Hetman of Zaporizhian Host

Hetman of Zaporizhian Host
State flag
Last Hetman of Zaporizhian Host
Residence	Chyhyryn (originally) Hetman Residence, Baturyn
Appointer	General Military Council
Formation	26 January 1648
First holder	Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Final holder	Kyrylo Rozumovsky
Abolished	17 November 1764

Hetman of Zaporizhian Host (Ukrainian: Гетьман Війська Запорозького, Russian: Гетман Войска Запорожского, Polish: Hetman wojsk kozackich) is a former historic government office and political institution of Cossack Hetmanate (Zaporizhian Host) in Ukraine that was equivalent to a head of state. The office was liquidated on the edict of Russian Governing Senate of 17 November 1764.

As a head of state the position was established at first by Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Cossack Hetmanate in the mid 17th century. During that period the office was electoral. All elections except for the first one were adapted by the Senior Council in Chyhyryn which until 1669 served the capital of Hetmanate.

Since the council in Pereyaslav of 1654 several senior cossacks sided with the Tsardom of Russia and in 1663 they staged "Black Council" (Chorna Rada) in Nizhyn which elected Ivan Briukhovetsky as an alternative hetman. Since the defeat of Petro Doroshenko in 1669 the Hetman title was adapted by pro-Russian elected hetmans who resided in Baturyn. In the course of the Great Northern War one of them, Ivan Mazepa, decided to revolt against Russian rule in 1708 which later drew terrible consequences for the Cossack Hetmanate as well as the Zaporizhian Host. The administration was moved to Hlukhiv where the Mazepa's doll was publicly executed and anathema was laid against him by the Russian Orthodox Church. Later in the late 18th century it was successfully disbanded by the Russian government during the expansion of the Russian territory towards the Black Sea coast.