-bank Ukraine from the early 1713 to late 1714. Orlik wanted to use his army's stay for making Poland recognize Right and Left-bank Ukraine under Polish rule. Polish government preferred to use military force to conquer Right-bank Ukraine. In February, 1714 Polish royal army attacked Cossacks and defeated them. Cossacks remained in Right-bank Ukraine till the end of 1714 fighting against Polish forces.
After that Pylyp Orlyk has nothing to do but to follow Charles XII to Sweden with all his family. During the short term after Charles XII death in 1718 the political situation was favorable to start the work against Russia again. Pylyp Orlyk had an idea of all anti-Russian forces union which as he thought would include Poland, England, Austria, Sweden, Ottoman empire, Cossacks from Left-bank Ukraine and Don region, Tatars from Kuban' and Astrakhan'. However his plans couldn't come true.
While his journey in 1721 he had to stay in Austria under protection of his relative baron Orlyk in town of Vrotslav. Russian agents tried to capture him but he managed to evade the pursuit with help of his friends. After the death of his relative Pylyp Orlyk migrates to Krakow, Poland, then, due to danger for his and his family members' lives moves to Khotin, Ottoman Empire, leaving his wife and daughters in monasteries.
Ottoman government was hostile towards him and preferred to send him to Salonika and keep the hetman as a person who could be useful for them in the case of war with Russia. So, in 1722 he moved to Salonika with his son Mykhaylo. Mykhaylo died of an epidemic. Having not enough money and being far from his family and Ukraine Pylyp Orlyk felt depressed and hopeless unless in 1728 there appeared an opportunity to raise Ukrainian question during the Soissons conference in order to find a compromise with Russian government. After there was no compromise achieved, Pylyp Orlyk had to forget any ideas about peaceful Ukraine's separation from Russia. Due to the Ottoman restriction he was unable to move out of Salonika, the next few years he spent in diplomatic activity. The Ottoman Empire, supported by France was preparing for war against Russia. Finally, Pylyp Orlyk was released and allowed to go to Ukraine to meet Cossacks and ask them for a support against Russia. Despite Tatar preparations, the Ottoman Empire didn't declare war against Russian empire while Cossacks who were under Tatar rule revolted against Tatars and refused to support Pylyp Orlyk. The hetman stayed in Bendery where his temporary residence was.
During 1735-1739 Russian-Ottoman war the hetman was assigned to be a diplomacy advisor of the prince in exile Rokochiy of Transylvania. After the war he was ordered by Ottoman government to settle down in Adrianople (Edirne, Turkey). He refused and moved to Iasi where died on 24 May, 1742.
His political and diplomatical activity were complicated and entangled but still we can notice that despite many compromises all of it had one final aim- the independent united Ukrainian state. He followed the idea of Ivan Mazepa and he was true to this idea until his death.
The original biography is «Гетьман Пилип Орлик (1672 - 1742). Його життя і доля» by Boris Krupnitskiy "Dniprova Khvilya" publishing house,- Munich 1956,- Germany
Additional literature:
1. Барвінський Б., До побуту Ганни Орликової в Станиславові. - «Ювілейний Збірник ВУАН на пошану акад. М. С. Грушевського», т. І, Київ, 1928.
2. Борщак І., Orlikiana. - «Хліборобська Україна», кн. IV, Відень, 1922-1923.
3. Борщак І., В книгозбірні гетьмана Орлика. - «Літературно-Науковий Вісник», Львів, 1923, кн. XI.
4. Борщак І., Гетьман Пилип Орлик і Франція. - «Записки Наукового Товариства ім. Шевченка», т. 134-135, Львів, 1924.
5. Борщак І., Діярій П. Орлика. - «Стара Україна», Львів, 1924, кн. IX-X.
6. Борщак І., Вивід Прав України. - «Стара Україна», Львів, 1925, I-II. Див. «Вісник», Нью-Йорк, 1954, ч. 5.
7. Борщак І., Великий Мазепинець Григор Орлик, Львів, 1932.
8. Borschak Е., L'hetman Orlyk à Salonique 1723-1724. - «Revue des Etudes Slaves», t. 27, Paris, 1951.
9. Борщак І., Гетьман Орлик у Солуні. - «Україна», ч. 5, Париж, 1951.
10. Борщак І., Діла й дні гетьмана Пилипа Орлика в жовтні-грудні 1728 р. - «Analecta Ordinis S Basilii Magni», Серія II, Секція II, том II (VIII), вип. 1-2, Рим, 1954.
