Grzegorz Chodkiewicz
Encyclopedia
Hrehory Chodkiewicz was a nobleman and military officer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
. He was a son of Aleksander
, brother of Hieronim
and Yurii
, and uncle of Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz. He commanded the Lithuanian army during the later part of the Livonian War
after he had became the Great Lithuanian Hetman in 1566.
, Prince Sigismund II Augustus
and Queen Bona Sforza
. The relationship and correspondence with Albert continued for decades; Chodkiewicz sent both of his sons to be educated at Albert's court.
He received his first position at the court in October 1544 when incoming Grand Duke Sigismund Augustus made a series of new appointments and elevated Chodkiewicz to court chamberlain (podkomorzy). Soon, however, the Chodkiewicz family fell from royal grace when they opposed the marriage between Sigismund Augustus and Barbara Radziwiłł. It seems that Hrehory Chodkiewicz remained close with Sigismund Augustus and often accompanied the Grand Duke to hunting. After his father's death in 1549 he inherited Supraśl
and surrounding territories, including Zabłudów and Choroszcz
. Chodkiewicz family slowly regained royal favor after Barbara's death in 1551 and when other Radziwiłłs opposed the proposed Union of Lublin
in 1562.
against the Crimean Khanate
. This victory raised prestige of Chodkiewicz as a military commander. On the onset of the Livonian War
he was promoted to castellan
of Trakai
with intention to use his skill in the war. In 1561, Grand Hetman Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, Chodkiewicz and his brother Hieronim
led the Lithuanian army into Livonia
where they achieved victory against the Tsardom of Russia
. After this campaign Chodkiewicz was promoted to Field Hetman of Lithuania. On January 20, 1564, the Lithuanians under his command killed Russian commander Shuisky
and defeated the Russian army in the battle of the Ula River, which significantly improved Lithuania's standing in the war. He was hailed as war hero and promoted to castellan of Vilnius
. Royal favor continued: Hrehory's nephew Jan Hieronimowicz received his late father's position as Elder of Samogitia in 1564, brother Yurii
, who traveled to Moscow for diplomatic negotiations, became castellan of Trakai and Hrehory was appointed Grand Hetman of Lithuania in 1566. Thus Hrehory Chodkiewicz became the second man after Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł and the Chodkiewiczs controlled three out of five top seats in the Lithuanian Council of Lords
. In 1567 Chodkiewicz achieved another victory in Livonia, this time against the Kingdom of Sweden.
—eastern liturgy under the Pope in Rome. In 1566, Chodkiewicz sponsored Pyotr Mstislavets and Ivan Fyodorov
, book printers who defected from Russia, and opened a printing press in Zabłudów. They published religious texts until Chodkiewicz's death.
and his son Ilia
for various territories belonging to his wife. They two sons and three daughters. The sons had no heirs and the Supraśl
line of the family became extinct. The possessions passed to Yurii Chodkiewicz
, brother of Hrehory. All daughters married members of the Lithuanian Council of Lords
. The children were:
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
. He was a son of Aleksander
Aleksander Chodkiewicz
Aleksander Chodkiewicz was a noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, founder of the Supraśl Orthodox Monastery. He inherited vast possessions from his father Ivan Chodkiewicz, which made him 11th wealthiest person in the Grand Duchy according to a military census of 1528...
, brother of Hieronim
Hieronim Chodkiewicz
Hieronim Chodkiewicz was a noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, who was Elder of Samogitia from 1545 until his death. He was son of Aleksander and brother of Hrehory and Yurii Chodkiewiczs...
and Yurii
Yurii Chodkiewicz
Knyaz Yurii Chodkiewicz was Bielsk starost in 1556, Puńsk starost in 1568, Great Master of the Pantry of Lithuania in 1554, Grand Krajczy of Lithuania in 1555, and Trakai castellan in 1566....
, and uncle of Jan Hieronimowicz Chodkiewicz. He commanded the Lithuanian army during the later part of the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
after he had became the Great Lithuanian Hetman in 1566.
