So complete was the downfall of the great Imperial State which Sweden had planned to encircle the Baltic that Charles XII, whom Voltaire calls the leading military genius of his time, now appears but a pale and legendary figure when contrasted with Peter the Great — the mighty rival over whom he so nearly triimiphed. No struggle of the eighteenth Century led to more portentous consequences than the winter campaign ending in the battle of Poltava.
It is significant in view of present events to consider the part played by the Cossacks of the Ukraine during these decisive moments in the world's his-
* See Tchaikowski's "Mazeppa" and Byron's poem of the same name.
tory. Had the united strength of the Free Cossacks and the Ukrainian peasant-proprietors been exercised on behalf of Charles XII rather than in favor of their oppressor the Tsar, there is little cause to doubt that a great Ukrainian state might have arisen on the steppes of South Russia, to which the less favored lands of "Great Russia" and the forest regions to the north would perhaps have become tributary. For in spite of their relatively small numbers the warHke caste of the Cossacks possessed not only militarj^ training and initiative but also a strong sense of loyalty and fellowship in arms lacking to a great extent among the moiijiki comprising Peter's armies. Had Mazeppa in addition to his military quahties been bom a Cossack instead of belonging to the hated Polish race, he might have united his adopted people at this critical moment of their career to face Peter's German-led and German-drilled troops. Xapoleon's dictum that Russia is destined to become either Cossack or German appears all the more plausible in the light of the events surrounding the invasion of Charles XII. Indeed the French emperor — a close student and an ardent admirer of "the Mad King's" strategy- — may have based his statement upon his appreciation of the all but forgotten yet fateful events which we shall now briefly re%iew.
Contemporary historians (including Voltaire, who, however, in matters of history scarcely exhibits the same critical spirit that won him so great a reputation in his discussion of religious questions) agree in repeating the romantic episode which transformed the youthful Mazeppa from a page at the brilliant Polish court into a leader of the rough Cossack bands of the Ukraine.
Their accounts are, in the main, identical with the circumstances narrated in Byron's famous poem. Mazeppa was by birth a Polish noble from the province of Podolia. Through the graces of his person and an education which — at least by comparison — distinguished him among his fellows, he obtained the position of "serving gentleman" in the household of a rich Polish nobleman. The young wife of this notable, having somewhat over frankly exhibited her admiration for Mazeppa*s qualities, the outraged husband conceived the vengeance which effectually removed Mazeppa from the neighborhood of his inamorata, but with results far different from those planned or expected. The handsome page, bound, naked and defenceless, on the back of an unbroken stalhon, instead of succumbing to the roving wolves of the steppes, was carried by his mount among a herd of horses belonging to a camp of wandering Cossacks. Joining this wild company the youth soon found himself enrolled a member of the band, and in the course of a few months his education and personal bravery gave him the post of aide-de-camp to the hetman.
At this point the legends suiTounding Mazeppa's advent among the Cossacks give place to more authentic accounts. A few years later we find him — risen in turn to the post of hetman — carrying on a series of forays in conjunction with Russian troops against the Tartars of the Crimea. These skirmishes resulted in establishing his reputation, not only as a brilhant and successful leader in border warfare, but also as a dependable instrument of Russian policy.