Hieronim Chodkiewicz ( lt, Jeronimas Chodkevičius; ca. 1515–1561) was a
Ruthenian noble from the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
, who was
Elder of Samogitia
The Duchy of Samogitia ( lt, Žemaičių seniūnija, sgs, Žemaitėjės seniūnėjė, pl, Księstwo żmudzkie)Grzegorz Błaszczyk, ''Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna'', Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Pozn ...
from 1545 until his death. He was son of
Aleksander and brother of
Hrehory and
Yurii Chodkiewiczs. Due to the political success of Chodkiewicz and his brothers, the
Chodkiewicz family became the second wealthiest family in the Grand Duchy after the
Radziwiłłs according to a military census of 1567 – a significant increase from the
1528 census when their father Alexander was 11th on the list. Chodkiewicz distanced himself from his
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
roots—he possibly converted to Catholicism around 1530 and to
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
around 1550.
Religion
Traditional historiography usually states that Chodkiewicz was born around 1500. However, Lithuanian historian Genutė Kirkienė has noted that in such a case Chodkiewicz would have begun 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 the 1500s to mid-1510s. Kirkienė also argued that Hieronim was born as Ivan and raised as
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
—he converted to Catholicism and was baptized Hieronim (after St.
Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...
) around 1530. That would explain his later marriage to a Catholic and appointment to positions in Vilnius and Trakai generally reserved for Catholics. Chodkiewicz corresponded with known Protestant activist
Albert, Duke of Prussia
Albert of Prussia (german: Albrecht von Preussen; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th Grand Masters of the Teutonic Knights, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, who after converting to Lutheranism, became the first r ...
since the mid 1530s and send his son
Jan Hieronimowicz to be educated there. He was also a sponsor of theologian
Friedrich Staphylus
Friedrich Staphylus (27 August 1512 – 5 March 1564) was a German theologian, at first a Protestant and then a Catholic convert.
Biography
Staphylus was born at Osnabrück. His father, Ludeke Stapellage, was an official of the Bishop of Os ...
, who visited him in Lithuania in spring 1549. The historiography usually provides 1553 as the year when Chodkiewicz fully converted to
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
.
Political career
The political rise of Chodkiewicz was related to the transfer of power from Grand Duke
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I the Old ( pl, Zygmunt I Stary, lt, Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...
to his son
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...
. In 1542, Sigismund the Old made a series of appointments to various political posts and Chodkiewicz became
Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania. In 1544, Sigismund Augustus was entrusted to rule the Grand Duchy and almost immediately made new appointments. Chodkiewicz became
castellan
A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
of
Trakai
Trakai (; see names section for alternative and historic names) is a historic town and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. T ...
while his father was promoted to
voivode of Nowogródek. Both of these positions guaranteed seats in the
Lithuanian Council of Lords
The Lithuanian Council of Lords ( be, Паны-Рада, lt, Ponų taryba) was the main permanent institution of central government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania active in its capital city of Vilnius.
It had originated from the advisory Council ...
. Just a year later, in 1545, Hieronim Chodkiewicz was further promoted to
Elder of Samogitia
The Duchy of Samogitia ( lt, Žemaičių seniūnija, sgs, Žemaitėjės seniūnėjė, pl, Księstwo żmudzkie)Grzegorz Błaszczyk, ''Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna'', Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Pozn ...
thus politically surpassing his father. The appointment to Samogitia most likely was due to his marriage to a Samogitian noblewoman. Chodkiewicz and his son held the position until 1579, replacing
Kęsgailos as the most influential Samogitian family and acquiring many properties in Samogitia, including
Kretinga
Kretinga (; german: Crottingen) is a City in Klaipėda County, Lithuania. It is the capital of the Kretinga district municipality. It is located east of the popular Baltic Sea resort town of Palanga, and about north of Lithuania's 3rd largest c ...
,
Skuodas
Skuodas (; Samogitian: ''Skouds'') is a city located in Klaipėda County, in northwestern Lithuania, on the border with Latvia. The Bartuva river flows through the town.
History
Skuodas was first mentioned in written sources in 1253. At t ...
,
Lyduvėnai
Lyduvėnai is a small town in the , Raseiniai District Municipality, Kaunas County in central Lithuania. The town is 15 km north of Raseiniai and is near the confluence of the Dubysa and rivers. Lyduvėnai is the home of the longest (599 metr ...
.
Šaukėnai
Šaukėnai is a village in Šiauliai County in northern-central Lithuania. In 2011 it had a population of 596.
Šaukėnai has Šaukėnų Holy Trinity masonry church (built in 1989), a high school, a library, a post office (ZIP code: 86043), a ...
, obtained as his wife's dowry, became the primary residence of the Chodkiewicz family in Samogitia.
