- Source: Cossack starshyna
Among Ukrainian Cossacks, starshyna was a collective noun for admitistrative categories of military officers and state officials. In common parlance the term referred to the privileged social stratum of the Cossack society.
Sharshyna was subdivided into:
General Starshyna (Генеральна старшина), headed by Hetman (or Quartermaster General as acting Hetman)
Quartermaster General (Генеральний обозний)
Judge General (Генеральний суддя)
Secretary General (Генеральний писар)
Adjutant General (Генеральний осавул)
Treasurer General (Генеральний підскарбій)
Ensign General (Генеральний хорунжий)
Bunchuk General (Генеральний бунчужний)
Regimental (Polkova) Starshyna, headed by Polkovnyk (Colonel)
Regimental Obozni (Quartermaster) (Ukrainian: Полковий обозний) – first Deputy Colonel. He was in charge of artillery and fortress fortifications. In the absence of a colonel he replaced him, but he was not authorized to issue universal orders (as opposed to the commanding colonel).
Regimental Judge (Ukrainian: Полковий суддя) – was in charge of a civil court in the ratusha
Regimental Osavul (Ukrainian: Полковий осавул) – assistant Colonel in Military Affairs
Regimental Khorunzhy (Ukrainian: Полковий хорунжий) – commander of the "Khorunzhy Cossacks", guarding the colonel and the starshina. He was in charge of regimental music and was responsible for keeping the khorugv (regiment flag).
Regimental scribe (Ukrainian: Полковий писар) – secretaries at the ratusha. One was in charge of military affairs, and the other of civilian affairs.
Starshyna of Hundred (Sotenna) – headed by Sotnyk
Sotenny otaman (Ukrainian: Сотенний отаман) – the deputy sotnik, implemented the duties of an obozni and a judge on a sotnia level
Sotenny Osavul (Ukrainian: Сотенний осавул) – assistant sotnik in military affairs
Sotenny Khorunzhy (Ukrainian: Сотенний хорунжий) – headed the sotnias flags
Sotenny Scribe (Ukrainian: Сотенний писар) – a secretary
Junior Starshyna (Молодша старшина) – headed by Otaman
Administration: Regimental scribe, General scribe
Later, sometime after the Khmelnytsky's Uprising, it was also associated with the Ukrainian nobility which derived out of the officership and the Hetman.
Some members of the regimental starshyna, 18th century