Jan Karol Chodkiewicz received an upbringing typical of many sons of magnates – first he went to schools in his home country, then continued his studies in Germany and Italy. His foreign travels culminated in a stay in Malta, where he became acquainted with modern military technique. He gained his first military experience under the command of Stanisław Żółkiewski and Jan Zamoyski. Chodkiewicz’s true martial talent became evident during the wars with the Swedes in Livonia. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Kokenhausen and during the defence of Riga.

After taking independent command, he won a brilliant victory at Biały Kamień, which earned him the great mace of Lithuania. The newly appointed hetman led his small, unpaid and disheartened troops with a firm hand. He headed them against the Swedish army besieging Riga, under the command of King Charles IX of Sweden. The clash took place on 27 September 1605 near Kircholm. Approximately 3,600 soldiers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth faced 11,000 Swedes. The hetman, regardless of the enemy’s numerical superiority, achieved a spectacular victory thanks to the precise use of his modest forces, especially the heavy cavalry, the hussars. Within a few hours, the Swedish army was defeated and the wounded king fled the battlefield.

The triumph at Kircholm resonated throughout Europe, but unfortunately, it was not used to good advantage. Unpaid soldiers mutinied, and the country descended into civil war. In 1607, Chodkiewicz sided with Sigismund III and fought against the rebels at the Battle of Guzów.

After returning to the Livonian front, he continued fighting the Swedes, who remembered their defeat at Kircholm and did not dare to fight an open battle, hiding in towns and castles. When the conflict with Russia broke out, Chodkiewicz attempted to come to the aid of the Polish garrison in the Kremlin. In 1617, he led an expedition to Moscow to bring the tsar’s crown to Polish Prince Ladislas Vasa. After several unsuccessful attacks, the siege of the city was abandoned, and the Treaty of Dywilno ended the Polish- -Muscovite fighting.

The hetman did not enjoy peace for long. The defeat at Cecora and the destruction of the Crown Army forced the Commonwealth to raise a new army. Its command was entrusted to Chodkiewicz, who gathered his troops at Chocim. Using field fortifications, he skilfully headed the defence for a month and repulsed the attacks of the superior Turkish forces commanded by Sultan Osman II. The siege ended with the conclusion of peace on 9 October 1621. Chodkiewicz did not live to see this moment – he died of his illness during the fighting.

The Grand Hetman of Lithuania was known for his energy, foresight, but also impulsiveness. On the battlefield, he employed an economy of force and executed daring manoeuvres aimed at breaking enemy resistance. He also utilized field fortifications in battle. His remarkable victories earned him a place in the pantheon of Old Polish commanders, and his contemporaries nicknamed Chodkiewicz the “Lithuanian Achilles”.

Wojciech Kalwat

The reverses of the gold and silver coins feature an image of hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz and a fragment of a plan of the Battle of Chocim.

Their obverses – apart from the regular elements such as the inscription: “Rzeczpospolita Polska”, year of issue, face value and the image of the Eagle established as the state emblem of the Republic of Poland – also bear the mace and the coat of arms of Jan Karol Chodkiewicz.

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