Melnychuk I. Sources and formation of the Ukrainian political elite (IX – the middle of the of the XVIIth century): historical discourse.

Taking into consideration the heritage of national and foreign historiography, the dissertation on the broad and representative source base shows the results of investigation of the origins and development of the Ukrainian political elite during the IX – the first half of the XVIIth century. It was tried to make a complex resumptive analysis of the evolution of national political elite and relative transformations of the structure, functions and extent of power in the conditions of medieval monarchy. The influence of the city on the formation and development of the state elite. Also the domination of Polish and Lithuanian ruling elite, revival in the Cossacks epoch are analysed. The methods of political elite’s training, ways of its legitimization, interpenetration and change of the elite groups are reproduced.Discovered line of confrontation between the ruling and not ruling Ukrainian political elite and historical significance of this process. The role of older “armed force” (the boyars) as the component of elite political (military-economical and administrative elite of the state) in the process of its functions and tasks increasing is revealed. The role of princely-magnat leadership of the political elite on the Ukrainian lands is clarified. The possible reasons of princely elite layer extinction in the XVIIth century are suggested. The content and reasons of transformation of the Ukrainian princely-boyar elite layer in Lithuanian- Polish period are exposed.