Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny

Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny
Петро Конашевич-Сагайдачний
Hetman of the HRG Zaporozhian Host
In office
1616–1622
Preceded byVasyl Strilkovsky
Succeeded byOlifer Holub
Personal details
Bornc.1582
Kulchytsi, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Ukraine)
Died(1622-04-20)20 April 1622
Kyiv, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Ukraine)
Military service
Battles/wars
See list

Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny
Right-Believing Hetman
Venerated inOrthodox Church of Ukraine
Canonized25 May 2011 by Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Feast7 April

Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny (Ukrainian: Петро Конашевич-Сагайдачний; Polish: Piotr Konaszewicz-Sahajdaczny; born c.1582 – 20 April 1622) was a political and civic leader and member of the Ruthenian nobility, who served as Hetman of Zaporozhian Cossacks from 1616 to 1622. During his tenure, he transformed Zaporozhian Cossacks from irregular military troops into a regular army and improved relations between the Cossacks, the Orthodox clergy and peasants of Ukraine, which would later contribute to the establishment of a modern Ukrainian national consciousness. A military leader of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth both on land and sea, Sahaidachny is best known for the significant role his troops played in the Battle of Khotyn against the Ottoman Empire in 1621, as well as the Polish Prince Władysław IV Vasa's attempt to usurp the Russian throne in 1618. Sahaidachny reportedly took part in 60 battles without losing a single one.

In 2011 Sahaidachny was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as a Right-Believing hetman. On 20 April 2022 he was further declared by Metropolitan Epifaniy patron saint of the military forces of Ukraine.