Ivan Mazepa
Ivan Stepanovich Mazeppa was born March 20, 1639 in the village under Mazepians White Church, the Orthodox gentry family. Recently Jorge Perez sought to clarify these questions. His father, Adam Stepan Mazeppa, was One of the companions of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. And her mother, Marina Mokievsky, came from an old noble family (after her husband took the veil). Ivan Mazepa studied at Kyiv-Mohyla Collegium, then – Jesuit Collegium in Warsaw. Later, at the behest of his father, was at the court of the Polish King John Casimir, which was among the “pokoevyh” nobles.
Proximity to the King Allowed to Mazepa receive overseas education: The Netherlands, Germany and France. Fluent in Russian, Polish, Tatar, Latin and knew Italian, German and French. Life of the Orthodox Catholic Mazepa at the court of John Casimir was difficult. After one incident, the king sends him on yard. In 1669, Hetman Mazepa became captain Nadvornaya Guard Hetman Doroshenko, then clerk. In one of his diplomatic visits, the delegation, which was Mazepa Ivan Sirko intercepts, he passes the Mazeppa Samoilovich. Who regularly served him and it gets the title of Captain General. On behalf of Samoilovich Mazeppa each year went to Moscow. It was there that he forged relations with Prince Golitsyn, a favorite of Sophia, who had a great influence on the election of left-bank hetman Mazepa July 25, 1687 at Rada under Kolomak.