"Ukraine has always aspired to be free: but being surrounded by Muscovy, the states of the Sultan, and Poland, a protector had to be sought, and consequently a master in one of these three states. She first put herself under the protection of Poland, who treated her too much as subject. She then gave herself to the Muscovite, who governed her as a slave as much as he could. At first the Ukrainians enjoyed the privilege of electing a prince under the name of general; but soon they were stripped of this right, and their general was appointed by the court of Moscow. (L’Ukraine a toujours aspiré à être libre : mais étant entourée de la Moscovie, des états du grand-seigneur, et de la Pologne, il lui a fallu chercher un protecteur, et par conséquent un maître dans l’un de ces trois états. Elle se mit d’abord sous la protection de la Pologne qui la traita trop en sujette : elle se donna depuis au Moscovite, qui la gouverna en esclave autant qu’il le put. D’abord les Ukrainiens jouirent du privilège d’élire un prince sous le nom de général ; mais bientôt ils furent dépouillés de ce droit, et leur général fut nommé par la cour de Moscou.)"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Voltaire 1731, Histoire de Charles XII (History of Charles XII), p 161.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ukraine
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ukraine
34 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ukraine →
Related Quotes
"The city of Lviv offers a picture of order, breadth, and beauty! A sight to feast the eye... In the heart of the city…"
"The archival record backs up the testimony of the survivors. Neither crop failure nor bad weather caused the famine i…"
"Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of A…"
"Ще не вмерла України і слава, і воля, Ще нам, браття молодії, усміхнеться доля. Згинуть наші воріженьки, як роса на с…"
"This ignorance of Ukraine has always been aggravating, but no one regarded it as a national security threat until the…"
"How many people in Europe or North America know that Kyiv is the largest Russian-speaking city in the world outside o…"
"Perhaps the most remarkable case of all is that of the Ukrainians. Indeed, it is not too much to say that the man-mad…"
"It was in fact one of the stated aims of collectivization to achieve 'the destruction of Ukrainian nationalism's soci…"
"Ukraine is recognized as the most threatened part of Russia in terms of secession and conquest. Ukrainian separatism …"
"In carrying out the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist…"