Kotsur V. Charity of Cossack elders (mid-seventeenth - eighteenth century): modern Ukrainian historiography

The complex research of the state of scientific treatment in contemporary Ukrainian historiography was realized; the main phases, directions and peculiarities of the study of the history of the Cossack chieftain's charity were represented (in the middle of ХVІІ - ХVІІІ centuries); it was discovered, systematized, categorized historiographycal resources with their problems and it was established objectivity of their source information; the main theoretical and methodological approaches of the research ot the theme were described. Historiographycal and theoretical nature of the conceptions "charity", "beneficence", "patronage", "philanthropy", "sponsorship" are discovered. These terms have synonymic character. The first three have foreign origin, the last two have Ukrainian origin. On the basic of analysis of the native historical experience it was established, that charity has centuries-old traditions.