Join the Cossack soldier Stepan as he tries to keep order in the battalion and help his people regain their independence.

The year is 1676, and a treaty has officially ended hostilities between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. Despite a serene sunset on the Dnipro river, the mood is tense for the Zaporozhian Cossacks. Renowned as one of Europe’s most formidable military forces, they are in the midst of a power struggle. Alex Gendler outlines a day in the life of a Cossack soldier.

Lesson by Alex Gendler, directed by WOW-HOW Studio.

Content produced by: TED Ed