Barbara Radziwiłł

Barbara Radziwiłł (Lithuanian: "Barbora Radvilaitė", Polish: "Barbara Radziwiłłówna"; 1520-51) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, and consort to King Sigismund II August.

Biography

Barbara was the daughter of a powerful magnate of the Radziwiłł family, castellan, voivode and hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Jerzy Radziwiłł, and Barbara Koła.

According to the writings of her contemporaries, Barbara was one of the most beautiful women in Europe. 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 White Russian and Polish and could write both languages, and most likely Latin as well. She also spoke Lithuanian.She was married on May 18, 1537, to Stanislovas Goštautas, Voivode of Nowogrodek and later Voivode of Trakai, who died on December 18, 1542.

Her romance and later marriage in 1547, in Vilnius, 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 nobles, 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 divorce was demanded by the Sejm, 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 Sforza. This resulted in conflicts between the King and many magnates 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 Kraków, five months after her coronation. Her death was a severe loss to the King, and there was an unproven suspicion that she had been poisoned by the Queen Mother, Bona. It had been Barbara's wish to be buried in Lithuania, and a funeral cortege conveyed her body to Vilnius, 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 Twardowski" has that Polish Faust-like figure summoning Barbara's ghost for King Zygmunt August. In 1817 Alojzy Feliński wrote a tragedy, and in 1858 Antoni Edward Odyniec 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 Vilnius. Anna Dymna starred as Barbara, and Jerzy Zelnik as King Zygmunt August.

Barbara has also appeared as a major character in the "Telewizja Polska" television series, "Królowa Bona" (Queen Bona).

In Lithuania, in 1972, Juozas Grušas 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.

Ancestors

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1= Barbara Radziwiłł
2= Jerzy Radziwiłł
3= Barbara Kola
4= Mikalojus Radvila the Old
5= Sofija Ona Manvydaitė
6= Paweł Kola of Dalejów
7= Bruneta of Chodcza
8= Radvila Astikas
9= Eudoxia Światopełk-Czetwertyńska (legendary)
10= Ivan Manvydaitė
11= Anna
12= Jan Kola
13= Małgorzata
14=Stanisław z Chodcza
15=Barbara Pilecka

ee also

* Trakai Island Castle
* Vilnius Castle Complex
* Vilnius Cathedral

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