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Voivode[1] (Old Slavic, literally "warlord") is a Slavic title that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force (warlord). The word gradually came to denote the governor of a province.

The territory ruled or administered by a voivode is known as a voivodeship. In the English language, the title is often translated as "prince" or "duke". In Slavic terminology, the rank of a voivode is considered equal of that of a German Herzog. A Voivode was often considered to be an assistant of the Knyaz. During military actions voivode was in charge of a conscripted army that consisted of local population, voj (voi); while knyaz had its own regular military formation, druzhina.

Today in Poland the term wojewoda means the centrally appointed governor of a Polish province or voivodeship (Polish: województwo). The Polish title is sometimes rendered in English as "palatine" or "prince palatine", in charge of a palatinate. Other similar titles could be considered Margrave (Frontier-Governor), Governor-General, and others. With the expansion of the Russian Empire the title of voivode was superseded by namestnik (compared to viceroy). The title was used in medieval Bulgaria, Bohemia, Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, Transylvania, Rügen,[2] Lusatia, Poland, Muscovy (later Tsardom of Russia), Serbia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Wallachia, Halych, Volhynia, Novgorod Republic, Chernigov, and Kiev. Later, voivode was the highest military rank in the principalities of Montenegro and Serbia, and in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the Romanian medieval principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, voievode became part of the official titulature of the sovereign prince, showing his right to lead the entire army. Voivode or vajda (Baida) was also the title of the Hungarian governors of Transylvania in the Middle Ages. Baida was a title of a Ruthenian nobleman Dmytro Vyshnevetsky, a Cossack leader. The Ottoman vassal princes of Moldavia and Wallachia were also called voyvoda. Similarly, the leaders of Bulgaria's Haiduti (Хайдути) rebels were called "voevodes" (Bulgarian, singular: войвода, voyvoda).



The word has developed to take various forms in the modern Slavic languages, such as wojewoda (Polish), воевода (voyevoda, Russian), войвода or воевода (voyvoda, voevoda, Bulgarian), воєвода (voyevoda, Ukrainian), vévoda (Czech) and војвода (vojvoda, Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene and Macedonian). It has also been borrowed into some non-Slavic languages, taking such forms as voievod (Romanian), vajda (Hungarian) and vaivads (Latvian).










Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński Voivode of Podlaskie Voivodeship from 1605 and Sandomierz from 1613, Poland




The Voivode of Transylvania (woyuoda Transsiluanus or erdélyi vajda in Hungarian) was one of the barons (or chief office holders) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The vajda was, in effect, a territorial governor or viceroy appointed by the Hungarian crown. He was also the chief magistrate and military commander of Transylvania's counties, and this power inevitably drew the Székely and Saxon territories into his sphere of influence however these territories were governed by counts who were nominally independent of the voivode. The title originated with the Slavic population, prior to the Hungarian conquest of the region. The Transylvanian voivodes, who were closely affiliated with the king, were often far from Transylvania, and local administration frequently fell into the hands of the vice-voivodes. However, some voivodes, such as László Kán (1297–1315), became powerful local rulers, effectively independent of the king. The Lackovic family formed a voivodal dynasty which ruled in Transylvania in 1344–1350 and 1356–1376. The title was in use from 1167 until the Principality of Transylvania emerged in the 16th century.



The voievod title was kept in its initial form by the Wallachian (Romanian) nobility of Ţara Haţegului and Maramureş (in Transylvania), where the title of voievod, together with the princely cneaz title, had the meaning of noble or local ruler, but also leader of local armies or militias.



Voyevodas[3] in Russia were the appointed administrators responsible for the regional administration, initially in charge of some military unit that defended the region (usually uyezd). The title has a close similarities with the Markgrave of the Holy Roman Empire, meaning the ruler of border territories (see Mark). The title of voyevoda became more regular from about 1550 and was divided between Regimental and City Voyevoda. Voyevoda (singular) was appointed by the Tsar's Prikaz and confirmed by the Boyar Duma (the advisory state institution to tsar) for the length of two to three years.




Voyevoda's Administration[edit]

A voyevoda would sometimes have an assistant voyevoda or a pismenny golova ("writing head" or scribe). The term golova (without the pismenny) appears in English sources with an uncertain meaning. A prikazshchik was a sort of sub-voyevoda who was given special powers.




Epaulettes for the rank Voivode (Serbia)
Živojin Mišić Serbian Vojvoda from 1914
The titles of the Austrian emperor. Besides other titles, Franz Joseph I also was grosswojwod (great voivod) of Voivodship of Serbia (Grosswojwod der Wojwodschaft Serbien)



Vojvoda or etymologically - Battle Duke (Serbian: Бојни Војвода)[4] was the highest rank in the army of the Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Yugoslavia until Second World War. It was created with the passing of the Law on the Organization of the army of the Kingdom of Serbia in 1901. Law was passed on the suggestion of Lieutenant colonel (later Divisional General) Miloš Vasić who was Minister of the Defense at the time. The rank was awarded only during the war for Particular military contributions.

In the Balkan Wars and World War I this title was used to designate the highest military rank in Serbian Army (above the General - as equalent of Field Marshal in other armies). This rank was introduced by the law on the Organization of the Army Kingdom of Serbia in 1901. It has been awarded only during the war for: special merits of top generals. The first Voivoda was promoted by the Great military decree of the Kingdom of Serbia on 20 October 1912. Only five people ever officially held that military rank: Radomir Putnik (got it in 1912), Stepa Stepanović (1914), Živojin Mišić (1914), Petar Bojović (1918) and the French General Louis Franchet d'Espérey (1921). It was only an honorary rank since in 1912–1945. General Petar Bojović held the position of Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command (the highest military position in the Serbian Army) and was a superior to two army commanders who were vojvodas (Stepa Stepanović and Živojin Mišić). In the same period the Serbian paramilitary organisation Chetniks used the title internally to designate its top commanders - Vojin Popović, Voja Tankosić and Kosta Pećanac being the prime examples. It was used in this manner again by the Chetniks in the Second World War.


Voivodes in art and popular culture[edit]




Leaders of the Tzimiche clan in White Wolf's Vampire the Masquerade may be known as Voivodes due to their Slavic origins.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Also spelled "voievod", "woiwode", "voivod", "voyvode", "vaivode", "vojvoda", "waiwode", "weywode", or "woiwod"
  2. ^ Die Sprache der slawischen Bewohner des Ostseeraums
  5. ^ Bjelajac 2004, p. 15.
  • Béla Köpeczi, ed. History of Transylvania, vol. I., 411, 457. (archived URL)
  • voivode. (n.d.). Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from Dictionary.com
  • Bjelajac, Mile (2004). Generali i admirali Kraljevine Jugoslavije 1918—1941. Belgrade: Institut za novu istoriju Srbije. ISBN 86-7005-039-0. 

External links[edit]
