Elizaveta Ostrogska
Elizaveta Ostrozka | |
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| Born | 1539 Ostrog |
| Died | 1582 (aged 42–43) Volhynia[1] |
| Family | Ostrogski |
| Consort | Dymitr Sanguszko Łukasz III Górka Siemion Olelkowicz Slutski |
| Father | Ilia Ostrogski |
| Mother | Beata Kościelecka |
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Princess Elizaveta Ostrogska (Ukrainian: Єлизавета (Галшка) Острозька - Yelyzaveta (Halshka) Ostroz'ka; Polish: Elżbieta (Halszka) Ostrogska, 1539–1582), nicknamed Black Princess,[1] was a Ruthenian heiress, the only child of Prince Illia Ostrogski and Beata Kościelecka.
Biography
She was born in the Ostrog castle in 1539, soon after her father died. She inherited a great fortune which made her appealing as a bride for potential husbands.
When she was 14, her uncle Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski, against the will of her mother, made her marry Dymitr Sanguszko, starost of Kaniv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr. Sanguszko captured Ostroh and forcibly engaged with Halszka, bringing her to Kaniv. Beata issued a complaint to king Sigismund II Augustus, and Dymitr was forced to flee from persecution, taking Halszka with himself;[1] he was captured and killed by Marcin Zborowski in Jaroměř in 1554.[2]
In 1555 the King forced Halszka to marry Łukasz Górka, voivode of Poznań, Kalisz, Łęczyca and Brześć Kujawski. This happened again against her and her mother's will, as Beata wanted Halszka to marry Siemion Olelkowicz, Prince of Slutsk. Both mother and daughter fled to Lviv and hid in the Dominican Church. Prince Siemon slipped into the church dressed like a beggar and secretly married Princess Ostrozka in 1559. The King however didn't recognize it and ordered Prince Siemon to give Elizaveta back to Górka. The church was besieged, and mother and daughter were forced to surrender and accept the King's will.[3]
Halszka was brought by Górka to his castle in Szamotuły, where she was kept for 14 years. Górka allegedly forced her to wear a mask, and the only place she was allowed to visit was the nearby church connected to her cell through a tunnel. Halszka's inheritance had been awarded to Olelkowicz at Beata's insistence, but in a few months the prince was murdered, and his severed hand was reportedly sent to Halszka along with his engagement ring. Soon thereafter Beata married Sieradz voivode Olbracht Łaski.[1]
After Górka's death in 1573, Halszka was finally able to regain her freedom. She returned to Ostroh and was accepted by her uncle Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski. Halszka wished to marry Jan Ostroróg, but the marriage was prevented by Ostrogski. In her later years Halszka led an ascetic life and was reported to suffer from mental illness. She died at the age of 42 in 1582. In her testament Halszka left part of her inheritance for the academy and printing house of Ostroh.[1]
Inspirations
Her tragic story was told in Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's book Halszka (Wilno 1838).
Jan Matejko pictured her in the background of Kazanie Skargi.
There is a legend about one of the Szamotuły castle towers, that it was the prison for a "dark princess", whose face was hidden behind an iron mask by her husband.
In 1971 Ihor Kalynets dedicated a cycle of poems to Halszka.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Дві Єлизавети з дому Острозьких". 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Opis starożytnéy Polski by Tomasz Święcki
- ^ Marriage Strategies and Inheritance Systems in Europe[permanent dead link]
External links
- Lubomyr Wynar. Ostrozky in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993)
- Marek, Miroslav. "Tree of Ostrogski house". Genealogy.EU.
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