, which caused tension <given> their traditional exercise of freedom

[park sang joon]

By the 18th century, Cossack hosts in the Russian Empire occupied effective buffer zones on its borders. The expansionist ambitions of the Empire relied on ensuring the loyalty of Cossacks, which caused tension given their traditional exercise of freedom, democratic self-rule, and independence.
<Source: "Cossacks" in WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks>

I'd like to know if in my example, "given" means "due to/ because of", or it can be replaced with those.
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Barque]

Yes, you're quite close. A more accurate meaning of "given" here would be "in view of" or "keeping in mind" or "taking into account".

 

[park sang joon]

Thank you, Barque, for your very helpful answer.