Olivia Colman + Adrian Edmondson read letters between Sultan Mehmed IV and the Zaporozhian Cossacks

In 1675, the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a fierce army of warriors based in the Wild Fields of Ukraine whose Koshovyi (chief) at the time was Ivan Sirko, received by courier a letter from Mehmed IV, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, in which he rather grandiosely demanded that they cease all aggression and submit to him. Relations were historically fraught, but a recent spate of guerilla warfare involving the two parties, much of it initiated and won by the Cossacks, had pushed the young Sultan to breaking point. His last hope was to write a letter. Rather than accept the demands, Sirko responded with a letter of his own, co-written with his men, which in the 1880s was immortalised in the famous painting, Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire, by renowned Russian artist Ilya Repin.

[@RoundingThird]

1675 or 2022, Ukrainians don't back down.

[@JR-xo5jp]

Fool they are being sacrificed by the own leader,Europe ,USA ,China and Russia to bring on the great reset ..

[@sharon_shaw]

Putin and his goon squad don't have a snowball's chance in hell of taking Ukraine 💙🇺🇦💛

[@cw4091]

What is it like to live in your fantasy world?

[@santokun5835]

​@@cw4091You should ask that to your daddy in moscow

[@Rosskles]

​@@cw4091 How much longer will the 3 day operation take do you think?

[@williamhiggins842]

Those freaking Cossacks sure knew how to turn a phrase.This letter reading was absolutely hilarious and enlightning! Just a classic.

[@stevensmith743]

Olivia Colman is a gift to all humanity. She always has the very perfect take on her characters. Just fantastic!!

[@dawne6419]

There's a painting out there depicting the Cossacks writing this letter. The scribe is loving it as the Cossacks are coming up with better and better terms.

[@pekieboo]

It says so in the description: " Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire, by renowned Russian artist Ilya Repin."

[@juliaconnell]

wow - I thought you were kidding - you were not - hilarious !

[@HK-dq1eg]

Ilya repin

[@jeremymiller9582]

You’ve just made my whole week!

[@mortalclown3812]

Just looked it up! Bloody wonderful. Thank you for the lead.

[@Baribrotzer]

I really hope the Sultan could read, and read the language it which it was written. Otherwise, I do not envy the man who had to translate it, or the one who had to read it out loud to him.

[@DByers-ci5kr]

I was thinking, the poor courtier who was tasked with translating & reading aloud for the sultan this polite note of reply. Sometimes NO just isn't enough.

[@Baribrotzer]

@@DByers-ci5kr He probably just would have said, "Sire, they refuse to retreat or surrender, and aim many grievous insults at your august personage." If the Sultan were wise, he would have left it at that. If I were the courtier and he asked for clarification, I'd present him with the Turkish translation in writing (assuming he could read, some kings couldn't). If he kept on pressing, I'd start by comparing the Cossacks to the Sultan's own Bashi-Bazouks - hoodlums and bumpkins, but hoodlums and bumpkins who could ride a horse and shoot straight. Then I might bring in a condemned prisoner to actually read it, since the guy was going to lose his head anyway.

[@guharup]

Even if he could read, a sultan wont read a letter himself unless its very personal

[@mustafaalimutlu6432]

According to modern historians, letter was never written in the first place. It was a propaganda piece propagated by Russian Empire and subsequent states. You can read up more accurate information on Wikipedia.

[@Baribrotzer]

@@mustafaalimutlu6432 Not a surprise.

[@russergee49]

The Cossack response is just **chef’s kiss**

[@CraftQueenJr]

Whilst I am entirely aware this letter is apocryphal as hell, it’s still incredibly impressive someone came up with it, and that someone else translated it.

[@Carantania]

And I'm impressed by the bravery of the guy who had to read/give it to the sultan.

[@Adeodatus100]

The guy with the job of reading this letter to the Sultan: " . . . They say no."

[@MrBizteck]

But the letter is 3 pages long .... what else did they say ? . . . . . Err no is a REALLY long word in their language.

[@saxtonhalegaming]

@@MrBizteck "Well, I would still like to read it. See, I've been learning their language and I don't think "no" is a particularly long word" "Actually, they just accidentally sent and extra two pages. Certainly a waste a your highnesses time."

[@randomobserver8168]

Ah- the greatest exchange of diplomatic notes ever recorded.

[@frogmouth]

Not particularly diplomatic!

