Rare 1754 Map Discovered Labels Ukraine as ‘Country of the Cossacks’
Historic Map Unearthed in Paris
A rare 18th-century map discovered in the archives of the French National Library Museum has drawn international attention for its depiction of Eastern Europe. The map, dated 1754, labels the territory of Ukraine as the “Ukraine, Country of the Cossacks” and demarcates its boundaries in a way that differs sharply from modern political geography. French blogger and aviation historian Xavier Tytelman stumbled upon the artifact during research at the museum's cartographic collection, bringing to light a forgotten representation of Europe's geopolitical landscape.
The document shows Ukraine stretching across a large swath of territory, with the area to the north identified as belonging to the Russian Empire—referred to as "Muscovy"—and mentions of the Golden Horde in the far north. This map offers a remarkable glimpse into mid-18th-century European perspectives on the region, its people, and its political affiliations.
Context of 18th-Century Eastern Europe
The year 1754 fell within a period of shifting alliances and empires in Europe. The map predates modern nation-state boundaries and reflects a time when political borders were in flux and regional identities were shaped by military federations, dynastic claims, and cultural markers.
In the mid-18th century, the Cossacks were a semi-autonomous military and political force, inhabiting territories along the Dnieper River and beyond. These communities were known for their self-governing traditions, distinctive dress, and horseback warfare. They had emerged in earlier centuries as frontier defenders against invasions from the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate, while also resisting encroachment from neighboring powers such as Poland-Lithuania and Muscovy.
Maps of the period often reflected not just territorial claims, but cultural and ethnic landscapes. Calling Ukraine the “Country of the Cossacks” underscored how European cartographers perceived it—not merely as a geographic entity, but as a land defined by its people’s autonomy and martial identity.
The Map’s Depiction of Ukraine
The 1754 map portrays Ukraine as a wide expanse stretching from the Carpathian foothills in the west toward the vast steppes in the east. Key rivers such as the Dnieper feature prominently, anchoring the landscape. Surrounding labels include “Muscovy” to the north, highlighting the Russian Empire’s growing reach, and references to the Golden Horde—declining by this point, but still etched in the memory of European mapmakers.
Unlike modern maps, which delineate precise national borders, the artifact uses shaded regions and text labels to convey territorial identities. Ukraine’s designation as the “Country of the Cossacks” was likely meant to signify the Zaporizhian Host—a powerful Cossack confederation whose influence spanned much of this territory during the 18th century.
European Cartography and Perceptions of Ukraine
Cartographers in the 18th century often drew from a mix of traveler accounts, diplomatic reports, and earlier maps when plotting regions far from Western Europe. The idea of Ukraine as “Cossack country” had spread through France, Germany, and the Netherlands thanks to military campaigns, trade routes, and the writings of travelers who described the frontier lands in detail.
Such maps were not merely geographical tools; they shaped European understanding of faraway places. By assigning Ukraine a distinct label separate from Muscovy, this 1754 map revealed a perception of the region as autonomous from its northern neighbor. This depiction stood in opposition to later maps of the 19th century, which increasingly subsumed Ukrainian territories under the broader label of the Russian Empire following imperial annexations.
Historical Significance of the Cossack Identity
The Cossacks were central to Ukraine’s historical image in the European imagination. From the late 15th century onward, they developed into a unique socio-political group combining military prowess with democratic self-rule within their fortified communities. Their political assemblies, known as “rada,” elected leaders and made collective decisions—rare in much of Europe at the time.
By the mid-18th century, the Zaporizhian Host was caught in complex alliances, alternately allying with or resisting neighboring empires. In 1654, portions of Ukraine entered into a treaty with Muscovy, but Cossack autonomy persisted in varying degrees until the later suppression of their institutions by Russian imperial authority in the late 18th century.
This dynamic history directly influenced cartographic choices. For a European mapmaker in 1754, labeling the region as “Country of the Cossacks” spoke to the political reality of semi-independence that contrasted with full imperial control elsewhere.
Economic and Strategic Importance of the Region
The territory depicted on the 1754 map as Ukraine occupied a critical position in 18th-century European geopolitics. Rich in black soil and agricultural potential, the steppe lands could sustain large-scale farming, horse breeding, and trade in grain. Situated between the Black Sea and central Europe, it functioned as both a trade corridor and a military buffer zone.
European powers recognized the strategic value of the region. Control over the Dnieper River provided vital transportation and military advantages, while proximity to the Black Sea offered routes for commerce and naval operations. This geographic importance meant that maps depicting Ukraine were of interest not only to scholars, but also to military strategists and diplomats.
Regional Comparisons and Changing Boundaries
Comparing this 1754 map to contemporary political geography highlights dramatic changes over time. In that era, Poland-Lithuania still held significant portions of western Ukraine. The Russian Empire was expanding southward but had yet to fully integrate the steppe into its territory. The Ottoman Empire, through the Crimean Khanate, maintained influence over parts of the Black Sea coast.
The 18th century saw multiple wars that altered these boundaries, including the Russo-Turkish conflicts and internal uprisings of the Cossacks. By the century’s end, treaties such as the partitions of Poland (1772–1795) and Russian annexations had erased much of Ukraine’s political autonomy—developments starkly absent from the older map.
The Role of the Golden Horde in Mapmaking Memory
The map’s faint references to the Golden Horde may appear anachronistic by 1754, as the Mongol successor state had fragmented centuries earlier. However, remnants of its influence persisted in cartographic tradition, particularly when depicting the northern and eastern edges of Europe. European mapmakers often retained such historical names as cultural markers—indicators of how past empires continued to shape perceptions of space long after their political demise.
Public Reaction to the Discovery
Since Xavier Tytelman revealed the find, interest has surged among historians, cartography enthusiasts, and the Ukrainian diaspora. Social media users have shared the map as evidence of long-standing recognition of Ukraine’s unique identity. Others caution against reading too much into historical cartography, noting that maps reflect the worldview of their creators more than fixed political realities.
Museum officials have emphasized the importance of preserving and digitizing such artifacts for public study. The map, stored in the French National Library Museum’s climate-controlled archives, is likely to be exhibited as part of future displays of rare geographic works.
Implications for Historical Research
This discovery contributes to ongoing academic efforts to understand how Ukraine was perceived and represented before modern nationalism took shape. Maps like this are particularly valuable because they bridge the gap between political treaties and popular imagination, documenting how people in one part of Europe conceptualized another.
For historians, the artifact offers several avenues of study: the persistence of ethnographic labeling in mapmaking; the influence of military groups on geopolitical terminology; and the interplay between outdated historical references, like the Golden Horde, and contemporary realities.
Conclusion
The 1754 map labeling Ukraine as the “Country of the Cossacks” is more than a curiosity—it is a tangible record of how mid-18th-century Europe viewed Eastern Europe’s complex political landscape. Through its boundaries and labels, it captures a moment in time when Ukraine was defined by the autonomy and identity of its Cossack inhabitants, set apart from the growing power of Muscovy and the fading shadows of past empires.
While empires rose and borders shifted in the centuries that followed, the discovery underscores the enduring cultural memory of Ukraine’s distinctiveness in European history—etched in ink nearly three centuries ago, and now resurfacing to inform the present with echoes of the past.