Ioan Potcoava

Ioan Potcoava

Ioan al IV-lea Potcoavă (or Ivan Pidkova – Іван Підкова in Ukrainian; also known as Ioan Sarpega, Ioan Creţul, and allegedly baptized as Nicoară Potcoavă; died June 16, 1578) was a Hetman of Ukrainian Cossacks (1577–1578; possibly the first one in history to be elected by the entire Zaporizhian Sich), and Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia (November – December 1577). His moniker ("potcoavă" in Romanian/"pidkova" in Ukrainian – "horseshoe") 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.