Little Russia

Little Russia, also known as Lesser Russia, Malorussia, or Little Rus', is a geographical and historical term used to describe Ukraine. In the early 14th century, the patriarch of Constantinople accepted the distinction between the eparchies of Great Rus and Little Rus. The "Little" in Little Russia might have simply meant smaller in size or population, or it could have described a relationship like that between a homeland and a distant area.

The name Little Russia went out of common use in the 15th century. But later, when a new church formed in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, leaders from Moscow brought the name back. Over time, "Little Russia" came to refer to most of what is now Ukraine, especially the area known as the Cossack Hetmanate. Many people in this area began to call themselves Little Russian, which was different from their Ukrainian identity.

After the Russian Empire fell in 1917 and Ukrainian lands were combined into one country, the term Little Russia started to be used less. Today, the term is old and many Ukrainians find it offensive to use.

Etymology

The name "Little Russia" comes from an old Greek word used by leaders in Constantinople starting in the 1300s. They separated the land into two parts: "Great Rus" in the north and "Little Rus" in the south. By 1448, the northern part became its own church, called the Russian Orthodox Church, based in Moscow. The southern part got its own leaders too, approved by Constantinople.

At first, "Little" meant it was closer to the main area. After some changes in 1305, only a small part of the old church area stayed in the south. Over time, the name stopped being about religion and just became a way to talk about the place. In Russian, the word "Rossiia" was used for the big country and for all the people living there, including Ukrainians who were called Little Russians.

Historical usage

The term "Little Russia" was used by church leaders in the 1300s to describe parts of Ukraine. It referred to areas around Halych and Kiev, while "Great Russia" described areas around Moscow and Vladimir.

Later, in the 1600s, church leaders in Ukraine started using the name "Little Russia" in their titles. By the 1700s, this name was used for parts of Ukraine under Russian control. Even as Ukraine began to call itself "Ukraine" in the 1800s, the old name "Little Russia" was still used by many people.

Modern usage

The name "Little Russia" is now considered old-fashioned and not used for Ukraine today. Many Ukrainians feel that this term shows a view that Ukraine and its people belong to a larger Russia. This idea has caused anger among Ukrainians.

Some people in Russia still use the term, saying that Ukrainians are part of one big Russian nation. In July 2021, Vladimir Putin wrote a long essay sharing these thoughts, which upset many Ukrainians even more.

"Little Russianness"

The idea of "Little Russianness" is a term some writers from Ukraine use to describe a feeling among some people in Ukraine. They say this feeling shows up when people don’t value their own Ukrainian traditions and instead support Russia and its ways. One writer, Mykhailo Drahomanov, used this term to talk about Ukrainians who changed too much because of pressure from other countries and lost some of their own good qualities.

Another writer, Vyacheslav Lypynsky, called this feeling “the problem of not having a country.” Some even said this same feeling appeared in Galicia where people felt less proud because of influence from Poland.

A writer named Yevhen Malaniuk described "Little Russianness" as a weak and giving up attitude for the Ukrainian people. Sometimes, the term “Little Russians” has been used to describe Ukrainians seen as not very educated or proud. A famous Ukrainian singer, Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko, has a stage character called Verka Serduchka that some think shows this stereotype, but Danylko often laughs at these comments, and many believe his popularity comes from being true to himself.

In popular culture

The famous composer Tchaikovsky called his Symphony No 2 the "Little Russian" because it uses tunes from Ukrainian folk music. A friend of Tchaikovsky named Nikolay Kashkin, who was also a music critic, suggested this name in a book he wrote in 1896, called Memories of Tchaikovsky. The book was discussed by the historian Harlow Robinson.