Barbara Radziwiłł

Queen Barbara Radziwiłł (Portrait of Lucas Cranach the Younger )

Barbara Radziwill (also Barbara Radziwiłłówna , Lithuanian Barbora Radvilaitė , Belarusian Барбара Радзівіл * 6. December 1520 in Vilnius , †  8. May  1551 in Krakow ) was a noblewoman from the Lithuanian noble family of Radziwill (lit. Radvila ). As the wife of Sigismund II August , she was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1550 .

Life

Barbara was the daughter of the Lithuanian magnate Jerzy Herkules Radziwiłł (lit. Jurgis Radvila ), the Grand Hetman of Lithuania and Barbara Koła. According to contemporary reports, Barbara was one of the most beautiful women of her time.

Her parents had given her a good education, she spoke and wrote both Ruthenian , the language of the upper classes of the Grand Duchy, as well as Polish and probably Latin and some Lithuanian . On 18 May 1537 was Stanislaus Gasztold, the province governor of Trakai married, who died on 18 December 1542nd

Pan Twardowski makes the ghost of the late Queen Barbara Radziwiłł appear before King Sigismund (painting by Wojciech Gerson, 19th century)

Their love affair and subsequent marriage, in 1547 in Vilnius, with King Sigismund II August, the last king of the Jagiellonian dynasty, significantly strengthened the power of the Radziwiłł family in Poland and Lithuania and had the rise of their brother Mikołajs Radziwiłł "the Red" ( lit. Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis ) and cousins Mikołajs Radziwiłł “the Black” (lit. Mikalojus Radvila Juodasis ). There was considerable resistance from the subjects to this marriage, as it was concluded against the rules that applied to royal marriages. The Sejm demanded that the king separate from his wife. This was also supported by the queen mother Bona Sforza , as she sought a political alliance for the ruler and her only son and not a connection with a vassal . Sigismund August defended his great love and even risked his crown. Ultimately the resistance waned and Barbara was crowned Queen and Grand Duchess on December 7, 1550. Five months later she died in Krakow on May 8, 1551, presumably of cervical cancer . Her death was a heavy loss for the king, who then wore only black clothes until the end of his life.

In accordance with her wish to be buried in Lithuania, Barbara was transferred to Vilnius and buried in a crypt in the Cathedral of Vilnius .

Web links

Commons : Barbara Radziwiłł  - collection of images, videos and audio files

predecessor	Office	Successor
Elisabeth of Austria	Queen of Poland 1550–1551	Catherine of Austria