music: Sehmen Klimovsky (1710)
performance: Khoreya Kozatska
historical background: "A Cossack Went Across the Danube" is a Ukrainian romance written by a Cossack of the Kharkiv Regiment, philosopher, poet Semyon Klymovskyi (died in the village of Moshoryne). Ludwig van Beethoven, Karl Maria von Weber and other composers used variations of the song in their works. The song has been popular since at least the middle of the 18th century.
Some researchers note the possibility that the song was written by a Cossack of the Kharkiv regiment as an impression of the unsuccessful Turkish campaigns of Peter I, the first of which took place in 1710, around the time of the song's creation. The hero not very confidently promises to return in three years. The duration of all those campaigns is quite precisely defined. Exactly three years of brutal military operations. However, the number three may simply be a symbol. "Danube" in the folklore tradition often symbolizes simply a river. The motif of the Cossack's separation from his beloved girl, the figurative tone of the song, and the character of the melody give reason to call it a romance.
The Russo-Ottoman War of 1710-1711, also known as the Prut River Campaign, was a brief military conflict between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The main battle took place on July 18-22, 1711 in the basin of the Prut River near the city of Štenileşti, after Tsar Peter I entered the territory of the Ottoman vassal Principality of Moldavia after the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. The ill-prepared 38,000 Russians out of 5,000 Moldavians found themselves surrounded by the Ottoman army under the command of Grand Vizier Baltachi Mehmet Pasha. After three days of fighting and heavy losses, the tsar and his army received permission to retreat, agreeing to leave the Azov fortress and the territory adjacent to it. The victory of the Ottoman Empire led to the conclusion of the Prut Peace Treaty, which was confirmed by the Adrianople Peace Treaty.