Siege of Uman (1674)

Siege of Uman
Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1672–1681) and Ottoman-Cossack Conflict
Date August–September 1674 Location Uman, Right-bank Ukraine Result Ottoman victory Territorial changes Capture of Uman by the Ottomans
Belligerents
Cossack Hetmanate	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Stepan Yavorsky  (POW)	Kara Mustafa Pasha Kigay  † Chorbay  †
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy[1]
Entire civilian population killed or taken captive[1]

The siege of Uman or defence of Uman was a siege of the city of Uman conducted by the Ottoman grand vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha against the Cossack garrison in the city led by colonel Stepan Yavorsky during the 1674 campaign of Romodanovsky and Samoylovych. The city was eventually captured and sacked.^[2]

In the march of 1674, joint Russian and Cossack army invaded the right-bank Ukraine, which was at the time an Ottoman protectorate under the rule of Petro Doroshenko. Allied army captured most of the region and as a result, Samoylovych was proclaimed as a hetman of right-bank Ukraine by ten regiments, including the Uman regiment. In July, the Cossack-Russian army besieged the Doroshenko's capital – Chyhyryn. To help his ally, Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV sent an army to the right bank.^{[citation needed]}

In August, the Ottoman army besieged the city. Locals sent letters to the left-bank Hetman Ivan Samoilovich and Grigory Romodanovsky asking for help, but without any consequences. Ottoman army launched several assaults but all of them were repelled by the Cossacks. However, after Stepan Yavorsky was captured, Ottoman army launched another series of assaults that led to an eventual fall of Uman.^{[citation needed]}

Uman was destroyed^[3] and most of it's inhabitants were either killed or captured by the Turks while some managed to escape to the Left-bank. Despite the victory, Ottoman army suffered heavy losses and was forced to abandon their plans of capturing Kiev.^[1] Ottomans have also lost two of their commanders during the siege, Kigay and Chorbay.^[4]