Baturyn
Baturyn (Батурин in Ukrainian), is a town in Chernihiv region in central Ukraine with a population of about 3,600.
History According to some modern sources, the origins of Baturyn date back to 11th century as a fortress built by Chernihiv Principality. The contemporary name for the settlement is first mentioned in the 17th-century documents. In 1648 it is transformed into a Cossack company (regional) center as the Zaporizhian Sich gained control over the territory from the Poles, and in 1669–1708 it was the capital of the Hetmanate, a Cossack state in Left-bank Ukraine (referring to the left bank of Dnipro river). The town prospered under the rule of hetman Ivan Mazepa, with its area increasing and the population growing to 20,000. Baturyn had 40 churches and chapels, 2 monasteries and a college for government officials and diplomats. In 1708, the Cossack Ukraine was caught in the midst of the Great Northern War with Mazepa supporting the Swedes despite an earlier treaty with Russia. The town was razed to the ground by the Russian army of Alexander Menshikov in revenge for this alliance. 13 000 - 15 000 inhabitants and defenders were slaughtered. The town was rebuilt only in the 1750s, and served as the capital of hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsky until 1764, when Russian empress Catherine II abolished the Cossack state and incorporated it into Russia. After Rozumovsky's death the town lost its importance and is now a tiny agrarian settlement. His baroque palace stands in ruins.
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