Ivan Gonta is one of the outstanding figures in the history of Ukraine. His name became a symbol of the struggle for the independence of his native country. The image of the national hero is most fully described in T. G. Shevchenko's poem "Gaidamaki". The poet looked for information about the popular uprising in folk traditions and legends, in which Ivan Gonta was one of the acting characters.
Biography
Information about Ivan's birth is extremely scarce. It is known that he was born in the village of Rossoshki, which is currently located in the Cherkasy region. His parents were serfs. The exact date of his birth is still not known, but researchers start from 1740. At a young age, Ivan Gonta, thanks to his own zeal, became a Cossack of the court troops of the magnate Pototsky, who at that time was the sovereign master of Uman. Despite his low birth, Ivan was well educated. Excellent knowledge of the Polish language, popularity and good organizational skills became the basis for a quick promotion.
In 1757, a peasant son was elected centurion of Potocki's court troops.
Confidant
An educated and gifted young Cossack attracted the attention of the tycoon Potocki. And soon the army was talking aboutthe new confidant of the count, who became Ivan Gonta. The Cossacks outside the courtyard may have been outraged by such a promotion of a native of the lower classes. The count removed his entourage from subordination to the gentry and placed the Uman governor under the command. For his service, Ivan Gonta in 1755 received possession of his native village of Rossoshki and the neighboring village of Odarovka. At that time, all his relatives lived in Rossoshki: mother, wife, children. The family consisted of four daughters and a son. Owning villages gave him a profit of 20 thousand zlotys a year - very solid money for those times.
Gonta and faith
The big profits from the faithful service to Pototsky could not deprive the centurion of his own convictions and did not make him an instrument in the wrong hands. Ivan Gonta did not share the desire of the Poles to impose the Catholic faith on the Orthodox population of Ukraine. On his donations, a magnificent Orthodox church is being built in his native village, and the centurion's family was called ktitors - it was for their funds that the Ex altation Church of the city of Volodarka was erected and painted. It was in this temple that the wall painting depicting Ivan Gonta was preserved. The photo of the centurion, which can be seen in modern textbooks, was taken from this portrait.
Very soon, I. Gonta became known as a person who defended the Orthodox faith. Representatives of Orthodox churches from all over Ukraine addressed him. Such universal support made him a widely known personality who had a huge impact on the aspirations and opinions of representatives of all Ukrainian classes.
Gaidamaki
By the end of May 1768, rumors reached Uman about a mass uprising of the Gaidamaks, led by Maxim Zheleznyak. They took one settlement after another, slowly approaching Uman. Rafal Mladanovic, the governor of Uman, was forced to take increased measures to strengthen the city. He closed the main gates, strengthened the guard, carefully checked everyone who wanted to enter the city. There were many Cossacks in the court army, whose homeland was in the Uman region. To reduce the likelihood of treason, Mladanovic forced the Cossacks to swear allegiance to Potocki.
Gonta and Zheleznyak
By order of the governor, the court army came out to meet the rebels. But the Polish governor failed to use his own army as punishers. Near the town of Sokolovka, Ivan Gonta met with Maxim Zheleznyak. After negotiations, the Cossacks drove out their centurions and joined the rebels. The final unification of the two armies on June 18, 1768 took place under the walls of Uman. The rebels decided to storm the city.
Uman tragedy
The capture of Uman lasted about a day and a half. The defense of the city was entrusted to the militias, who had poor command of small arms. A single volley from all the guns surrounded the walls of the fortress with clouds of smoke, creating a dense curtain. Taking advantage of this, the rebels successfully stormed the walls of the fortress and broke into the city. The massacre that followed was terrible.
The Gaidamaks slaughtered Poles, Jews, Russians, sparing neither old men nor women. According to survivorseyewitnesses, the blood of the dead poured out beyond the threshold of their houses and temples and flowed through the streets. According to various estimates, between two and twenty thousand people died that day.
Colonel Gonta
After the capture of Uman, many were afraid of retribution and immediately left the ranks of the rebels. Ivan Gonta and Maxim Zheleznyak held a general council. By decision of the majority, the command of the rebel army was appointed. Maxim Zheleznyak is the hetman of the new army, and Ivan Gonta is a colonel. In the territories under the rule of the rebels, corvee was liquidated, Cossack orders and customs were established. The leaders of the rebel movement took steps to spread their ideas throughout Ukraine.
Betrayal and death
The scale of the uprising greatly worried the government of the Russian Empire. On the instructions of Catherine II, the troops of Colonel Guryev advanced towards the rebels. Infiltrating the confidence of the rebels, he surrounded the Cossack army and captured its commanders-in-chief. Ivan Gonta was handed over to the Poles, and Maxim Zheleznyak was sentenced to death by wheeling. True, later the empress changed the measure of punishment and sent him to serve hard labor.
Ivan Gonta was handed over to the Polish authorities. After being tortured for ten days, Gonta was convicted by a special tribunal, consisting of a priest and three monks. He was sentenced to death, which was to be accompanied by terrible torture - quartering, skinning and so on. On the third day, having appreciated the courage of the Cossack, the crown hetman Xavier Branitsky orderedcut off Gonte's head in recognition of the courage and steadfastness of the condemned. The condemned man died on July 13, 1768. The remains of the national hero were nailed to the gallows in 14 cities of Ukraine.
Ukrainian lands will be stained with the blood of popular uprisings more than once, but the memory of Ivan Gonta and Maxim Zheleznyak still remains in the legends and thoughts of the Ukrainian people.
