Piliavtsy

(now the village of Piliava, Staraia Siniava Raion, Khmel’nitskii Oblast), the place near which cossack-peasant troops led by B. Khmel’nitskii routed a Polish szlachta (nobility or gentry) army on Sept. 13 (23), 1648.

In order to crush the liberation movement in the Ukraine, Poland’s szlachta government formed an army of 32,000 members of the szlachta, 8,000 German mercenaries, and tens of thousands of armed servants of the szlachta. The army, which was headed by Prince W. D. Zastawski and others, left the L’vov region for Volyn’ in early September. A cossack-peasant host numbering about 80,000 and a detachment of 600 Tatars came from the Maslovyi Stav region to meet the Poles and occupied a fortified camp near Piliavtsy. The cavalry of M. Krivonos took up a separate position. The Polish szlachta forces arrived on September 8 (18) and set up camp on the opposite bank of the Ikva River.

On September 11 (21), a detachment under magnate J. Tysz-kiewicz attacked Khmel’nitskii’s camp but was unable to gain a decisive victory. On the evening of September 12 (22), the cossack-peasant camp was reinforced by the arrival of 4,000 Bu-dzhak Tatars. On the morning of September 13 (23), Ukrainian troops went over to the attack and drove off the enemy after a bitter struggle. Considering the battle lost, the Polish szlachta forces began a retreat during the night of September 13 (23), which turned into a rout. As a result of the victory, Podolia and Volyn’ were liberated.