"BUCZACCY" - PORTAL HOME PAGE

"HISTORY OF THE BUCZACCY FAMILY" "POLISH BLACK SEA" "POLES IN ODESSA"

RETURN TO THE BLACK SEA

Migration of the Polish population to the southeast after 1569.

Khadjibey in a painting by Gennadiusz Ładyżeński

Khadjibey in a painting by Genadiusz Ładyżeński

In ancient times, there were two Greek settlements in what is now Odessa: Havana “Isiaka” and Havana “Istrian.” These were small villages with stone buildings, whose inhabitants farmed, fished and traded. They were destroyed during the great migration of peoples.

Black Sea from the 14th century. Map of the northern part.

At the beginning of the 14th century, a small Genoese settlement-factory called "Ginestra", located in the territory of the Nogai Horde, is marked on Italian nautical maps in the area of today's Odessa. In 1300, the khan of this horde - Nogaj - was killed in the Battle of Kujalnik, near today's Odessa. The area was incorporated into the Golden Horde.

After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the Perekop Horde (Crimean Khanate) headed by bey Khadji, called Khadjibey, settles in the coastal territory on the Gulf of Odessa. In the 14th century, the Tatars built a small Khadjibey stronghold here. Bey Khadji took part in the Battle of Blue Waters in 1369, in which he was defeated by Olgierd Giedyminovic.

The name of the port and stronghold of Khajibey also means the Leader or Lord (Bey) of the pilgrimage to Mecca (Haj) because at that time, the ships of pilgrims from Crimea to Turkey sailed only along the shore.

The nomads called this city Kochubei, the Ruthenians called it Kaczybueiow.

As a result of the Lithuanian conquests from 1392, the territory between the Dniester and the Dnieper became under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in union with the Kingdom of Poland.

Witold Kiejstutowicz built fortifications on the shore of the Black Sea, including Oczakov, which guarded access to the Dnieper Liman.

Later, during the reign of King Jan I Olbracht, Oczakov was heavily fortified by Michał Buczacki Jazłowiecki.

At that time, Witold Kiejstutowicz's friend, Theodoric Buczacki from Jazłowiec, expanded the Khadjibey fortress, located exactly in the place of today's Odessa, and rebuilt the port and warehouses for storing goods. Over time, he was joined by his older son, Bartosz Buczacki.

According to Jan Długosz, in 1415, Władysław Jagiełło sent several ships with wheat from the port of "Kaczubyeiow". In 1442, King Władysław III of Poland, also known as Ladislaus of Varna, granted Khadjibey to Theodoric of Buczacz, the castellan and starosta of Kamieniec, for life.

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After a period of belonging to the Crown, the fortress found itself in the Ottoman region of Yedisan (Tur. Yeni Dünya, i.e. New World). It remained Turkish until the end of the 18th century.

The city and fortress of Yeni Dunya, visualization

The city and fortress of Yeni Dunya (Yeni Dünya) in the visualization of Jerzy Titarenko.

The eastern borderlands were "wild fields", sparsely populated, effectively free, without subordination to any state.

Migration from Poland to unpopulated border areas became massive after the Union of Lublin in 1569.

Together with the nobility, many of their servants, assistants, who were often representatives of the minor nobility, came to Ukraine.

Over time, peasants also began to arrive - some fled Poland for "freedom" from serfdom, others were resettled by the landowners themselves to their newly acquired estates.

This process led to the Polonization of the local Lithuanian and Ruthenian nobility and the spread of Polish culture and Catholic religion in these areas.

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Decclassation of the Polish nobility.

Unlike the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where nobility was a common status, in Russia it was obtained for service or a grant from the tsar.

Poles had to prove their nobility to Russian heralds, which resulted in the mass declassing of the minor nobility.

To be included in the Nobility Register, descendants of such families had to provide nobility institutions with evidence of the nobility of their ancestors and the descent of members of each subsequent generation.

They often came from an ancestor who received nobility from the King of Poland and was entered in the first or sixth part of the Nobility Register.

Part I included families whose ancestors received nobility from Russian or foreign crowned persons.

Part VI only included ancient noble families whose nobility was confirmed a hundred years ago or earlier.

It was a difficult case, there were a lot of papers. All documents were translated into two official languages: Polish and Russian.

While browsing the family archives back in 1996, I noticed that each man of the noble Buczacki family left behind about 30 great-grandchildren who produced offspring. Female descendants were not included in pedigrees.

In order to obtain a certificate of entry of the Buczacki family in Part I of the Book of Nobility, the verification of evidence lasted 15 years, from 1802 until February 21, 1817.

Only in 1845, in accordance with the Decree of the Heraldry Department of the Ruling Senate, Theodore of Buczacz and his sons were recognized as nobles and entered in Part VI of the Genealogical Book.

Initially, the procedure for confirming the right to nobility for Polish families was easier than in the case of nobility from other countries.

