Ivan Pidkova
Ivan Pidkova or Ioan Potcoavă, also known as Ioan Crețul, and Nicoară Potcoavă among Romanians, was a prominent Cossack Ataman, and short-time ruler of Moldavia. His moniker is said to originate in the fact that he used to ride his stallions to the point of breaking off their horseshoes; another version says that he could break and unbend both horseshoes and coins with his fists. He is perhaps best known as the hero of Ukraine's bard Taras Shevchenko's poem Ivan Pidkova. Celebrated as a Ukrainian hero he led the Moldavian and Ukrainian struggle against Turkish domination. Most notably, led his famous Pidkova's [Moldavian Campaign (1577)|Moldavian campaign] in November 1577, due to which he temporarily took power in Moldavia.
Biography
His ethnic origins are not known, but he is generally regarded as of Ukrainian ethnicity. However, Paul Robert Magocsi states he was a Ukrainian Cossack of Romanian origin. More broadly, Pidkova was a "Kozak Otaman who led the Moldavian and Ukrainian struggle against the Turks." After rising to prominence as a successful soldier, he became a leader and the sworn brother of Hetman Yakiv Shah, elected by the Cossacks of the Registered Zaporozhian Host from Ukraine neighbouring Moldavia. In 1574, Ioan Vodă cel Cumplit, whose brother Pidkova claimed to be, had named the territory "Our Country from over the Dniester". Other Moldavian Atamans and Hetmans of the Cossacks were Grigore Lobodă and Dănilă Apostol.Pidkova was one of the so-called Domnișori, named so because of a more or less based claims of belonging to Moldavian ruling families, thus exercising demands of the throne. Claiming to be Ioan III Vodă's half-brother, he together with Hetman Yakiv Shah chased Peter the Lame from the throne and resisted the first wave of violent Ottoman reaction. The Turks, their Wallachian vassal Mihnea Turcitul and their Transylvania vassal and Polish partner, King Stephen Batory, [King of Poland|Stefan Báthory], managed to remove him. In the end, Pidkova was taken prisoner by Poles and decapitated in Lviv.