Family Feuds

Volgadon · Post by **Volgadon** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 11:13 am

Family feuds are some of the most interesting aspects of history. I thought it would be fun to start a thread about them. I recently heard a fascinating but little known story. The north-east of Ukraine during the 17th century was part of the Slobozhanshina (or Sloboda Ukraine), a frontier zone meant to protect Russia from Tartar incursions. In the 1650s, Gerasim Kondratyev, a Cossack Ataman, founded the town of Sumy. Apart from a problematic relationship with his foul-tempered sister, things went well for Kondratyev for years. He was able to indulge his taste in clothing, hunting and art, he built a magnificient cathedral in the cossack baroque style, things couldn't have been better, until he recieved a letter from Peter the Great, stating that unless a certain large band of bandits was apprehended he would suffer the consequences himself. Kondratyev hadn't been unduly disturbed by them, after all, they didn't touch his property and paid their dues, but Peter the Great never made idle threats. After a concerted effort, Kondratyev managed to capture the bandit leaders. It probably wasn't a huge surprise that the chief turned out to be none other than his own sister. He ordered that she be bricked up inside one of the cathedral walls. The story was considered apocryphal until, during reconstruction work a few decades ago, a female skeleton was discovered inside one of the walls....

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 11:39 am

I saw a quote somewhere that talked about the Plantagenets bing the most dysfunctional family in history

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 5:43 pm

Oh, my, Volgadon, that story is just begging to be turned into a novel!

Volgadon · Post by **Volgadon** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 6:01 pm

And I have dibs, I think

Rowan · Post by **Rowan** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 6:29 pm

Familial angst always makes for good drama.

amyb · Post by **amyb** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 6:49 pm

I would read about that in a heartbeat - I love family dynamics!

Leyland · Post by **Leyland** » Tue September 9th, 2008, 7:55 pm

LOL - I thought I would be reading about the Hatfields and McCoys when I read the title of your thread, Volgadon! Surely they must be the quintessential feuding families.

I seriously like the idea of this brother and sister tale as fiction, though. Times must have been tough.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed September 10th, 2008, 9:54 pm

Are you really going to write a novel about this, Volgadon? You should - it would make a fantastic book. Not too many authors have enough of a background in Russian history to tackle a subject like this. I wouldn't dare, myself!

Volgadon · Post by **Volgadon** » Thu September 11th, 2008, 6:51 am

Yes, I've decided to write one about the late 17th century, just after Khmelnitsky's uprising. As there is a good chance that I might be moving there next year, research should be easier.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Thu September 11th, 2008, 9:05 pm

Fabulous, Volgadon! Don't forget to let us all know when you have a publication date. (Not to put any pressure on you...)