Voivode

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Voivode" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Imperial, royal, noble, gentry and chivalric ranks in Europe
Part of a series on

Emperor, Empress dowager Tsar, Tsarina Kaiser Great king, Great queen High king, High queen King consort dowager
Queen regnant consort dowager mother Archduke, Archduchess Grand duke, Grand duchess
Prince consort Princess consort Boyar Duke, Duchess Knyaz, Knyaginya Heir Heir apparent Prince of Wales Heir presumptive
Herzog Jarl Prince-elector, Princess-elector Fürst, Fürstin Marquess, Marchioness Margrave, Margravine Marcher lord Landgrave
Count palatine Voivode Count, Countess Earl Ealdorman Viscount, Viscountess Castellan Burgrave, Burgravine
Vidame Starosta Baron, Baroness Lord paramount Overlord Tenant in chief Territorial lord Liege lord Mesne lord
Lendmann Nobile Edler Primor Fidalgo Baronet, Baronetess Vavasour Imperial knight Knight/Chevalier Ritter
Knight bachelor Thane Druzhinnik Lord of the manor Vogt Esquire Gentleman, Gentlewoman
Franklin Yeoman Man at arms Edelfrei Ministerialis
v t e

Voivode (/ˈvɔɪvoʊd/ VOY-vohd), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode (/ˈvaɪvoʊd, ˈveɪ-/ V(A)Y-vohd), voivoda, vojvoda or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the medieval rulers of the Romanian-inhabited states and of governors and military commanders of Poles, Hungarian, Balkan, Russian people and other Slavic-speaking populations.

In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, voivode was interchangeably used with palatine. In the Tsardom of Russia, a voivode was a military governor. Among the Danube principalities, voivode was considered a princely title.