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Article: Voyevoda
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Russian History
- Author:
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VOYEVODA
In texts from the era of Kievan Rus, the term
voyevoda
designated the commander of a military host of any significant size, be it an entire field army, a division, or a regiment. It might also be used to refer to the administrator or governor of some territory. Researchers therefore frequently encounter the term as a translation of the Greek
archon
and
satrapis
as well as
strategos.
By the 1530s, the practice of annually stationing regimental commanders (
godovye voyevody
) on the Oka River defense line to protect Moscow from Tatar raids had begun to blur the distinction between the military command responsibilities of the regimental commanders and the administrative ...