Spatio-temporal perspectives and discursive foundations of the formation of the Cossacks in the Russian historical tradition
Annotation
This article examines the emergence of the Cossacks in Rus' as the result of a long socio-historical synthesis on the southern periphery of Russian lands in the 13th–16th centuries. An analysis of written sources, archaeological data, and historiography allows us to identify key factors in the genesis of the Cossacks: the depopulation of the southern "outskirts" after the Mongol invasion, the constant threat of nomadic raids, the migration of socially mobile groups, and the preservation of ancient Russian military traditions. Particular attention is given to an early 20th-century discussion be...
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