11. Borschak Е., Hryhor Orlyk, France's Cossack General, Toronto, 1956.
12. Василенко Н., Конституция Филиппа Орлика. - «Ученые Записки Института Истории РАНИОН», т. IV Москва, 1929. /76/
13. Возняк М., Бендерська Комісія по смерті Мазепи. - «Мазепа. Збірник». «Праці Українського Наукового Інституту», т. 46, Варшава, 1938.
14. Голійчук Ф., Филип Орлик у Галичині. - «Науковий збірник присвячений М. Грушевському», Львів, 1906.
15. Діярій гетьмана Пилипа Орлика, т. І. - «Праці Українського Наукового Інституту», т. 17, Варшава, 1936, (за редакцією Я. Токаржевського-Карашевича).
16. Допросъ Григорія Герцика. - «Кіевская Старина», т. III, 1883.
17. Єнзен А., Орлик у Швеції. - «Записки Наукового Товариства ім. Шевченка», т. 92, Львів, 1909.
18. Єнзен А., Дневник Орлика. - «Записки Наукового Товариства ім. Шевченка», т. 123-124, Львів, 1917.
19. Konopczyński W., Polska а Szwecja (1660-1795), Warszawa, 1924.
20. Konopczyński W., Polska a Turcja (1683-1792), Warszawa, 1936.
21. Костомаровъ М., Мазепа и мазепинцы, СПБ., 1885, (також видання 1905 р.)
22. Крупницький Б., Пилип Орлик на Правобережній Україні в 1711 р. - «За Державність», т. IV, Каліш, 1934.
23. Крупницький Б., Гетьман Пилип Орлик (1672-1742); Огляд його політичної діяльности. «Праці Українського Наукового Інституту», т. 42, Варшава, 1938.
24. Крупницький Б., Пилип Орлик і Сава Чалий. - «Праці Українського Історично-Філологічного Товариства в Празі», т. II, Прага, 1939.
25. Krupnyc'kyj В., Philip Orlik und die Katholische Kirche. - «Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas», Breslau, 1940, H. 3/4. /77/
26. Крупницький Б., З життя першої української еміґрації. - «Праці Українського Історично-Філологічного Товариства в Празі», т. III, Прага, 1941.
27. Krupnyc'kyj В., Hetman Mazepa und seine Zeit (1687-1709). Leipzig, 1942.
28. Крупницький Б., Карл XII і східньо-европейські коаліції XVIII ст. «Стежі», Мюнхен-Іннсбрук, 1946-1947, ч. 7-10; «Соборна Україна», Париж, 1947, ч. 3-4.
29. Krupnytsky В., The Mazeppists. The Ukrainian independence movement of the early 18-th Century. - «The Ukrainian Quartely», 1948, vol. IV, Nr. 3.
30. Крупницький Б., П. Орлик як нумізмат. - «Свобода», 1953, 15. II., ч. 7
31. Листування П. Орлика та інших. - «Чтенія Императорскаго Общества Исторіи и Древностей Россійскихъ», Москва, 1847, I.
32. Огієнко І., Варшавська збірка про Орлика. - «Записки Чина Св. Василія Великого», т. VI, Львів, 1935.
33. Письмо Орлика къ Стафану Яворскому. - «Основа», СПБ., 1862, X.
34. Rawita-Gawronski F., Filip Orlik, nieuznany hetman Kozacki. - «Studya і szkice historyczne», serya II, Lwów, 1900.
35. «Сборникъ статей и матеріяловъ по исторіи Юго-Западной Россіи», в. II, Київ, 1916.
36. Скальковскій А., Филиппъ» Орликъ и Запорожцы. - «Кіевская Старина», 1882, IV.
37. Feldman J., Polska а sprawa Wschodnia 1709-1714, Krakow, 1926.
38. Feldman J., Stanislaw Leszczyński, Wroclaw-Poznań, 1948. /78/
39. Feldman J., Karl XII och Porten 1709-1714. - Karl XII till 200-órs dagen av hans död Utgiven av Samuel E. Bring. Stockholm 1918.
40. Яковлів А., Універсал гетьмана Пилипа Орлика 1713 року. - «Україна», ч. 8, Париж, 1952.
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On the 30th of July the central Kiev was crowded by young women wearing quite provocative clothes. These girls are members of Ukrainian women social organisation Femen. After the end of the action the leader of the organisation Anna Gutsol was asked, why the organisation had chosen such unusual way to state that Ukraine is not a good destination point for those who look for short-term affair. The leader said: "If the government is not paying attention on the sex-tourism progress in Ukraine, such girls can become normal sight on our streets". So, the aim of such demonstration was to show the problem to the society and to Ukrainian government.