Starocherkasskaya, Russia

History

A Cossack fortress on the island of what was later called Monastyrsky on the Don river was probably built before 1570 although it is first mentioned in chronicles from 1593. After fifty years it became the capital of the Don Cossacks, first as an independent entity in between Russia, Turkey and Poland, then a vassal of the Russian tzars, then as an administrative region, then as the Don Voisko Province of the Russian Empire.

In its heyday in the 18th century, Cherkassk was a busy city with a strong fortress. The city was the major residence of quite a few famous Don cossacks of the 17th and 18th centuries, including Stepan Razin, Yermak Timofeyevich, Kondraty Bulavin and Matvei Platov. It was also the location of fierce battles between Russian, Ottoman, Crimean and Cossack forces.

Being on an island, the city's position was very convenient for a fortress and military camp, but inconvenient for an administrative and trade center — in spring the island was flooded by Don river and the crowded wooden city was subject to devastating fires.

From the History section of Starocherkasskaya on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.