otherwise unknown brother Pavel, and eleven other Ruthenian nobles signed a letter to Pope Sixtus IV in 1476, authored by Miseal (Misail Pstruch), Metropolitan of Kiev. The letter expressed loyalty to the Council of Florence and supported a church union between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. It also contained complains that the Catholics were discriminating the Orthodoxs and asked the Pope for protection. There are doubts whether the letter was authentic and not a later forgery. In 1478, Ivan was mentioned as starosta of Lutsk. It was a high-level position in Volhynia, an important region contested between Poland and Lithuania. As starosta, Ivan enacted new taxes that faced resistance and were canceled by his successor. Ivan Chodkiewicz reached the top of his career when he became voivode of Kiev in summer 1480. This upset dynastic interest of the Olelkovich and Belsky families, who could claim ancestry from the ruling Gediminid dynasty and Princes of Kiev. Disappointed by such dynastic policies, Mikhailo Olelkovich with relatives and planned a coup against Casimir IV in 1481. However, the conspiracy was discovered, possibly by Ivan Chodkiewicz, and Mikhailo and Ivan were executed. Kiev Voivodeship was threatened by the Crimean Khanate under Khan Mengli Giray. Therefore, it had to have strong and organized military, and Ivan's military experience was useful. However, the Tatars invaded the region and kidnapped Ivan and his family in 1482. Ivan and his daughter (name unknown) died in captivity, while his wife, son Aleksander, and daughter Agrafena were ransomed. Notes References Notes Bibliography 1420s births 1484 deaths Year of birth uncertain Ivan Chodkiewicz Ruthenian nobility