Quote:
Originally Posted by mojaveman
Have always wondered if the Cossacks lineage didn't wander back to Atilla the Hun and some of the other mounted barbarian tribes.
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Not really...they evolved from serfs escaping Russia into the wilderness/frontier...much like our Old West. To be free from slavery/serfdom and the medieval system that kept them in place.
The Zaporizhian Cossacks were the 'first' organized element in the 1500's and you could be from anywhere as long as you adopted the rules...and were Christian. They set up a free society where the leader was elected yearly (dif individual so no power issues) and everyone voted on issues to include the women.
Some of the weapons and gear looks eastern due to the contact with Turks etc....they were the buffer between eastern and western civilization. They still perform the mission of border guards today.