Ustym Karmaliuk

Ustym Yakymovych Karmaliuk (also Karmelyuk; ; March 10, 1787 – October 22, 1835) was a Ukrainian outlaw who fought against the Russian administration and became a folk hero to the commoners of Ukraine. He is often referred to as the "Ukrainian Robin Hood" and "the last haydamak".

Early life Karmaliuk was born a serf in the settlement of in Letychiv County (powiat latyczówski) ) of the Podolian Voivodeship,

Death

The sister of a woman called Uliana (or Olena), Varvara decided to testify against Karmaliuk. She informed the local landowners about Karmaliuk's next visit to Varvara, and they ambushed her house. Two of the party hid in the stove and one in the halls, providing an emergency exit through the roof. Two others were scared and decided to run through the roof. Haidamak is said to have enquired what the noise was, to which Uliana replied that the sheep were making noise. When the noise was repeated, Karmaliuk decided to check what was happening and looking out he saw a frightened nobleman, Rutkovsky, who shot him in the head out of fear.

According to legend, Karmaliuk was impervious to bullets, but he was killed by the only thing that could get him, a lead garment button.

In art and literature Karmalyuk is a subject of many art- and folk-songs. He is sometimes referred to as "the Houdini of Podilia", as no prison was able to hold him for very long. Affectionately, he is known as the last Haidamak of Ukraine.

Karmalyuk was the subject of three portraits by Russian painter Vasily Tropinin. There are a few different versions of Karmalyuk's acquaintance with the artist. According to one version Tropinin was introduced to Karmaliuk by his friend physician Prokopy Danylevsky, who had given medical help to Karmalyuk's people. According to another version, Tropinin painted Karmaliuk inside prison. Three portraits of Karmalyuk by Tropinin survive. One is kept in the Nizhny Tagil art museum, another in the Tretyakov Gallery and the third is in the Russian Museum.

Karmalyuk was the subject of a number of poems by the songwriter Tomasz Padura, some of which became folk songs.

Faust Lopatinsky directed the silent film "Karmalyuk" in 1931.

Literary works dedicated to Ustym Karmalyuk include: Marko Vovchok – a historic children novella Karmalyuk (in Ukrainian, 1865); Mykhailo Starytskyi – a novel in 2 volumes, Rogue Karmelyuk (in Russian, 1908) (Ukrainian translation, 1909); – a four-act play, Karmalyuk (in Ukrainian, 1920); Liudmyla Starytska-Cherniakhivska – a five-act play, Rogue Karmelyuk (in Ukrainian, 1926); – a three-act play – Rogue Karmelyuk (in Ukrainian, 1927); – Ustym Karmalyuk (in Ukrainian, a novella in 1940, a novel in 1954, based on the 1940 novella); Ivan Drach – The Ballad of Karmalyuk – a poem included in his book Poems (in Ukrainian, 1967); – Karmalyuk (in Ukrainian, 1971); – Siege of Karmalyuk (in Ukrainian, 1990).

Footnotes a. In honor of Karmaliuk, the Pope's Tower where he was frequently held captive in is also referred to as "Karmaliuk's Tower."