Ivan Pidkova () or Ioan Potcoavă (died 16 June 1578), also known as Ioan Crețul, and Nicoară Potcoavă among

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, was a prominent Cossack

Ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...

, and short-time

ruler of Moldavia This is a list of monarchs of Moldavia, from the first mention of the medieval polity east of the Carpathians and until its disestablishment in 1862, when it united with Wallachia, the other Danubian Principality, to form the modern-day state of ...

(November–December 1577). His

moniker A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

("''pidkova''" in Ukrainian/"''potcoavă''" in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

– "

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

") is said to originate in the fact that he used to ride his stallions to the point of breaking off their horseshoes; another version says that he could break and unbend both horseshoes and coins with his fists. He is perhaps best known as the hero of Ukraine's bard

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

's poem ''Ivan Pidkova'' (1840). Celebrated as a Ukrainian hero he led the Moldavian and Ukrainian struggle against Turkish domination. Most notably, led his famous Moldavian campaign in November 1577, due to which he temporarily took power in

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

. In his poem on Pidkova, Shevchenko "lets his mind travel over the Ukrainian past," expressing his admiration for the Ukrainian Cossacks.

Biography

His ethnic origins are not known, but he is generally regarded as of Ukrainian ethnicity. However,

Paul Robert Magocsi Paul Robert Magocsi (; born January 26, 1945) is an American professor of history, political science, and Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto. He has been with the university since 1980 and became a Fellow of the Royal Societ ...

states he was a

Ukrainian Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Russ ...

origin. More broadly, Pidkova was a " Kozak

Otaman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukrai ...

who led the Moldavian and Ukrainian struggle against the Turks." After rising to prominence as a successful soldier, he became a leader (''

'') and the sworn brother of

Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

Yakiv Shah, elected by the

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

of the Registered

Zaporozhian Host The Zaporozhian Host (), or Zaporozhian Sich () is a term for a military force inhabiting or originating from Zaporizhzhia, the territory in what is Southern and Central Ukraine today, beyond the rapids of the Dnieper River, from the 15th to th ...

from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

neighbouring

.Firov. Hetmans of Ukrainian Cossacks. Sevastopol, 2005. П.Т.ФИРОВ "ГЕТМАНЫ УКРАИНCКОГО КАЗАЧЕСТВА" Биографические справки, Севастополь 2005 In 1574,

Ioan Vodă cel Cumplit John III the Terrible (), also John III the Brave (; 1521 – June 14, 1574) was List of Moldavian rulers, Voivode of Moldavia between February 1572 and June 1574. Dimitrie Cantemir mentions him under the name John the Armenian. He was the grand ...

, whose brother Pidkova claimed to be, had named the territory ''"Our Country from over the Dniester"''. Other Moldavian Atamans and Hetmans of the Cossacks were

Grigore Lobodă Hryhorii Loboda (, , ; born in the Kyiv region — May 1596), was a Kish otaman, Kish Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host (1593–6, with interruptions) of Moldovans, Moldavian (Romanian) descent. In 1594 and 1595 he and Severyn Nalyvaiko took part in t ...

(''Hryhoriy Loboda''; 1593–1596) and

Dănilă Apostol Danylo Pavlovych Apostol ( – ) was Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host from 1727 to 1734. Biography Born into a Cossack family of Moldavian origin, Danylo Apostol was a prominent military leader, '' polkovnyk'' (colonel) of the Myrhorod Regiment, a ...

(''Danylo Apostol''; 1727–1734). Pidkova was one of the so-called ''Domnișori'' ("Little Princes"), named so because of a more or less based claims of belonging to Moldavian ruling families, thus exercising demands of the throne. Claiming to be Ioan III Vodă's half-brother, he together with Hetman Yakiv Shah chased

Peter the Lame Peter V the Lame (; 1534 – 1 July 1594) was Prince of Moldavia from June 1574 to 23 November 1577.Constantin Rezachevici - ''Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova a. 1324–1881'', Volumul I, Editura Enciclopedică, ...

from the throne and resisted the first wave of violent Ottoman reaction. The Turks, their

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

Mihnea Turcitul Mihnea II Turcitul ("Mihnea the Turned-Turk"; July 1564 – October 1601) was Prince (Voivode) of Wallachia between September 1577 and July 1583, and again from April 1585 to May 1591. Rise to the throne The only son of Alexandru II Mircea a ...

and their Transylvania vassal and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

partner, King

Stefan Báthory Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

, managed to remove him. In the end, Pidkova was taken prisoner by Poles and

decapitated Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common ...

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. He is the hero of

's romantic 1839

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

''Ivan Pidkova'', of

writer

Mihail Sadoveanu Mihail Sadoveanu (; occasionally referred to as Mihai Sadoveanu; 5 November 1880 – 19 October 1961) was a Romanian novelist, short story writer, journalist and political figure, who twice served as acting President of Romania, head of st ...

's socialist realist 1952

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

''Nicoară Potcoavă'', and of several Cossack

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

s. His monument is placed on one of the small central squares in

, Ukraine.

References

Sources

Grigore Ureche Grigore Ureche (; 1590–1647) was a Moldavian chronicler who wrote on Moldavian history in his ''Letopisețul Țării Moldovei'' ('' Chronicles of the Land of Moldavia''), covering the period from 1359 to 1594. Biography Grigore Ureche was th ...

, '' Letopisețul Țării Moldovei'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pidkova, Ivan 1578 deaths Zaporozhian Cossacks Hetmans of the Zaporozhian Cossacks Zaporozhian Cossack nobility Monarchs of Moldavia Moldavia People executed by Poland by decapitation Executed Ukrainian people Year of birth unknown 16th-century monarchs in Europe 16th-century Ukrainian people 16th-century military officers Ukrainian military leaders Ukrainian folklore Ukrainian legends Cossack rebels Ukrainian people of Romanian descent Executed monarchs 16th-century Moldavian people