Editing Poltava (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Poltava}}
It is still unknown when Poltava was founded, although the town was not attested before 1174. However, municipal authorities chose to celebrate the city's 1100th anniversary in 1999. The settlement is indeed an old one, as archeologists unearthed an ancient [[Paleolithic]] dwelling, as well as [[Scythian]] remains, within the city limits.

===Middle Ages===
The present name of the city is traditionally connected to the settlement [[Ltava]], which is mentioned in the ''[[Hypatian Chronicle]]'' in 1174.<ref name=hop>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160716133914/http://histpol.pl.ua/ru/poltava-istoricheskie-ocherki/khronika-sobytij?id=811 Poltava: chronicles of the most important events]. "History of Poltava" website.</ref><ref>Antipovich, G., Buryak, Voloskov, V., others. ''Poltava: a book for tourists''. Ed.2. "Prapor". Kharkiv, 1989.</ref> According to the chronicle, on Saint Peter's Day (12 July) of 1182, [[Igor Sviatoslavich]], chasing hordes of the Cuman khans Konchak and Kobiak, crossed the [[Vorskla River]] near ''Ltava'' and moved towards [[Pereiaslav]]), where Igor's army was victorious over the Cumans.<ref name=hop/> During the [[Mongol invasion of Rus']] in 1238–39, many cities of the middle Dnipro region were destroyed, possibly including Ltava.<ref name=hop/>

In the mid-14th century the region was part of the Duchy of Kyiv, which was a vassal of the [[Algirdas]]' [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].<ref name=hop/> According to the Russian historian Aleksandr Shennikov, the region around modern Poltava was a Cuman Duchy belonging to Mansur, who was a son of [[Mamai]].<ref name=shennikov>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160716144055/http://www.zarusskiy.org/history/2008/06/29/mamay/ Duchy of the Mamai's descendants]. Zarusskiy.org. 29 June 2008</ref> Shennikov also claims that the Mansur Duchy joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an [[associated state]] rather than a [[vassal state]], and that the city of Poltava already existed at that time.<ref name=shennikov/> In 1399, Mansur's army assisted the [[Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army]] in the [[battle of the Vorskla River]]. According to legend, after the battle, the [[Cossack Mamay]] helped [[Vytautas]] to escape death.<ref name=shennikov/>

The city is mentioned for the first time under the name of '''Poltava''' no later than 1430.<ref name=hop/> Supposedly, in 1430 the Lithuanian duke [[Vytautas]] gave the city, along with Glinsk (today a village near the city of [[Romny]]) and Glinitsa, to [[Murza]] Olexa (Loxada Mansurxanovich), who moved to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the [[Golden Horde]].<ref name=hop/> In 1430 Murza Olexa was baptized as Alexander Glinsky, who was a progenitor of the [[Glinsky family]].<ref name=hop/> According to Shenninkov, Alexander Glinsky must have been baptized in 1390 by [[Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev|Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kyiv]], who had just regained his title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Russia (rather than the Metropolitan of [[Little Russia|Russia Minor]] and Lithuania). On 6 March 1390 Cyprian permanently moved to [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovy]].<ref name=shennikov/>

In 1482, Poltava was razed by the Crimean Khan [[Meñli I Giray|Mengli I Giray]].<ref name=hop/>

===Early modern period===
[[File:Battle of Poltava monument 01.jpg|thumb|175px|The Column of Glory commemorates the centenary of the [[Battle of Poltava]] (1709)]]
In 1537 Ografena Vasylivna Glinska (Baibuza) passed Poltava to her son-in-law Mykhailo Ivanovych Hrybunov-Baibuza.<ref name=hop/>

After the [[Union of Lublin]] in 1569, the territory around Poltava became part of the [[Crown of Poland]]. In 1630 Poltava was passed to a Polish magnate, Bartholomew Obalkowski.<ref name=hop/> In 1641 it changed ownership again, to Alexander Koniecpolski.<ref name=hop/> In 1646 Poltava became part of Wiśniowiecki Ordynatsia (a large Wiśniowiecki estate in Left-bank Ukraine centered in [[Lubny]]), governed by the Ruthenian-Polish [[magnate]] [[Jeremi Wiśniowiecki]] (1612–51).<ref name=hop/> 