Early career
Historiography usually provides that Chodkiewicz was born around 1505. However, Lithuania historian Genutė Kirkienė noted that in such a case Chodkiewicz began his political career in his mid-forties, when most nobles started in late twenties or early thirties. Kirkienė suggested that his father's marriage and birth of children should be moved from 1500s to mid-1510s. As a young boy Chodkiewicz was sent to the court of Albert, Duke of Prussia. He returned in 1532 with personal recommendation letters from Albert to King Sigismund I the OldSigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
, Prince Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
and Queen Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
. The relationship and correspondence with Albert continued for decades; Chodkiewicz sent both of his sons to be educated at Albert's court.
He received his first position at the court in October 1544 when incoming Grand Duke Sigismund Augustus made a series of new appointments and elevated Chodkiewicz to court chamberlain (podkomorzy). Soon, however, the Chodkiewicz family fell from royal grace when they opposed the marriage between Sigismund Augustus and Barbara Radziwiłł. It seems that Hrehory Chodkiewicz remained close with Sigismund Augustus and often accompanied the Grand Duke to hunting. After his father's death in 1549 he inherited Supraśl
Suprasl
Supraśl is a town in north-eastern Poland. It is the home of the Supraśl Lavra, one of only six Eastern Orthodox monasteries for males in Poland. Situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , previously in Białystok Voivodeship . It is located in Białystok County, about 15 km northeast of...
and surrounding territories, including Zabłudów and Choroszcz
Choroszcz
Choroszcz is a town in north-eastern Poland.It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , having previously been in Białystok Voivodeship ....
. Chodkiewicz family slowly regained royal favor after Barbara's death in 1551 and when other Radziwiłłs opposed the proposed Union of Lublin
Union of Lublin
The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...
in 1562.
Military achievements
As voivode of Kiev, Chodkiewicz defended the region from Tatar invasion. In 1558 he achieved a victory in PodoliaPodolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
against the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
. This victory raised prestige of Chodkiewicz as a military commander. On the onset of the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
he was promoted to castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of Trakai
Trakai
Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 11.52 km2 of...
with intention to use his skill in the war. In 1561, Grand Hetman Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, Chodkiewicz and his brother Hieronim
Hieronim Chodkiewicz
Hieronim Chodkiewicz was a noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, who was Elder of Samogitia from 1545 until his death. He was son of Aleksander and brother of Hrehory and Yurii Chodkiewiczs...
led the Lithuanian army into Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
where they achieved victory against the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. After this campaign Chodkiewicz was promoted to Field Hetman of Lithuania. On January 20, 1564, the Lithuanians under his command killed Russian commander Shuisky
Shuisky
The Princes Shuisky were a Rurikid family of boyars descending from Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich of Vladimir-Suzdal and Prince Andrey Yaroslavich, brother to Alexander Nevsky. Their name is derived from the town of Shuya, of which they gained ownership in 1403. The family briefly reached the...
and defeated the Russian army in the battle of the Ula River, which significantly improved Lithuania's standing in the war. He was hailed as war hero and promoted to castellan of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. Royal favor continued: Hrehory's nephew Jan Hieronimowicz received his late father's position as Elder of Samogitia in 1564, brother Yurii
Yurii Chodkiewicz
Knyaz Yurii Chodkiewicz was Bielsk starost in 1556, Puńsk starost in 1568, Great Master of the Pantry of Lithuania in 1554, Grand Krajczy of Lithuania in 1555, and Trakai castellan in 1566....
, who traveled to Moscow for diplomatic negotiations, became castellan of Trakai and Hrehory was appointed Grand Hetman of Lithuania in 1566. Thus Hrehory Chodkiewicz became the second man after Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł and the Chodkiewiczs controlled three out of five top seats in the Lithuanian Council of Lords
Lithuanian Council of Lords
The Lithuanian Council of Lords was the main permanent institution of central government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania active in its capital city of Vilnius....
. In 1567 Chodkiewicz achieved another victory in Livonia, this time against the Kingdom of Sweden.
Cultural activities
Chodkiewicz devoted much attention to military matters. In 1562 and 1566 he wrote military regulations, which dealt with defense of fortresses and other matters. He also built and strengthened a number of border posts and conducted military census of 1568 to determine how many troops each noble had to provide for the army. In 1563 Chodkiewicz founded an Eastern Orthodox church and a hospital for the poor in Zabłudów. Kirkienė found hints that Chodkiewicz was not strictly Orthodox and supported church unionChurch union
Church union is the name given to a merger of two or more Christian denominations. Such unions may occur in one of two ways.- United churches :Some churches have formed as a result of a merger of churches of different denominations...
