Cossack starshyna

Among Zaporozhian Cossacks, starshyna (, ) was a collective noun for administrative categories of military officers and state officials. In common parlance the term referred to the privileged social stratum of the Cossack society.

Starshyna was subdivided into:

• General Starshyna (), headed by Hetman (or Quartermaster General as acting Hetman)
• Quartermaster General (Генеральний обозний)
• Judge General (Генеральний суддя)
• Secretary General (Генеральний писар)
• Adjutant General (Генеральний осавул)
• Treasurer General (Генеральний підскарбій)
• Ensign General (Генеральний хорунжий)
• Bunchuk General (Генеральний бунчужний)
• Regimental (Polkova) Starshyna, headed by Polkovnyk (Colonel)
• Regimental Obozni (Quartermaster) () – first Deputy Colonel. He was in charge of artillery and fortress fortifications. In the absence of a colonel he replaced him, but he was not authorized to issue universal orders (as opposed to the commanding colonel).
• Regimental Judge () – was in charge of a civil court in the ratusha
• Regimental Osavul () – assistant Colonel in Military Affairs
• Regimental Khorunzhyi () – commander of the "Khorunzhy Cossacks", guarding the colonel and the starshyna. He was in charge of regimental music and was responsible for keeping the khorugv (regiment flag).
• () – secretaries at the ratusha. One was in charge of military affairs, and the other of civilian affairs.

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• Starshyna of Hundred (Sotenna) – headed by Sotnyk
• Sotenny otaman () – the deputy Sotnyk, implemented the duties of an obozni and a judge on a sotnia level
• Sotenny Osavul () – assistant sotnik in military affairs
• Sotenny Khorunzhy () – headed the sotnia's flags
• Sotenny Scribe () – a secretary
• Junior Starshyna () – headed by Otaman
• Chancellery: ,

Later, sometime after the Khmelnytsky's Uprising, it was also associated with the Ukrainian nobility which derived out of the officership and the Hetman.

References