The Role of a Woman in the Family History of the Kochubei Cossack-Officers Ancestry (Second Half of the17-th-18-thcenturies)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the influence of the «female factor» in the family of General Judge Vasyl Kochubey (about 1640–1708), to trace the role of women in supporting the socio-political activity of this family in the elite environment of the Hetmanate. Based on historical sources, contemporary reports and historical intelligence, the author paints a portrait of his wife Lyubov Kochubey and daughters. The methodology of the research his based on a combination of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special-historical methods (historical-structural, historical-anthropological, historical-comparative, prosopographic) with the principles of historicism and objectivity. The application of these methods made it possible to conduct a systematic analysis of the sources, which in their interconnection helped to characterize the activities of the "female" component of the Kochubey family, to analyze the relationships between family members and their environment. Scientific novelty of the work is that for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the situation of women from the family of V. Kochubey has been made, their role in the socio-political and economic sphere was determined. The history of the acquisition and return of Kochubei land holdings during the second half of the 17th–18th centuries is traced from new positions. Conclusions. Research and reproduction of the biography of the Cossack-officer family Kochubey, showed that its representatives were part of the elite stratum of society of the Hetmanate. Successful marital contacts led to the enrichment of the family, the formation of its property potential, provided political and economic support. The members of the family became related to Zhuchenko, Skoropadsky, Obidovsky, Mazepa, Chuykevych, Apostol, Sulima, Zabila, through whose ties vital issues were resolved. During the investigation initiated after V. Kochubey’s denunciation of Hetman I. Mazepa, his wife L. Kochubey supported the family, defending her rights and interests using family ties. It is observed that the «female factor» played a major role in the return of land holdings, which were selected by order of Russian Tsar Peter I.