[@tairastuart]

Noooo kidding

[@DoubleMonoLR]

It quite likely wasn't real, many of these letters aren't. Many were created later for propaganda, just for humorous effect, etc.

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

one wonders indeed, not all `diplomatic communication` is as polite as we imagine it, I suppose

[@sjinzaar]

Oh my! Can you see why Olivia is so good? You can see how the emotion of hatred is boiling up inside her as she reads…. She is so amazing. Love love love

[@StonyRC]

WOW - that was some SERIOUS and historic trash-talk!

[@spottybalfour4368]

And commentators say abuse and rudeness on social media is something new…bravo Cossacks

[@judylearn7971]

I have listened to this with delight more than once, and looked up the fabulous painting based on this (possibly) apocryphal event---but this was months ago, before Putin's naked aggression in Ukraine. The Cossacks in this famous incident were in Ukraine. It is nearly impossible to listen to this video and not read into the puffed up delusional self-importance of the Sultan, a foreshadowing of Putin. It is also nearly impossible to not hear the fierce spirit of the Cossacks echoed in the ferocity of the Ukrainian resistance.

[@LukeBunyip]

This is a gift which never grows old. She deserved that Oscar, redux.

[@user-hr5ik2cr8v]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reply_of_the_Zaporozhian_Cossacks

[@mariannegeraud6318]

That was pretty clear....the Cossacks weren't contemplating surrendering to the Sultan and the Sultan didn't contemplate the possibility that they wouldn't!! But he did ask them nicely 🤣

[@elainepayne7047]

I have never laughed so much in my 81 years as I have at Live Letters.

[@attackpatterndelta8949]

For some reason, Mehmed IV felt compelled to keep the letter.

[@alalalala57]

Its all fun and games for a king of kings.

[@beholdthegriffin5488]

“Man I ain’t even mad that was fire”

[@DoubleMonoLR]

Except he didn't, because it didn't exist. There have been multiple variations: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correspondence_between_the_Ottoman_sultan_and_the_Cossacks It's a funny story, which has a very long history, but the letters themselves almost certainly never existed.

[@JussaraAlmeida2912]

This is one of the best letters read in this awesome event. I love it! 😀

[@wcg66]

Not really related to this but Olivia Colman in Broadchurch is some of the best acting I've ever seen (nod to David Tennant, of course.) She is an absolute gem in everything she does.

[@xerotonin6776]

Imagine Rik Mayall reading Olivia's part.

[@laurathornton1456]

That would have been brilliant, not that Olivia wasn't, but Rik and Adrian worked so well together.

[@johnsteiner3417]

This is how history should always be told.

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

yeah, we should ve had olivia colmans as our teachers jump in unexpectedly, every week, in a particularly boring lesson

[@PaulHung77]

I wish the Cossacks wouldn't beat about the bush and get to the point

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

gold

[@johannebaker9730]

I love these readings. What a great idea.

[@MrBizteck]

They have a number of audio boos out. Dispite the factvI dont loke cats .. their letters on Cats is very good.

[@charliemarkovic4301]

I was translating that into Serbo-Croatian in my head and almost died from hypoxia laughing.

[@kmlisle]

You can see why Ukraine is so good a social media.

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

there was a claim that the reply is a forgery but in 2019 local media reported that Ukranian historian Taras Chukhlib had found a Polish version of the letter in the Archives of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow the Polish version is dated 1683 while the reply itself is believed to have been written before 1678 when Mehmet IV delivered his ultimatum

[@popefang]

Adrian just gets better and better, Olivia is superlative

[@rnw2739]

It's only taken 40 years of sitting on Rik Mayalls back...

[@brianmorrison6863]

@@rnw2739 You say crazy nonsense

[@squaddie67]

@@rnw2739 Ade Edmondson could make Rik Mayall lose his shit with very little effort. Theirs was truly an equal partnership.

[@emiliejayne_st]

When listening to the letter from the Cossacks, whenever they mentioned the sultans mother, I just couldn’t stop thinking of poor Turhan Sultan being talked about in such a way. It wasn’t her fault she had such a big headed idiot for a son! I mean his father Sultan Ibrahim was literally mad, so what do you expect!😂

[@doyinskeiwakr9682]

Love fhis comment. You're saying the apple didn’t fall far from rhe tree ...😁 you're as bad as the Cossacks! 😂

[@mariakelly90210]

Personal Diety this Sultan was Valide Turhan Sultana's son? I found out about Turhan Sultan when I watched Magnificent Century Kosem a couple of years ago.

