PARTICIPATION OF MEMBERS OF THE SOLONIN FAMILY IN MILITARY CAMPAIGNS FROM THE SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

The relevance of this article stems from the need to explore academic issues related to the participation of members of the Ukrainian socio-political elite in military campaigns conducted by the Muscovite state and the Russian Empire during the second half of the 17th century through the early 20th century. In light of this, questions regarding the participation in military campaigns of representatives of the Cossack-officer and noble Solonin family – who held a prominent place among the domestic elite of the early modern era and the modern period – become particularly relevant. The purpose of this article is to examine the participation of members of the Solonin aristocratic family in military campaigns from the second half of the 17th century to the early 20th century, and to analyze the nature of their involvement in the context of the Russian Empire’s foreign policy. The research methodology is based on the application of the fundamental principles of historical inquiry – historicism, objectivity, systematicity, documentary evidence, and historiographical tradition – as well as research methods, among which the historical-descriptive, historical-genetic, analytical, synthetic, and problem-chronological approaches play a leading role. Scientific novelty. This article provides the first comprehensive and holistic account of the participation of members of the Solonin family – a clan of Cossack officers and nobles – in the military campaigns waged by the Muscovite state and the Russian Empire during the second half of the 17th century through the early 20th century. Based on documentary evidence, including archival sources introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, the article highlights little-known facts regarding the participation of members of the family in the wars waged by the Russian Empire during this period. Conclusions. In the course of preparing this article, it was established that members of the Solonin family – a Cossack-officer clan – participated in the vast majority of the wars waged by the Russian Empire during the second half of the 17th and 18th centuries, specifically during the era of the Ukrainian Cossack State: the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1686–1700, 1735–1739, 1768–1774, and 1787–1791; the Persian campaigns of the 1720s; and the Seven Years’ War of 1756–1763. During the era of the Russian Empire, members of the family who were in military service took part in military operations against Napoleonic France, the Patriotic War of 1812, and the Russian army’s foreign campaigns; the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1828–1829 and 1877–1878; military operations in the Caucasus, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, the suppression of the Polish uprisings of 1794 and 1830–1831, and the Hungarian uprising of 1848–1849. For the most part, these military campaigns were aimed at the territorial expansion of the Russian Empire and the suppression of national liberation movements. Participation in these military operations became a guarantee of further career advancement for members of the Solonin family, for which they were honored with state awards and military ranks. Keywords: Ukrainian Cossack State, Russian Empire, Cossack leadership, the Solonin family, military campaigns.