Jan Karol Chodkiewicz

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (c. 1560 – September 24, 1621) (Belarusian: Ян Караль Хадкевіч, Jan Karal Chadkievič, Lithuanian: Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius) was a famous military commander of the Polish-Lithuanian army who was from 1601 Field Hetman of Lithuania, and from 1605 Grand Hetman of Lithuania, and was one of the most prominent noblemen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of his era. His coat of arms was Chodkiewicz, as was his family name.

He played a major role, often as the top commander of the Commonwealth forces, in the Wallachian campaign of 1599-1600, the Polish-Swedish War of 1600–1611, the Polish-Muscovite War of 1605-1618, and the Polish–Ottoman War of 1620-1621. His most famous victory was the Battle of Kircholm in 1605, in which he dealt a major defeat to a Swedish army three time the size of his own. He died on the front lines during the battle of Chocim, in the besieged Khotyn Fortress, a few days before the Ottomans gave up on the siege and agreed to negotiate.