[@puffin51]

There's no doubt about it, the fine art of international diplomacy has declined. Mind you, the French still keep up some of the old traditions.

[@sheilastockdale6715]

We really need to bring back letter writing!!! Bravo performance!!!!! 👏👏👏👏

[@stevekelly5166]

But the deliverer of letters otherwise known has the Royal Mail are on strike me lady. Great reading with one side then the other.

[@filmsforsmartpeople3587]

The lost art of letter writing....That was great.

[@mortalclown3812]

You just don't hear 'catamite' often enough these days.

[@tardx]

World-class invective, magnificently delivered - an inspiration to underdogs everywhere. Try doing THAT with emojis!

[@Julikachen]

I don't know what it is about Olivia that I instantly feel better when I see her. She truly is a tonic!

[@thememeslinger7506]

What makes this funnier is the fact that (in the context of the letters) the forces of Mehmed IV had just gotten their asses handed to them by the Cossacks

[@madMARTYNmarsh1981]

Olivia is great but Ade lights up everything he does. Two exceptional talents on one stage.

[@user-cm1qw6jn4b]

Yesss 💪💪💪 I saw the picture many times and now I know what they wrote in the letter 😁

[@MrXutech]

Now that's some high quality swearin'

[@mariakelly90210]

In January 2019 I was in the hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery when I had the honor and privilege of getting to see Olivia Coleman's now legendary Oscar acceptance speech. Because of the way she read a letter written by Elizabeth the Queen Mother during WW2, I have subscribed to this incredible channel.

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Peter Capaldi's and Olivia Colman's readings are both excellent.

[@cmarie8099]

This may be my favorite yet!!!

[@victorkrisel7108]

So well done and entertaining!

[@rm6763]

Ah the good old times. People don’t write insults like this anymore.

[@mariakelly90210]

Probably because one would get into all sorts of trouble for writing it. Can't be hurting people's feelings, can we?

[@Zonker66]

My expectations were immediately subverted. I assumed the roles would be reversed and Olivia would be the pompous one. I loved it.

[@ericbeaton7211]

Absolutely Brilliant!

[@lucillepearson5349]

How utterly fabulous!

[@JanineAnita]

Brilliant!

[@davidscoltock3970]

You have to wonder what happened to the poor bastard that had to read that letter to his boss

[@auroraborelaris]

there is no historical evidence that this did happen so probably mehmed 4 never received this letter

[@emdee7744]

Yikes, what a reply! Colorful to say the least.

[@Aramanth]

Great delivery!!! There is a wonderful painting by Ilya Repin _Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks_ which depicts the Cossacks are gathered around a table all of whom seem to be enjoying pitching their words for the drafting of the letter! Ah... Letter writing is a lost artform!

[@mcarp555]

I can't help but hear Vivian's voice coming out of Ade's mouth.

[@kristoffermangila]

For the present situation in Ukraine, we can modify the reply and address it to Vlad Putin...

[@janekay4147]

Love it!!

[@MelissaThompson432]

Well, that was worth being up early on Sunday morning...

[@TinEE189]

I was howling from start to finish. Reading some of the comments its seems the translation was loose at best, but still even if just the tone was captured - absolutely savage. You have to respect the Cossacks 😂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@andreagriffiths3512]

This needed to be so much longer!

[@prismaticmarcus]

sometimes you don't need that many words...

[@alancrabb]

So, meaningful and substantial talks are ongoing, then.

[@jetaddicted]

Constructive and cordial.

[@ni-31]

Replace Sultan with Putin and everything else still stands true even today lol. So glad I saw this.

[@kristoffermangila]

Just replace the ancient place names for Russian ones, as well as your suggestion and its perfect!

[@zuzauramek9850]

And you can`t even be offended because those are historical letters ^^

[@mariamartamarcolinocava1551]

Brilhante apresentação!!!

[@jaysonpida5379]

I don't ever want a Cossack to write me a letter.

[@carolyndean4591]

I just love Olivia’s letter readings!

[@pygiana16]

Somewhat free and creative translation.

[@donsirko67]

I wish my father, Ivan, could have seen this.

[@RiotingSoul]

So there's a precedent.

