Early 1849, Galicia and Bukovina, Austrian Empire
The revolutionary tide even manages to reach to the far eastern regions of the Austrian realm. Though then-governor of Galicia Franz Stadion had headed off much popular unrest by abolishing serfdom in the province in April 1848, the area known as Bukovina in the far southeast did not benefit from the decree, despite being attached administratively to the province. In response to this and growing nationalist sentiment, a Ruthenian Council had been created in Lemberg to advocate on behalf of the Ukrainian population.
The demands of this council included extending the abolition to Bukovina, and more radically, the partition of the province into an western, Polish province and an eastern, Ukrainian province that would also incorporate Carpathian territory nominally part of Transylvania. A united Ukrainian-majority province would be a cultural and linguistic center for Habsburg Ukrainians, who considered themselves quite different from Russians or even Ukrainians within the Russian Empire.
The abolition of serfdom was eventually extended to Bukovina in August 1848, though Austrian officials were in no mood to countenance the aggressively nationalist demand for partition while dealing with the problem of Hungary. Nevertheless, nationalism and its inherent ties with social class would come to a head in parliamentary elections that summer; 16 of 25 deputies representing Galicia were peasants, while in Bukovina the number was 7 of 8, of which 5 were Ukrainians. When the unrest in Vienna caused the emperor to temporarily disband the parliament and move it to Kromeriz in Moravia, a Bukovina representative named Lukian Kobylytsia instead led the Ukrainian contingent home, to agitate for the change he felt they would clearly not achieve through governmental bureaucracy.
The creation of the Ruthenian Council was not an isolated incident in Lemberg. The Polish population, acting in solidarity with Poles across the border in Russia, had demanded Austrian support of Polish revolutionaries and created similar committees of nationalists to counterbalance Ukrainian influence. The Poles were also more active around Kraków where they had a majority, though Austrian troops were more active in that area and were able to effectively prevent a widespread revolt from breaking out. A riot in Lemberg in September had caused more Austrian troops to be called into the province to bring order to the city, which was quickly achieved.
In the countryside, however, the anger of the (especially Ukrainian) peasantry was not yet quelled. Kobylytsia's return prompted many peasants to quit working or to seize land of their own since the state would not provide for them, renewing insurrection in the region. An insurgency was formed throughout Bukovina in the Carpathian mountains, occupying many pockets of the countryside and threatening the town of Czernowitz, extremely close to the Russian border.
Indeed in Russia, officials of Tsar Nicholas were understandably concerned with developments in the Austrian territories. Poles in Galicia had already attempted to join in insurrection with the Polish population in the Russian guberniyas across the Vistula. Now it was feared similar nationalism among the Ukrainian and Romanian populations in Bukovina will spark uprisings in the Russian provinces of Podolia and Bessarabia, respectively, if left unchecked. With Austrian troops occupied with the Hungarian revolt, among others, the Tsar preemptively proposes to the new young emperor that Russian troops aid in the restoration of order in the eastern provinces, and a mobilization of troops along the border is ordered even before the Tsar's offer will reach Vienna.
Now it appears only a question of when, not if, Russian troops begin to enter Austrian territory. And when they do, their subjugation of the populace will begin in Bukovina.
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Author's Note: This pretty much wraps up the event cycle of the first three or so months of 1849. I'll now be moving into the spring military campaigns/events, though I'd like to ask the readers in which order they'd like to see them. I'll be returning to each of the theatres of the story in due time of course, but with updates from me coming much more slowly now, I'm sure some areas are of more immediate interest than others.
Where shall I return to first? Comments are always appreciated.
The revolutionary tide even manages to reach to the far eastern regions of the Austrian realm. Though then-governor of Galicia Franz Stadion had headed off much popular unrest by abolishing serfdom in the province in April 1848, the area known as Bukovina in the far southeast did not benefit from the decree, despite being attached administratively to the province. In response to this and growing nationalist sentiment, a Ruthenian Council had been created in Lemberg to advocate on behalf of the Ukrainian population.
The demands of this council included extending the abolition to Bukovina, and more radically, the partition of the province into an western, Polish province and an eastern, Ukrainian province that would also incorporate Carpathian territory nominally part of Transylvania. A united Ukrainian-majority province would be a cultural and linguistic center for Habsburg Ukrainians, who considered themselves quite different from Russians or even Ukrainians within the Russian Empire.
The abolition of serfdom was eventually extended to Bukovina in August 1848, though Austrian officials were in no mood to countenance the aggressively nationalist demand for partition while dealing with the problem of Hungary. Nevertheless, nationalism and its inherent ties with social class would come to a head in parliamentary elections that summer; 16 of 25 deputies representing Galicia were peasants, while in Bukovina the number was 7 of 8, of which 5 were Ukrainians. When the unrest in Vienna caused the emperor to temporarily disband the parliament and move it to Kromeriz in Moravia, a Bukovina representative named Lukian Kobylytsia instead led the Ukrainian contingent home, to agitate for the change he felt they would clearly not achieve through governmental bureaucracy.
The creation of the Ruthenian Council was not an isolated incident in Lemberg. The Polish population, acting in solidarity with Poles across the border in Russia, had demanded Austrian support of Polish revolutionaries and created similar committees of nationalists to counterbalance Ukrainian influence. The Poles were also more active around Kraków where they had a majority, though Austrian troops were more active in that area and were able to effectively prevent a widespread revolt from breaking out. A riot in Lemberg in September had caused more Austrian troops to be called into the province to bring order to the city, which was quickly achieved.
In the countryside, however, the anger of the (especially Ukrainian) peasantry was not yet quelled. Kobylytsia's return prompted many peasants to quit working or to seize land of their own since the state would not provide for them, renewing insurrection in the region. An insurgency was formed throughout Bukovina in the Carpathian mountains, occupying many pockets of the countryside and threatening the town of Czernowitz, extremely close to the Russian border.
Indeed in Russia, officials of Tsar Nicholas were understandably concerned with developments in the Austrian territories. Poles in Galicia had already attempted to join in insurrection with the Polish population in the Russian guberniyas across the Vistula. Now it was feared similar nationalism among the Ukrainian and Romanian populations in Bukovina will spark uprisings in the Russian provinces of Podolia and Bessarabia, respectively, if left unchecked. With Austrian troops occupied with the Hungarian revolt, among others, the Tsar preemptively proposes to the new young emperor that Russian troops aid in the restoration of order in the eastern provinces, and a mobilization of troops along the border is ordered even before the Tsar's offer will reach Vienna.
Now it appears only a question of when, not if, Russian troops begin to enter Austrian territory. And when they do, their subjugation of the populace will begin in Bukovina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note: This pretty much wraps up the event cycle of the first three or so months of 1849. I'll now be moving into the spring military campaigns/events, though I'd like to ask the readers in which order they'd like to see them. I'll be returning to each of the theatres of the story in due time of course, but with updates from me coming much more slowly now, I'm sure some areas are of more immediate interest than others.
Where shall I return to first? Comments are always appreciated.
