Aleksander Chodkiewicz

Who was Aleksander Chodkiewicz?

Aleksander Chodkiewicz was a noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, founder of the Supraśl Orthodox Monastery. He inherited vast possessions from his father Ivan Chodkiewicz, which made him 11th wealthiest person in the Grand Duchy according to a military census of 1528. Via his mother Jawnuta of the Belsky family, he was second cousin to Kings of Poland John I Albert, Alexander Jagiellon, and Sigismund I the Old. Chodkiewicz quickly gained influence under Alexander Jagiellon, becoming royal marshal but after Jagiellon's death in 1506 his career stagnated. He supported Queen Bona Sforza, gaining her favor and becoming starost of Brest in 1528. The peak of his career came in 1544 when young Sigismund II Augustus, still influenced by his mother, appointed Chodkiewicz as voivode of Nowogródek and his son Hieronim as castellan of Trakai.