[@Troels_T_Kjoeller]

When this popped up on KZbin I was hoping Adrian would be reading the Cossack letter. And I’m sad Rik Mayall isn’t here to read the sultan’s part.

[@odem5856]

More relevant now then even a year ago.

[@glossaria2]

That painting is astounding; her delivery, even better.

[@DrWhoHarvey]

I wish someone would send a letter like the cossacks to putyin. What fun tha5 woild be.

[@HisameArtwork]

I'm half turkish and I love this. sultans were a pain in the ass for everyone involved.

[@___David__]

It would have been hilarious if Adrian Edmondson had added "and Mother of Dragons" at the end of the introduction of the guy 🤣

[@hedonismunderstands2469]

matt berry and malcolm tucker, err peter capaldi, do a spiffing version of this exchange, too...

[@jamesbaker7112]

I love me some Olivia Coleman.

[@mr.raslyon6626]

The greatest response ever written by man 🤣

[@AL-fl4jk]

This was some OG shade

[@shadowjack8]

Bravo!

[@vitovtus]

Brilliant

[@wordjunkys]

Ilike these best when the letters are read rather than done as a monologue or theatre.

[@annem9195]

Nobody can throw an insult like the Slavs!

[@Finsirith]

Well. I guess the Ukranians have had an attitude for centuries.

[@carolynallisee2463]

Oh Boy! I would not have liked to be Mehmet IV's translator when this one came rolling in!

[@leejudith5209]

She is so spectacular with anything that comes across her table .

[@reid1967]

So that's a no then is it?

[@oneworldfamily]

Love Ade. He knows how to work an audience!

[@ljooste]

How accurate of a translation is the reply letter? I cannot imagine their insulting phrases or swear words are the same as the ones we use today. Surely some creative license has been taken?

[@user-cc5nf3dg4u]

As Ukrainian I can assure you, that translation is accurate enough. Somewhere the rhyme is missed, cause the original letter is rather poetic or rhythmic I may say, but such translation lapse is possible. The words are absolutely correct. However, in Ukraine it is believed by some historians that very rude phrases (fuck your mother) were added later or maybe was censored. This letter was written 1676 and later versions were used to encourage army spirit, so copies may be different sometimes. The fact we know about this letter means sultan received it. which I believe he was trying to hide)))

[@croydonrudeness1079]

hahaha, probably the greatest reply ever

[@bekind7465]

I'm just a Yank with scarce knowledge of world history...but that reading is absolutely fantastic! Fantastic job by both performers👏

[@user-mp8ti3pc8y]

She is divine!👑

[@opus_artisti]

I like Matt Berry - Peter Capaldi version

[@jollyfighter7319]

Man, Mehmeds introduction was longer than his text. 😂

[@LoverOfBellies]

Matt Berry & Peter Capaldi did this one

[@kershaad]

There is saying "no", and there is the Ukrainian way of saying "no" hahaha

[@icook1723]

Time for the cossaks to write a letter to putin.

[@banba317]

Those Ukrainians were amazing; I think Zelensky should send a similar letter to Putin!

[@qdHazen]

They already have "Russian warship, go fuck yourself!"

[@tyguy101a]

Snake Island said it loud and clear

[@kristoffermangila]

Oh come on, this reply is awesome! Better yet, make it an open letter addressed to Vlad Putin, modify it to replace the ancient place names with modern Russian ones, and let President Zelensky read it aloud for all to see and hear!

[@HerrAndreasSkog]

The entire last three months have been a materialization of that letter.

[@guharup]

Yep very effective before death and destruction; them letters

[@carlajackson3137]

No, no really just say it!

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Hadn't heard of this but guessed what was coming from how Edmundson was hamming it up. However in this vein, nothing to my mind beats the first ever 'official' or diplomatic passport, issued by Kublai Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, to his two top representatives. It was an engraved bronze disc, it read simply: "I am the Emissary of the Khan. If you defy me you die." 😎

[@Z4Zander]

Reminds me of a Monty Python skit.

[@DemstarAus]

I love Ade! One of my favourite humans.

[@deejayk5939]

Wow,

[@berulan8463]

Well, that answer escalated quickly.

[@user-cc5nf3dg4u]

absolutely no)) Sultan tried to move forward to Vienna, but received such a massacre that turned back ashamed. And in later 20 years Ottoman empire lost it`s territories in Europe.

[@belbrighton6479]

Love Kyiv ❤️🇺🇦 No Pasarin!