Hetman of The Cossacks
After rising to prominence as a successful soldier, he was elected Hetman by the Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host neighbouring Moldavia. Such elections do not appear to have been uncommon; Stefan Batory, the Prince of Transylvania stated that:
- "The lands between the Bug and Dniester are populated by a mix of races composed of Lithuanian Poles, Muscovites and Romanians. The Cossacks are raised from the Muscovites and Romanians".
In 1574, Ioan Vodă cel Cumplit named the territory "Our Country from over the Dniester". Other Moldavian Hetmans of the Cossacks were Grigore Lobodă (Hryhoriy Loboda; 1593–1596) and Dănilă Apostol (Danylo Apostol; 1727–1734).
Read more about this topic: Ioan Potcoava