Leo Karol Chodkiewicz

### Childhood

Leo was born in Vilnius, Poland, on April 22, 1786 , to Jan Karol Chodkiewicz and Danika Kaczmarek . He was the oldest of 4 children. He spent most of his early childhood in Vilnius, where his father began to educate him at an early age. As he matured, he spent more and more time with his father. As early as the age of 12, he began to go with his father to military drills and military construction sites. He would often be with his father as his father would scan over maps and letters and anything else his father had to do as Hetman.

### Teenage Years

The time spent with his father was what caused him to do what he eventually would be known for. From the age of 12 and on until he was 15 his father taught him military strategy, and battle skills. They examined the records of historic battles and would often debate about what the losing nation could've done differently to win. His father taught him how to shoot and how to fight, both with and without swords. As soon as he was able to, his father sent him to school, where he learned math and basic engineering. At the age of 15, Poland began to go through a time of famine. In order to guarantee a better future for their son, Jan and his wife sent Leo off to the American continent, where, after failing to join the Amerian Army due to a language barrier, eventually, he joined the Canadian military.

### Adult Years - Canada

Within 4 years, and some unexpected circumstances, Leo worked his way up the Canadian military ranks. At just the age of 19, due to many of the generals and leading military figures being called back to the United Kingdom, he was promoted to one of the leading generals in the Canadian military. For many years, he served the Canadian people, including his efforts to bring them through the transition to independence from the United Kingdom, who let Canada peacefully become its own nation. Leo was a huge proponent for peace for most of his life.

### Adult Years - The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Some years after the independence of Canada, Leo received a letter from his father requesting his help in re-establishing order within the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. A democratic government had attempted to establish itself and had failed. Anarchy had begun to ensue. Leo's father had managed to amass a large amount of support throughout the Commonwealth while the democratic government had begun to unravel and, due to his age, had placed the hope of his group upon his son, Leo. Leo return and led the rebellion against the democrats, however, upon arriving in the capital, found no resistance. During his march to Krakow, he wrote in his journal the following:

*"The people in every city we have passed through has welcomed us as if we were God himself who had descended to save them from their misery. Our numbers seem to swell with every city or town that we pass by. The weird thing is, is that we haven't met any resistance from the government. No major battles, not even a message from the current leader. I do hope I am not leading these men to their deaths in some trap."*

Leo's group took control of the government, and upon the reestablishment of the Sejm, Leo and his wife were voted as and crowned King and Queen of the Commonwealth. During his reign, he fended off many Russian and Swedish displays of aggression and oversaw the reconstruction of various cities within the Commonwealth.

### Family

Leo married a woman by the name of Gabrielle Bellerose and they had 5 kids, 3 boys (Emeryk Jan Chodkiewicz, Rafal Jan Chodkiewicz)and 2 girls.

## Achievments

* successfully overthrew the Democratic government set up after the fall of the last monarch
* led the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth out of ruin into a new era of prosperity
* resumed and completed the construction of the Polish-Russian border wall
* began the reconstruction of Warsaw
* oversaw the construction of the Warsaw Palace
* Expanded the navy
* Oversaw the construction of new cities