—eastern liturgy under the Pope in Rome. In 1566, Chodkiewicz sponsored Pyotr Mstislavets and Ivan Fyodorov
Ivan Fyodorov (printer)
Ivan Fyodorov or Fedorovič , was one of the fathers of Eastern Slavonic printing...
, book printers who defected from Russia, and opened a printing press in Zabłudów. They published religious texts until Chodkiewicz's death.
Titles and positions
Chodkiewicz held the following positions:- Court chamberlain (podkomorzy, 1544–1559)
- Starost of KaunasKaunasKaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
(1546–1551), RumšiškėsRumšiškesRumšiškės is a Lithuanian town , situated east of Kaunas on the northern bank of Kaunas Reservoir. Southern part of the town is now under the waters of the artificial lake. The 18th century St...
(1551–1555), KarmėlavaKarmėlavaKarmėlava is a small town in Kaunas County in central Lithuania. As of 2001 it had a population of 2886. The town of Karmėlava is located north east of Kaunas and near the second busiest civil Kaunas International Airport in Lithuania.-History:...
(1551–1563), HrodnaHrodnaGrodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
(1563–1569), MogilevMogilevMogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
(1564–1569) - Voivode of Vitebsk (1554) and Voivode of Kiev (1555–1558)
- CastellanCastellanA castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of TrakaiTrakaiTrakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 11.52 km2 of...
(1559–1564) and VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
(1564–1572) - Administrator of the Eldership of SamogitiaEldership of SamogitiaThe Duchy of Samogitia had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1422 . Between 1422 to 1441 it was known as the Eldership of Samogitia...
(1562–1563) - Field Hetman of Lithuania (1561–1566) and Grand Hetman of Lithuania (1566–1572)
Family
Around 1537 Chodkiewicz married Katarzyna from the Wiśniowiecki family who brought many new lands into the Chodkiewicz family. Chodkiewicz sued Konstanty OstrogskiKonstanty Ostrogski
Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski was a Lithuanian duke of slavonic origin and a Grand Hetman of Lithuania since September 11, 1497, until his death. As a speaker of the Ruthenian language he is considered to be one of the precursors of the Belarusian language and a national hero in Belarus.He...
and his son Ilia
Ilia Ostrogski
Knyaz Ilia Aleksander Konstantynovich Ostrogski or Elias was only one son of Konstanty Ostrogski from his first marriage with Tatiana Koretska; Bratslav and Vinnytsia starost.-Biography:...
for various territories belonging to his wife. They two sons and three daughters. The sons had no heirs and the Supraśl
Suprasl
Supraśl is a town in north-eastern Poland. It is the home of the Supraśl Lavra, one of only six Eastern Orthodox monasteries for males in Poland. Situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , previously in Białystok Voivodeship . It is located in Białystok County, about 15 km northeast of...
line of the family became extinct. The possessions passed to Yurii Chodkiewicz
Yurii Chodkiewicz
Knyaz Yurii Chodkiewicz was Bielsk starost in 1556, Puńsk starost in 1568, Great Master of the Pantry of Lithuania in 1554, Grand Krajczy of Lithuania in 1555, and Trakai castellan in 1566....
, brother of Hrehory. All daughters married members of the Lithuanian Council of Lords
Lithuanian Council of Lords
The Lithuanian Council of Lords was the main permanent institution of central government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania active in its capital city of Vilnius....
. The children were:
- Andrzej (born 1549) was starost of MogilevMogilevMogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
(1574–1575). His father wanted him to marry a daughter of Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł, but he died in 1575. - Aleksander (born 1550) married Aleksandra, daughter of Wasyl Tyszkiewicz. Died in 1578 with no heirs.
- Anna married Pawel Sapieha, castellan of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and Pawel Pac, castellan of VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County... - Zofia married Duke Janusz Zasławski (died 1562) and Filon KmitaFilon KmitaFilon Kmita was a noble in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Voivode of Smolensk , rotmistrz in the army and starost of Orsha .Fought in the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars and the Livonian War....
Czernobylski, voivode of Smolensk - Aleksandra married famous military leader Roman Sanguszko, voivode of Bratslav and Lithuanian Field Hetman, in 1559