Since the first Polish uprising in 1830 and after the suppression of the uprising in Poland in 1840, the requirements were stricter and many Polish families officially lost their nobility.

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Russian invasion.

On the night of September 13-14, 1789, the Turkish Khajibey was captured for Russia by the Cossacks under the command of the Spaniard José de Ribas.

This gave an impetus to the creation of the city, the construction of which officially began on August 22, 1794, according to the design of engineer François Sainte de Wollant.

Odessa port. Quarantine Haven, early 18th century

The city was named “Odessa.”

Governor de Richelieu, who had been managing the city since 1804, completed the construction of the port.

The port and city of Odessa in 1850.

The fortress and lighthouse on Cape Langeron

Fortress and lighthouse on Cape Langeron. The city itself lies on a clay plateau at an altitude of 50-60 meters above sea level.

In the 19th century, the city was the main port handling grain exports from the territories of the Empire, including the Kingdom of Poland.

Thanks to this, it became one of the richest and fastest-growing cities of the Russian Empire and in 1900, Odessa was in fourth place in terms of population, after St. Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw.

View of the municipal swimming pool from the Peresyp Spit.

View of the city swimming pool (in center) from the side of Peresyp - the spit of Khajibey Liman.

After 1780, Polish migration was mainly directed to the northern coast of the Black Sea.

Russia then began to develop this territory, called Novorossiya.

Cities, factories and plants were built there, and a fleet was created.

View of the stairs to the port from the Quarantine Haven and Customs Square.

View of the stairs to the port from the Quarantine Marina and Customs Square.

Odessa Fortress, Customs Square and Polish houses under the escarpment at Polish Street.

Odessa Fortress, further, on the left, Customs Square and Poles' houses under the slope at Polska Street.

Zjazd Polski and Polska Street above (currently Lech Kaczyński Street) were built even before the city of Odessa was founded.

The oldest street in the city, Polski Zjazd, on the port side, a place of residence for Poles since the 14th century.

The oldest street in Poland, Zjazd from the port side, a place of residence of Poles since the 14th century.

Polski Zjazd Street from the side of Polska Street, currently Lecha Kaczyńskiego Street.

Polski Zjazd from the side of Polska Street, currently Lech Kaczyński Street.

Above the exit you can see the Strogon Bridge, built under the supervision of the Polish architect Gąsiorowski.

Numerous representatives of both the aristocracy and the emerging bourgeoisie came from the Kingdom of Poland to Novorossiya.

Attracted by the real possibility of significant profits, they invested their capital in building houses, opening businesses, internal and external trade, organizing sea transport, etc.

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After 1861, many Polish workers settled in Novorossiya. Many of them stayed here after completing their military service in the tsarist army.

Enterprises opened on the new Russian Black Sea coast offered the opportunity to earn good money. In this way, numerous Polish colonies were established in Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Crimea.

The process of forming the Polish community in Odessa began at the end of the 18th century.

According to the imperial decree of July 5, 1796, the resettlement of renting nobility to the new conquered lands was allowed, which resulted in the settlement of about eighty Polish families in Odessa.

To some extent, this was facilitated by freedom of religion and the right to build one's own churches, which was announced by the decree of Catherine II of April 19, 1795.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary built in 1844-1853

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1844-1853).

It was built by the Polish architect Feliks Gąsiorowski according to a sketch by Francesco Morandi.

The Poles who settled in the city included representatives of the upper and middle classes of society: aristocracy, intelligentsia, merchants and craftsmen, including mechanics, carpenters, shoemakers and others.

Most Poles were Roman Catholics, but there were also Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews and representatives of other denominations.

"Polish church". Roman Catholic cathedral of the Odessa-Simferopol Diocese.

Interior of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Interior of the Cathedral in Odessa.

Representatives of the Polish aristocracy received plots of land to build houses. Among them were the Sabański, Potocki, Czartoryski, Rzewuski and other families.

In Odessa alone, the Potocki family built three palaces - for Olga, Alexander and Bolesław.

In 1803, the "Polish Society" of Prot (Antoni Protazy Jacek) and Seweryn Potocki, which also included the Rodoski, Lipkowski, Czacki and Drzewiecki families, was the largest grain exporter.

Poles restored navigation on the Dniester and revived the ancient ports of Akkerman and Ovidiopol.

The ship "Tadeusz Czacki" transported wheat, vodka and fruit.

Odessa, Old Town and Port from a Bird's Eye View.

Old Odessa and the port's aquatic centers from a bird's eye view, with the Khadzhibey and Kuyalnik estuaries visible on the horizon.

The territory inhabited by Poles is evidenced by the area of the Odessa-Simferopol diocese, which includes the structures of the Roman Catholic Church in the Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

In this way, Poles actually returned to the Black Sea.

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*Sources: Buczacki family archive, stories and memories of family members,
state archives, open sources of information.

*Images and texts may be protected by copyright.