1) Military rank 
Voivode (Old Slavic, literally `warlord`) is a Slavic title that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force (warlord). It derives from the word vojevoda, which in early Slavic meant the bellidux, i.e. the military commander of an area, but it usually had a greater meaning. In Byzantine times it was used to refer to mainly mil.....
leader of an army; provincial governor
• (n.) See Waywode.
(from the article `Rom`) ...dealings with local nationals were probably no more than chieftains of bands, who moved in groups of anything from 10 to a few hundred households. ...
Voi'vode noun See Waywode . Longfellow. 
A slavic term designating a military leader, adopted for a time by the rulers or princes of Walachia and Moldavia.