THE TOMAR FAMILY IN KOVRAI: ORIGINS AND LEGACY

Abstract

The article explores the history of the Tomar family, particularly its Kovrai branch, which played a significant role in the development of the village of Kovrai in Zolotonosha district of Cherkasy region. The research is based on the documents from the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine and the collections of H.S. Skovoroda Literature Museum. Having nalyzed all available sources, the author discovered that no comprehensive study of this family had existed previously, with only certain aspects of its history having been the subject of researchers’ attention. The groundwork of the theoretical and methodological basis of the study is a set of general scientific and purely historical methods. The generally accepted principles of objectivity, scientificity, logical-systematic and comparative analysis, problem-chronological approach, as well as methods of synthesis, generalization, processing of oral-historical sources are applied. The Tomars had Greek roots and were known in Epirus and Macedonia. In the 17th century, some family members emigrated to Ukraine due to the Turkish conquest of Greece. The founder of the Ukrainian branch of the family was Ivan Tomorka, who settled in Pereiaslav and became an active participant in the Cossack movement. Over the centuries, the Tomar family integrated into the Cossack elite and became part of the “nobility of Little Russia”. The Tomaras sought to secure successful careers for their sons in administrative structures and military service. The most prominent member of the family in the Russian Empire was Vasyl Tomara, a student of Hryhorii Skovoroda. The research highlights the economic and social influence of the Tomar family on the development of Kovrai. Its members owned significant landholdings and manors, actively engaged in agriculture, church construction, and other socially important projects. Among their achievements was the founding of the Trinity Church in the village, which became an important cultural and spiritual center. The article concludes that the Tomar family made a substantial contribution to the development of the local community. It also reflects on the complex relationships between local residents and family representatives, shaped by the socioeconomic changes of the time.