A Brief History of the Nekrasovite Cossacks and an Analysis of the Cossack Heritage in Romania

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to the clarification of certain aspects regarding the origins of the Lipovans, the Russian-speaking minority group found on the territory of Romania, which have been long rumoured to be of Cossack origin. Despite having emigrated and cut off contact with their native lands, they have managed to maintain a distinct identity, culture and language over the centuries of separation from their ancestral lands, whilst also managing to integrate well into the new cultural context initially encountered in Ottoman-ruled Dobruja, and in Romania, later. The paper comprises a presentation of the historical contexts that have led to the migration of Russian speakers westwards, reaching the territory of modern-day Romania and the influence they have exerted on said territories. It includes specific cultural and linguistic exemplifications supporting the Cossack origin thesis of the Lipovan population of Dobruja.