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Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine (Russian: Слободская Украина) or Slobozhanshchina (Слобожанщина) was a historical region (17th–18th centuries) within Imperial Russia settled by Ukrainian Cossacks that were fugitives from Poland, as well as by peasants and town people. Migrants received government support, both in land and money. The name comes from the term for cossack settlements, sloboda (слобода), that may be translated as a "free settlement", i.e., a non-serf settlement. The population was called Sloboda Cossacks (слободские казаки).
Slobozhanshchina comprised the territory of modern Ukrainian Kharkivs'ka oblast', as well as parts of Sums'ka, Donets'ka, and Luhans'ka oblasts, and parts of Belgorod, Kursk, and Voronezh Oblasts of Russia. The area comprised the Southern frontier of Russia of the time.
During 1650–1765 there were five regiments of Sloboda Cossacks (Слободские Украинские казачьи полки), named after the major towns of dislocation: Ostrogozhsky (Острогожский), Kharkovsky (Харьковский), Akhtyrsky (Ахтырский), Sumsky (Сумской), and Izyumsky (Изюмский). They were transformed into first regular Russian hussar regiments by the decree of July 28, 1765, when Cossack privileges were abolished, cossack starshinas (higher ranks) were granted officership and dvoryanstvo (nobility).
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