Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky

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Prince Ivan Andreyevich Khovansky (Russian: Иван Андреевич Хованский) (? - 1621) was a Russian boyar, voyevoda of Novgorod, and namestnik of Ryazan.

During the Time of Troubles, he participated in the struggle against the supporters of False Dmitry II and Polish invaders. In 1607, Ivan Khovansky was sent to Mikhailov, which had been occupied by the opponents of Vasili IV of Russia, but his attacks on this city would be rebuffed. In 1608, he and Prokopy Lyapunov fought against the Polish army in the Ryazan region, but would be defeated by Aleksander Józef Lisowski at Zaraysk. In 1610, Ivan Khovansky fought alongside Prince Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, who ordered him to combine forces with the Swedish army, occupy the southern part of the Tver region, and prevent the enemy from regrouping. Ivan Khovansky managed to rendezvous with the Swedes near Staritsa, capture Rzhev, and beset Bely. Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski was dispatched to aid the Polish army, but Ivan Khovansky avoided the collision and moved towards Mozhaisk in order to combine forces with Dmitry Shuisky. Ivan Khovansky took part in the infamous Battle of Klushino, during which Dmitry Shuisky would suffer a bitter defeat from Hetman Żółkiewski. When Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin organized a voluteer army to save Moscow from the Polish invaders, Ivan Khovansky took part in this army’s campaign against the enemy. Together with Minin, he even commanded this army during its march from Yaroslavl to Rostov, while Pozharsky was in Suzdal. In 1613-1614, Khovansky was appointed voyevoda in Yaroslavl. In the spring of 1615, he was granted the title of a boyar and sent to the outskirts of Smolensk to command the inactive Russian army. Khovansky didn’t take part in any military action due to the beginning of peace talks. When the negotiations were interrupted, Ivan Khovansky was put in charge of a unit (approx. 5,000 men), which had been fighting the Lithuanians in the Siversk region. In 1616-1617, he was appointed head of the Judicial Prikaz in Vladimir and then voyevoda of Novgorod (from June of 1617 to 1619).

This article includes content derived from the Russian Biographical Dictionary, 1896 - 1918.