Editing Cossacks (section)

===Don Cossacks===
{{Main|Don Cossacks}}
[[File:Донской козакъ 1821 года.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.9|A Cossack from the Don area, 1821, illustration from [[Fyodor Solntsev]], 1869]]
The [[Don Cossack]] Host ({{langx |ru|Всевеликое Войско Донское}}, ''Vsevelikoye Voysko Donskoye'') was either an independent or an autonomous democratic republic, located in present-day Southern Russia. It existed from the end of the 16th century until the early 20th century. There are two main theories of the origin of the Don Cossacks. Most respected historians support the migration theory, according to which they were Slavic colonists. The various autochthonous theories popular among the Cossacks themselves do not find confirmation in genetic studies. The gene pool comprises mainly the East Slavic component, with a significant Ukrainian contribution. There is no influence of the [[peoples of the Caucasus]]; and the steppe populations, represented by the [[Nogais]], have only limited impact.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=M. I. Chukhryaeva |author2=I. O. Ivanov |author3=S. A. Frolova |author4=S. M. Koshel |author5=O. M. Utevska |author6=R. A. Skhalyakho |author7=A. T. Agdzhoyan |author8=Yu. V. Bogunova |author9=E. V. Balanovska |author10=O. P. Balanovsky |title=The Haplomatch Program for Comparing Y-Chromosome STR-Haplotypes and Its Applicationto the Analysis of the Origin of Don Cossacks |journal=Russian Journal of Genetics |date=2016 |volume=52 |issue=5 |pages=521–529 |doi=10.1134/S1022795416050045 |s2cid=845996 }}</ref>

The majority of Don Cossacks are either Eastern Orthodox or Christian [[Old Believers]] (старообрядцы).<ref name=ORourke_2000/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.face-music.ch/inform/oldbeliever_siberia_en.html |title=Old Believer – Raskolniks |website=face-music.ch |access-date=23 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922072552/http://www.face-music.ch/inform/oldbeliever_siberia_en.html |archive-date=22 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to the [[Russian Civil War]], there were numerous religious minorities, including [[Muslims]], [[Subbotniks]], and Jews.{{efn|After the Caucasus war, both Russian Imperial policy and internal problems caused some Muslims, Subbotniks, [[Molokan]]e, Jews, and various Christian minorities—both Cossack and non-Cossack—to move away from the Don area, usually to the newly conquered frontier areas or abroad. Many Muslim Cossacks moved to Turkey, because of a lack of Muslim brides in their villages. The Don Host resisted this policy and retained its minorities, as in the case of some Muslim Cossacks, and of [[Rostov-on-Don]] non-Cossack Jews.}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lechaim.ru/ARHIV/148/gutman.htm |script-title=ru:Евреи Среди Казаков |website=Lechaim.ru |access-date=2015-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209200413/http://www.lechaim.ru/ARHIV/148/gutman.htm |archive-date=2016-02-09 |url-status=live }}</ref>