Voi(e)vod(e)ship, or palatinatum, is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administrated by, a voi(e)vod(e) in several European countries. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia.
In a modern context, the word normally refers to one of the provinces (województwa) of Poland, of which there are currently 16.
A voi(e)vod(e) (literally, "leader of warriors" or "war leader", equivalent to the Latin "Dux Exercituum" and the German "Herzog") was originally a military commander who stood, in a state's structure, next to the ruler. Later the word came to denote an administrative official.
Words for "voivodeship" in various languages include the Polish: województwo; the Romanian: voievodat; the Serbian: vojvodina (војводина), vojvodstvo (војводство) or vojvodovina (војводовина); the Hungarian: vajdaság; the Belarusian: вайводства (vajvodstva); the Lithuanian: vaivadija. Some of these words, or variants of them, may also be used in English.