Barbara Radziwiłł (
LithuanianLithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
:
Barbora Radvilaitė,
PolishPolish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions...
:
Barbara Radziwiłłówna,
BelarusianThe Belarusian language, or Belorussian is the language of the Belarusian people and is spoken in Belarus and abroad, chiefly in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland...
: Барбара Радзівіл; 1520-51) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of
LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until 1795. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the pagan Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija...
, and consort to
KingA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy, a form of government in which the country or entity usually ruled or controlled by an individual who usually rules for life or until abdication...
Sigismund II AugustusSigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
.
Biography
Barbara was the daughter of a powerful
magnateMagnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
of the Radziwiłł family,
castellanA castellan was the governor or caretaker of a castle or keep. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle".-Duties:...
, voivode and
hetmanHetman was the title of the second highest military commander used in 15th to 18th century Poland, Ukraine and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, known from 1569 to 1795 as the Rzeczpospolita....
of the
Grand Duchy of LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until 1795. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the pagan Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija...
Jerzy Radziwiłł, and
Barbara KołaBarbara Kola was a Polish noble lady.Barbara Radziwill in 1520....
.
According to the writings of her contemporaries, Barbara was one of the most beautiful women in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. She was tall for her times (162 cm), with a slim, shapely body, blonde hair and even white teeth. Moreover, Barbara had an interest in fashion and cosmetics; she used perfumes and face powder. She had been well educated by her parents and spoke
LithuanianLithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
,
RuthenianRuthenian is a term used for the varieties of Eastern Slavonic spoken in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth....
(Old Belarusian), and
PolishPolish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions...
and could write in these languages, and most likely Latin as well.
She was
marriedMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
on May 18, 1537, to
Stanislovas GoštautasStanislovas Goštautas was a notable member of the Lithuanian nobility and a high-ranking member of the Lithuanian administration...
, Voivode of Nowogrodek and later Voivode of Trakai, who died on December 18, 1542.
Her
romanceRomance is a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words or deeds. It also refers to a feeling of excitement associated with love....
and later marriage in 1547, in
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
, to Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund II August, the last monarch of the Jagiellon Dynasty, greatly increased the power of the Radziwiłł family in Poland and Lithuania, as may be seen in the rise to power of Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł.
There was substantial opposition to her marriage to the King from many
nobleSzlachta is the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the increasingly polonized territories under their control . The nobility arose in the late Middle Ages and existed through the 18th century and into the 20th century...
s, as the marriage was carried out without regard to the laws governing royal marriages. It was pursued by the King, who seemed to have disregarded the political liabilities and consequences and to have been truly in love with Barbara. A
divorceDivorce or dissolution of marriage is the final termination of a marriage, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons...
was demanded by the
SejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. Each member of Sejm is called Poseł.Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-chamber Polish parliament, comprising the lower house , the upper house and the King. It was commonly termed a three-estate parliament...
, and many political maneuvers took place around the question of the marriage, and were further inflamed by the machinations of the King's mother,
Bona SforzaBona Sforza d'Aragona was a member of the House of Sforza who in 1518 became the second wife of Sigismund I of Poland....
. This resulted in conflicts between the King and many
magnateMagnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s and lesser
szlachta. A deadlock ensued, lasting two years. The opposition finally acquiesced, and Barbara was crowned Queen on December 7, 1550.
Barbara died on May 8, 1551, in
KrakówKraków , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow and pronounced
, is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland and a popular tourist destination. Its historic centre was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites as the first of its kind...
, five months after her coronation. Her death was a severe loss to the King, and there was an unproven suspicion that she had been
poisonIn the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism...
ed by the
Queen MotherQueen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in England since at least 1577...
, Bona. It had been Barbara's wish to be buried in Lithuania, and a funeral cortege conveyed her body to
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
, where her crypt is found in Vilnius Cathedral.
In culture
Barbara's life and death have inspired legends, paintings, literary works and film. The popular legend of
Pan TwardowskiPan Twardowski is a Polish folklore character, a sorcerer who entered a pact with the Devil. Similar to the figure of Faust in German literature, Pan Twardowski sold his soul in exchange for special powers – such as summoning up the spirit of Polish King Sigismund Augustus' deceased wife...
has that Polish
FaustFaust or Faustus is the protagonist of a classic German legend who makes a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge...
-like figure summoning Barbara's ghost for King Zygmunt August. In 1817
Alojzy Feliński-Life:In his childhood he met Tadeusz Czacki. He was educated by the Piarists in Dąbrownica, later in Włodzimierz. In 1778 he settled in Lublin, where he became a close companion of Kajetan Koźmian...
wrote a
tragedyTragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that, paradoxically, offers its audience pleasure...
, and in 1858
Antoni Edward OdyniecAntoni Edward Odyniec was a Polish Romantic-era poet who penned the celebrated "Song of the Filaretes".Himself a mediocre imitator of his friend Adam Mickiewicz, Odyniec made his mark as a translator of works by distinguished writers, including Walter Scott, Byron, Friedrich Schiller and Pushkin;...
a drama,
Barbara Radziwiłłówna.
In 1983 Janusz Majewski directed a film, "
Epitafium dla Barbary Radziwiłłówny" (Epitaph for Barbara Radziwiłł) about Barbara's romance with King Sigismund II August, her death and her posthumous return to
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
.
Anna DymnaAnna Dymna is a Polish TV, film and theatre actress. Foundress of a charity foundation Mimo Wszystko...
starred as Barbara, and
Jerzy ZelnikJerzy Zelnik is a Polish actor. He has appeared in 57 films and television shows since 1963.-Selected filmography:* Landscape After the Battle * The Story of Sin * The Promised Land...
as King Zygmunt August.
Barbara has also appeared as a major character in the
Telewizja PolskaTelewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation....
television series,
Królowa Bona (Queen Bona).
In Lithuania, in 1972,
Juozas GrušasJuozas Grušas was a Lithuanian writer, editor, dramatist and playwright.-Biography:...
wrote a play,
Barbora Radvilaitė. Directed at the Kaunas State Drama Theater by Jonas Jurašas, in the Soviet period the play was very popular for its sense of intellectual resistance to the Soviet-backed regime.
Modern Belarusian writer Maryja Martysievič wrote several poems called
Barbara Radziwil's LiveJournal and put it in an actual blog
~barbara_r. Verses were translated into
PolishPolish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions...
,
LithuanianLithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
and partially into
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
and
UkrainianUkrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses the Cyrillic alphabet....
. Verses were also included in her book
Cmoki latuć na nierast (lit.
Dragons fly away for spawning).
Ancestors
See also
- Trakai Island Castle
Trakai Island Castle is located in Trakai, Lithuania on an island on the shores of Lake Galvė. The castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas...
- Vilnius Castle Complex
The Vilnius Castle Complex is a group of cultural, and historic structures on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnia River, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The complex, which evolved between the 10th and 18th centuries, was one of Lithuania's major defensive structures.The...
- Vilnius Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vilnius is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania.It is situated in Vilnius' Old Town, just off of Cathedral Square. It is the heart of Lithuania's Catholic spiritual life....