In 1648, the city became the base of a distinguished regiment of [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] [[Cossacks]], and served as a Cossack stronghold during the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]].<ref name=hop/> In 1650, to commemorate a victory of the Cossack Host over the Polish army at the [[Poltavka River]], the Metropolitan of Kyiv, [[Sylvester Kossov]], ordered the establishment of the [[Holy Cross Exaltation Monastery, Poltava|Holy Cross Exaltation Monastery]] in Poltava. The project was financed by a number of prominent local residents, including [[Martyn Pushkar]], [[Ivan Iskra]], [[Ivan Kramar]] and many others.<ref name=hop/>

During the 1654 [[Pereyaslav Council]], the Poltava city delegates pledged their allegiance to the Czar of Muscovy, after which [[stolnik]] Andrei Spasitelev arrived in Poltava and recorded 1,335 residents who had pledged their allegiance.<ref name=hop/> In 1658 Poltava became a center of anti-government revolt led by [[Martyn Pushkar]], who contested the legitimacy of [[Ivan Vyhovsky]]'s election to the post of [[Hetman of Zaporizhian Host]].<ref name=hop/> The uprising was extinguished with the help of [[Crimean Tatars]].<ref name=hop/> 

On the issue [[boyar]] [[Vasily Borisovich Sheremetev]] wrote to [[Alexei Mikhailovich]] on 8 June 1658: "... the ''Cherkas'' [Cossack] city of Poltava is ravaged and burned to the ground and only if the Great Sovereign orders to rebuild on the Tatar Sokma (pathway) of [[:ru:Бакаев шлях|Bakeyev Route]] and protect many his sovereign cities from Tatar visits. And if the Great Sovereign allows to place a [[voivode]] in the city and rebuilt the city until the fall that in Poltava ''Cherkasy'' [Cossacks] and residents built their houses and stock-piled their food".<ref name=hop/> With the signing of the 1667 [[truce of Andrusovo]], the city was finally subjected to the [[Tsardom of Muscovy]], while remaining part of the [[Cossack Hetmanate]].

The city suffered from the [[Great Turkish War]] when in 1695 Petro Ivanenko led an anti-Muscovite uprising with the help of [[Crimean Tatars]], who ravaged the local monastery.<ref name=hop/> The same year the [[Poltava Regiment]] actively participated in the [[Azov campaigns (1695–96)|Azov campaigns]] which resulted in the taking of the Turkish fortress of Kyzy-Kermen (today the city of [[Beryslav]], [[Kherson Oblast]]).<ref name=hop/> On 8 July (New Style) or 27 June (Old Style) 1709 the [[Battle of Poltava]] took place near the city during the [[Great Northern War]]. The battle ended in a decisive victory of [[Peter I of Russia]] over the [[Sweden|Swedish]] forces and had great historical importance for the Russians.<ref name=hop/> In 1710 there was a plague in the city and its surrounding area.<ref name=hop/> In the mid-18th century the Kolomak Woods near Poltava became a base of [[haidamak]]s (Cossack paramilitary bands).<ref name=hop/>

By 1770, Poltava had several brick factories, a regimental doctor, and a pharmacy; that same year the city conducted four fairs.<ref name=hop/> In 1775 it became a city of [[Novorossiysk Governorate]], guarded by the 8th Company of the Dnieper Pike Regiment headquartered in [[Kobeliaky]].<ref name=hop/> In 1775 Poltava's Holy Cross Exaltation Monastery became the seat of bishops of the newly created [[Eparchy]] ([[Diocese]]) of Slaviansk and Kherson. This large new diocese included the lands of the [[Novorossiya]] Governorate and the [[Azov Governorate]] north of the [[Black Sea]].<ref name=bio/><ref name=theo>[http://www.biografija.ru/show_bio.aspx?id=96427 Никифор Феотоки] (Nikephoros Theotoki's biography) {{in lang|ru}}</ref>

Since much of that area had only recently been seized from the [[Ottoman Empire]] by Russia, and a large number of Orthodox Greek settlers had been invited to settle in the region, the [[Russian Empire|imperial government]] selected a renowned Greek scholar, [[Eugenios Voulgaris]], to preside over the new diocese. After his retirement in 1779, he was replaced by another Greek theologian, [[Nikephoros Theotokis]].<ref name=bio>[http://www.biografija.ru/show_bio.aspx?id=39244 Евгений Булгарис] (Eugenios Voulgaris's biography) {{in lang|ru}}</ref><ref name=theo/>
[[File:Poltava 1850 Main Square.PNG|thumb|left|Alexander Square in 1850]]
In 1779 the city established the Poltava county school, which became its first secular educational institution.<ref name=hop/> In 1787 [[Catherine the Great]] stopped in Poltava on the way from [[Crimea]], escorted by [[Grigori Potemkin]], [[Alexander Suvorov]] and [[Mikhail Kutuzov]].<ref name=hop/> In Poltava, on 7 June 1787, before another [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–92)|Russo-Turkish War]], Potemkin received his title "Prince of Taurida", while Suvorov received a [[snuffbox]] with monogram.<ref name=hop/> In 1802 the city became the seat of the newly established [[Poltava Governorate]].<ref name=hop/> The city's population in 1802 consisted of some 8,000 residents.<ref name=hop/> That same year Poltava opened a government-funded hospital of 20 beds.<ref name=hop/>

