A Voivodeship, also spelled Voivodship, Voivodina or Vojvodina (Romanian: voievodat, Polish: województwo, Serbian: vojvodina (војводина), vojvodstvo (војводство) or vojvodovina (војводовина), Hungarian: vajdaság, Lithuanian: vaivadija), is a geographical unit of administration dating to medieval Romania, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia (see Vojvodina), ruled by a Voivod (voivode, wojewoda). The Voivod (literal translation: "the one who leads the warriors") was initially the military commander next to the ruler.