Ivan Chodkiewicz

Knyaz Ivan Chodkiewicz (1420 - 1484), Minsk governor 1459, hospodarski marshall (1470 - 1479), Lida governor 1470, Vitebsk governor 1476, Slutsk starost 1478, Kiev voivod 1481.

Biography

At 6 June 1459 r. received from Polish King and Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV Jagiellon office of Minsk governor.

In 1454 year, when Thirteen Years' War begun, Lithuania declared neutrality despite the fact that Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon was also Grand Duke of Lithuania. Aid however was sent by council of Grand Duke of Lithuania, loan of 80 000 Czerwony Złoty and military support of 500 Lithuanians and 300 Tatars. Iwan Chodkiewicz commandered those units as a Hetman. In July of 1466 besieged Chojnice, though at 16 September some Teutonic Knights succeed to break siege and flee for Kwidzyń castle in Chojnice was captured, its garrison surrendered at 28 September.

About 1470 Married Princess Jawnuta (Agnieszka) Bielska, daughter of Jonas Bielski, descendant of Grand Duke Gediminas and Algirdas. They had issue: Aleksander borned in Novogrodek 1457 year, Agrafena 1459 in Novogrodek and unknown daughter.

At 23 October 1470, Grand Duke Casimir granted him the office of Hospodarski Marshall and Lida Governor. In the same year he led a Lithuanian diplomatic mission to Crown, to get aid for capturing Novogrod.In 1474 again as a Hetman led Lithuanian forces in fights against Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and Bohemia.Ivan with his brother Paul probably signed note of Kiev Metropolitan Bishop Mizael to Pope Sixtus IV in which Orthodox Bishop is askeing for "unity" of both religions. However the note could be fake, what tried to prove some scholars, it might be false by Hipacy Pociej in 1605 to prove that in XVc people wanted eastern and western Catholicism to unite. [ [http://kamunikat.fontel.net/pdf/bzh/21/02.pdf Geneza rodu Chodkiewiczów] ] 27 february 1477 Ivan was made Vitebsk governor by Grand Duke Casimir and 2 august 1478 Slutsk Starost.He also discovered a conspiracy against Casimir Jagiellon in 1481 and in may become Kiev voivod. The same year however Tatar invasion under Mengli Giray and Kiev was destroyed at 1 October, then 11 more cities in the Kiev Voivodeship, Voivod Ivan with his family was kidnapped by Tatars. In 1483-4 he and his unknown daughter died in captivity, King Casimir Jagiellon bought out Princess Jawnuta, their son Alexander and daughter Agrafena in 1484. Two years later Princess was writing that her husband and daughter died when Tatars set them free.

ee also

* House of Chodkiewicz
* Lithuanian nobility
* Grand Duchy of Lithuania

References