Muha Rebellion

The Muha Rebellion started in 1490 in Galicia, and was led by Petru Muha. Its purpose was overthrowing Polish control of Galicia.^[1][2][3]

Muha Rebellion
Map of the historial region of Pokuttia in modern-day Ukraine
Date 1490 – 1492 Location Galicia Result Polish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Poland	Muha's Army
Commanders and leaders
Casimir IV Jagiellon	Petru Muha †
Strength
Unknown	Total: 10,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Nearly all army destroyed

Muha started the revolt in Pokuttia in 1490. It quickly spread to neighboring territories, across nearly all southeastern Galicia. Muha, supported by the Moldavian voivode Stephen the Great, marched to Lviv with an army of 10,000 people.^[4][2][1]

The rebel army was composed of both Ukrainian and Moldavian peasants from places like Bukovina. In the army there were also Orthodox petty gentry noblemen originally from Pokuttia, as well as burghers (mischany / mistychi).^[4][2]

The ten-thousand-man army led by Muha conquered the fortified cities of Kolomyia, Sniatyn, and Halych, killing a considerable number of enemy noblemen and burghers as they went.^[4]

As the army was advancing to Lviv, it was blocked by a combined force of Polish Royal Army soldiers, a levée en masse of Galician magnates, and Prussian mercenaries. At the Battle of Rohatyn, near Rohatyn, present-day Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, the army suffered a crushing defeat and most of the rebels were killed. However, Muha survived, and fled back to Moldavia with the other survivors.^[4]

Muha returned to Galicia in 1492, in an unsuccessful attempt to stir up another rebellion. He was captured in the area of Kolomyia, and reportedly died in a prison in Kraków.^[4]