A voivodeship, also spelled voivodship, voivodina or vojvodina (Romanian: "voievodat", Polish: "województwo", Serbian: "vojvodina" (војводина), "vojvodstvo" (војводство) or "vojvodovina" (војводовина), Hungarian: "vajdaság", Lithuanian: "vaivadija", Latin "Palatinatus" in Poland), is a geographical administrative division 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", is the same as to Dux Exercituum / Herzog) was originally the military commander next to the ruler.