page_title: Cherkasy
section_title: Under Grand Duchy of Lithuania
hierarchical_section_title: Cherkasy / History / Under Grand Duchy of Lithuania
caption_attribution_description: Picture of Ostafiy Dashkevych made by Jan Matejko
context_page_description: Cherkasy, or Cherkassy, is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy is the capital of Cherkasy Oblast, as well as the administrative center of surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast. The city itself is designated as a city of oblast significance and does not belong to the raion. Population: 281,549
  Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial center of Cherkasy Oblast and Central Economical Region of Ukraine. Cherkasy has been known since the 13th century and played a great role in the history of Ukraine. The city was the center of Cossacks, citizens took part in Khmelnychchyna and Koliyivschyna.
  The city is located on the right bank of Dnieper River, about 200 km south of the nation's capital, Kiev. Cherkasy is divided into 2 boroughs: Sosnivskiy and Pridniprovskiy. In June 2011, the city celebrated its 725th anniversary.
context_section_description: In the 1360s, the city entered a new period in its development, by becoming a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Since then, Cherkasy has become an important defender of its southern borders. In 1384 the city is recognized as a fortified town on the south edge (of Grand Duchy of Lithuania), along with Vinnytsia, Bratslav and Kaniv making defensive line from Crimean Tatars. The city started to be ruled by headman (starosta).
  During the end of 15th until the beginning of 16th centuries, the post of Cherkasy headman was held by the prominent persons of that time – Bogdan Glinskiy, Kmyta Oleksandrovych, Vasyl Dashkevych, Andriy Nemyrovych, Ostafiy Dashkevych, Vasyl Tyshkevych, Dmytro Baida-Vyshnevetskiy etc.
  During 15th–16th centuries, Cherkasy was one of the main centers that helped the Cossacks in the population of Ukrainian south. Citizens took part in military marches against Tatars and Turkish, including operations led by Ivan Pidkova. New Cherkasy Castle was the center of city life, it was built in 1549–52 on the place of the old one.
caption: Ostafiy Dashkevich, Cherkasy headman
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