Chodkiewicz supported Queen
Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza d'Aragona (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, and Duchess of Bari and Rossano by her own right. She was a surviving member of ...
when she vehemently opposed the marriage of
Barbara Radziwiłł
Barbara Radziwiłł ( pl, Barbara Radziwiłłówna, lt, Barbora Radvilaitė; 6 December 1520/23 – 8 May 1551) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as consort of Sigismund II Augustus, the last male monarch of the Jagiellon dynas ...
and Sigismund Augustus. That brought Chodkiewicz into disfavor of Sigismund and further rivalry with the Radziwiłłs, who swept all the top posts and almost became ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' rulers in Lithuania. In 1555, King
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...
sent him on a diplomatic mission to
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pap ...
and
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
. The latter granted him and his family the honorary title of
Graf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
. Further career of Chodkiewicz was related to the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
. In 1559, Hieronim Chodkiewicz was promoted to castellan of Vilnius and his brother Hrehory, noted for loyal military service, became castellan of Trakai. In 1560, Hieronim commanded the Lithuanian armies in Livonia, defeating the Muscovites at
Cēsis
Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Upland, Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja, Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges ...
(Wenden). Death of Chodkiewicz in 1561 was a blow to the family as it lost influential seats in the Council of Lords. Partially thanks to the successful military campaigns of Hrehory, the Chodkiewiczs restored their influence within three years.
Titles and positions
Chodkiewicz held the following titles and positions:
* Starost of
Vilkija
Vilkija () ( pl, Wilki, yi, ווילקי or ''Vilki'') is a city in the Kaunas district municipality, Lithuania. It is located north-west of Kaunas city municipality, right on the north side of the river Nemunas, the most important river in L ...
(1536 or 1550–1561),
Ashmyany
Ashmyany ( be, Ашмя́ны; Łacinka: ''Ašmiany''; russian: Ошмя́ны; lt, Ašmena; pl, Oszmiana; yi, אָשמענע, ''Oshmene'') is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus, located at 50 km from Vilnius. The town is Ashmyany District's ...
(1538–1541),
Radun (1542–1545),
Plateliai
Plateliai ( sgs, Platelē; pl, Płótele) is a town in Samogitia, Lithuania. It is situated on the west bank of Lake Plateliai, the largest lake in Samogitia. The town with the population of about 1,100 people is the center of an elderate in Plun ...
and
Telšiai
Telšiai (; Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis.
Telšiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithua ...
(1546–1554),
Shkloŭ
Shklow ( be, Шклоў, ; Škłoŭ; russian: link=no, Шклов, ''Shklov''; yi, שקלאָוו, ''Shklov'', lt, Šklovas, pl, Szkłów) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus, located north of Mogilev on the Dnieper river. It has a railway s ...
(1550–1554)
* Royal Cup-bearer (1542–1544)
* Castellan of
Trakai
Trakai (; see names section for alternative and historic names) is a historic town and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. T ...
(1544–1549) and
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
(1559–1561)
*
Elder of Samogitia
The Duchy of Samogitia ( lt, Žemaičių seniūnija, sgs, Žemaitėjės seniūnėjė, pl, Księstwo żmudzkie)Grzegorz Błaszczyk, ''Żmudź w XVII i XVIII wieku: zaludnienie i struktura społeczna'', Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Pozn ...
(1545–1561)
* Graf of
Bykhaw
Bykhaw ( be, Бы́хаў, Łacinka: ''Bychaŭ'', ) or Bykhov (russian: Бы́хов, pl, Bychów, yi, italic=yes, Bihov, , lt, Bychavas) is a town in the eastern Belarusian Mogilev Region. It is located 44 km south of Mogilev (M on the D ...
,
Shkloŭ
Shklow ( be, Шклоў, ; Škłoŭ; russian: link=no, Шклов, ''Shklov''; yi, שקלאָוו, ''Shklov'', lt, Šklovas, pl, Szkłów) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus, located north of Mogilev on the Dnieper river. It has a railway s ...
and Mysz (1555–1561)
Family
Sometime between 1536 and 1545, Chodkiewicz married widow Anna Szemetówna ( lt, Ona Šemetaitė), daughter of Jan Szemet (Lithuanian: ''Jonas Šemeta''). He had one son,
Ivan Hieronimovich, born in about 1537, who became Elder of Samogitia and
Grand Marshal of Lithuania
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and co ...
. Chodkiewicz had seven daughters. Five of them were married to members of the
Lithuanian Council of Lords
The Lithuanian Council of Lords ( be, Паны-Рада, lt, Ponų taryba) was the main permanent institution of central government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania active in its capital city of Vilnius.
It had originated from the advisory Council ...
:
*Zofia married Mikołaj Aleksandrowicz
Czartoryski
The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; lt, Čartoriskiai) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dynas ...
,
voivode of Volhynia
*Barbara married Mikołaj
Kiszka,
Voivode of Podlaskie
Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the m ...
, in 1563
*Krystyna married Stanisław
Pac,
voivode of Vitebsk
Vitebsk Voivodeship ( be, Віцебскае ваяводзтва, pl, Województwo witebskie, la, Palatinatus Vitebsciensis) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (from 1569 Polish–Lithu ...
, in 1564
*Halszka married Szczęsny Hołowczyński, castellan of
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
*Konstancja married Pawel Wołłowicz, castellan of
Navahradak
Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus.
In the Middle A ...
*Anna married Jan Leśniewski, deputy cup-bearer and royal secretary
*Daughter, name unknown, married Mikołaj Wolski
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chodkiewicz, Hieronim
1510s births
1561 deaths
Politicians from Vilnius
People from Vilnius Voivodeship
Hieronim Chodkiewicz
16th-century Polish nobility
Polish Lutherans
Elders of Samogitia