Il sole è tramontato su Kiev nel 1501° giorno dell’invasione su vasta scala. Costituzione di Pylyp Orlyk del 1710

On April 5, 1710 we celebrate the adoption of a foundational monument of Ukrainian political, philosophical, and legal thought, one that laid the groundwork for Ukrainian constitutionalism. It was written by Pylyp Orlyk, the newly elected hetman (the highest military-political leader elected by the Kozak community). 

This document is one of the earliest true constitutions in Europe. It established democratic principles that limited the hetman’s power, prevented tyranny, created a representative institution (the General Council, a proto-parliament), and structured governance through elected offices, treasury oversight (the budget), and protection of the rights of ordinary people.

Two originals of the document survive today: one in Latin (kept in Sweden) and one in Ukrainian (resurfaced in Moscow in 2008). 

It is sad that Ukraine has no possession of the Pylyp Orlyk’s Constitution document, and I hope one day it will change.