Cossack (Civ5)/Civilopedia

The Cossacks were military communities living in the wilds of Ukraine and Russia. Originally the term referred specifically to Tatar tribesmen, but by the end of the 15th century it was also used to refer to a number of peasants who had fled from serfdom in Poland, Lithuania and Moscow and had established homes in the wild. Some of the greatest natural horsemen since the Mongols, the Cossacks served in the Russian military as light cavalry in return for special privileges for themselves and their communities. The Russian military employed the Cossack cavalry in all of their major external and internal conflicts right up to the 20th century, and Cossack units fought on both sides during the Russian Civil War. The Cossacks were all but wiped out under Stalinism. Some survivors, however, are attempting to regain their heritage following the collapse of the Soviet Union.