===19th century===
[[File:City of Poltava 1857 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Map of Poltava 1857]]
[[File:Хресна хода в Полтаві 1909.jpg|thumb|The 200th Anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Poltava in June 1909]]
On 2 February 1808, the Poltava Male Gymnasium was established.<ref name=hop/> On 20 June 1808 some 54 families of craftsmen were invited to the city from German principalities and settled in the newly established German Sloboda neighborhood with about 50 clay-made houses.<ref name=hop/> In 1810 there were 8,328 people living in Poltava;<ref name=hop/> that same year, the city's first theater was built.<ref name=hop/> In August 1812, on orders of Little Russia Governor General [[Yakov Lobanov-Rostovsky (1760–1831)|Lobanov-Rostovsky]], the famed Ukrainian writer and statesman [[Ivan Kotlyarevsky]] formed the 5th Poltava Cavalry Cossack Regiment.<ref name=hop/>

By 1860, Poltava had around 30,000 inhabitants, a district school, a gymnasium, an [[Institute for Noble Maidens]], a spiritual academy, a [[cadet corps]], a library and a number of schools. In 1870, [[Poltava-Pivdenna railway station|Poltava railway station]] was opened, leading to rapid economic growth in the region. However, by 1914 the Population of Poltava (around 60,000) was mostly working in small enterprises. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Poltava became an important cultural centre, where many representatives of [[Ukrainian National Revival|Ukrainian national revival]] were active.

===20th century===
[[File:Музей дальньої авіації.jpg|thumb|The [[Poltava Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation]]]]
During the [[Ukrainian War of Independence|events of 1917–1920]], Poltava was under the rule of a number of governments, including the [[Central Rada]], [[Ukrainian State|Hetmanate]], [[Ukrainian People's Republic]], [[White Movement]] and [[Bolshevik]]s. From 1918 to 1919 there was [[occupation of Poltava by the Bolsheviks (1918—1919)|Occupation of Poltava by the Bolsheviks]]. After becoming a part of [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]], Poltava experienced accelerated industrial growth, and its population increased to 130,000 by 1939.

In [[World War II]], the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' [[Reichskommissariat Ukraine|occupied]] Poltava from 18 September 1941 until 23 September 1943, when it was retaken during the Chernigov-Poltava Strategic Offensive of the [[Battle of the Dnieper]]. During the Nazi occupation the Jewish population (9.9% of the total population in 1939) was imprisoned in a [[ghetto]] before being murdered during mass executions perpetrated by an [[Einsatzgruppen|Einsatzgruppe]] and buried in mass graves in the area.<ref name="yadvashem">{{cite web|url=http://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/index.asp?cid=515|publisher=yadvashem.org|title=The Untold Stories. The Murder Sites of the Jews in the Occupied Territories of the Former USSR|access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref> 

By the summer of 1944, the [[United States Army Air Forces]] conducted a number of [[shuttle bombing]] raids against Nazi Germany under the name of [[Operation Frantic]]. [[Poltava Air Base]], as well as [[Myrhorod Air Base]], were used as eastern locations for landing [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17 Flying Fortress]] heavy bombers involved in those operations.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

The post-war restoration of Poltava continued in the 1950s and 1960s. The city became an important centre of military education in the [[Soviet Union]], where missile and communications officers were prepared, and was also home to a [[Soviet Air Force]] division of heavy bombers.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

Until 18 July 2020, Poltava was designated as a [[City of regional significance (Ukraine)|city of oblast significance]] and did not belong to Poltava Raion even though it was the center of the raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Poltava Oblast to four, the city was merged into Poltava Raion.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ.|url=http://www.golos.com.ua/article/333466|access-date=2020-10-03|date=2020-07-18|website=Голос України|language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Нові райони: карти + склад |date=17 July 2020 |url=https://www.minregion.gov.ua/press/news/novi-rajony-karty-sklad/ |publisher=Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України |language=uk}}</ref>