Konstantin Iwanowitsch Ostroschski

Konstantin Ostroschski with the hetman's staff in his right hand, painting from the 16th century

Konstanty ostrogski ( Polish Konstanty Ostrogski Iwanowicz , Ruthenian Константин Иванович Острожский, Latin Constantine in Ostrog , Lithuanian Konstanty Ostrogski , Ukrainian Костянтин Іванович Острозький Kostyantyn Iwanowytsch Ostroskyj * to 1460 ; † 10. August 1530 ) was a Ruthenian prince and magnate from the house Ostrogski . He was Grand Hetman of Lithuania (1497-1530), also Starost , Marshal of Volhynia (1507-1522), Castellan of Vilna (1511-1522) and Voivode of Troki (1522-1530).

Life

Konstantin was the son of Ivan Ostroschski († approx. 1465) and a daughter of Prince Ivan Belski († approx. 1446) from the Gediminas family who was not known by name .

Ostroschski began his military career under King Johann Albrecht . He took part in the successful campaigns against the Crimean Tatars and the Grand Duchy of Moscow . For his victory near Ochakiv against an army of the Crimean Khan Mehmed I. Giray he was rewarded with the title of Grand Hetman of Lithuania. He was the very first holder of this title.

Ostroschski was defeated in the Battle of Wedrosch during the Russo-Lithuanian War in 1500 and was imprisoned by the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III for six years . Finally, in 1506, he took an oath of allegiance to Grand Duke Vasily III. , in addition, the Moscow Metropolitan Simon vouched for him. Ostroschski was raised to the rank of boyar and was given command of parts of the army. However, as early as 1507 Ostroschski broke the oath during a visit to the border area and fled to Lithuania.

King Sigismund I allowed him to resume his old post as Grand Hetman of Lithuania. In 1508 he was given control of the city of Turow , which was destroyed by the Tatars , which is also evident from the Turow Gospel . In 1512 he was one of the main military leaders of Poland-Lithuania in the battle of Vyshnivets in today 's Ternopil Oblast over Crimean Tatar troops.

In 1514, during the Russo-Lithuanian War 1512–1522, Ostroschski became commander-in-chief of all troops, both Lithuanian and Polish. Among his subordinates were Georg "Hercules" Radziwiłł , Janusz Świerczowski , Wojciech Sampoliński and the later Grand Hetman of the Polish Crown Jan Amor Tarnowski . On September 8, 1514 he achieved a brilliant victory when he and his army, the force of Vasily III. put to flight in the battle of Orsha . However, its victory at Orsha did not bring Lithuania any territorial advantages. The Lithuanians were unable to recapture the important Smolensk fortress and the surrounding area, which was captured by Russia . The victory over the " schismatics allied with Satan " was exploited for propaganda purposes and its significance was often exaggerated in order to prevent an alliance between Russia and the Holy Roman Empire and to secure the support of the Pope.

In 1517 Ostroschski failed with the siege of the Russian border fortress Opotschka .

In league with the Kiev province governor Andrij Nemyrowytsch and Star East of Cherkassy , Ostap Dashkevych , he won in 1527 in the Battle of the Olschaniza , near Kiev, again on the Crimean khanate and freed thousands of people, the Crimean Tatars in the slavery to the Crimea drifted.

Konstantin Ostroschski died in 1530 as a respected general and politician .

estate

Lost tomb Ostroschski in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra

Despite his loyalty to the Catholic kings of Poland and his feud with the Orthodox Grand Duchy of Moscow, Ostroschski remained in the tradition of his family until the end, Christian Orthodox himself . He promoted the building of Orthodox churches and schools for Orthodox children. As one of the richest magnates of the Orthodox faith in Poland-Lithuania, he was buried in the Assumption Cathedral in Kiev -Pechersk Lavra in 1579 . The enclosure of the tomb was destroyed by fire in 1718. It has been lost since the Second World War . Jerzy Radziwill succeeded him on March 20, 1531 in the office of Grand Hetman Lithuania .

Marriage and offspring

Konstantin Ostroschski was married to Anna Tatjana Ostroschska († approx. 1522) from about 1509 in the first marriage , from the Princely House of Holszański . In his second marriage in 1523 he married Alexandra Ostroschska († approx. 1555), from the Princely House of Olelkowicz Słucki . From both marriages there were two sons:

• (1) Ilia Ostrogski († 1539), Lithuanian-Ruthenian prince and civil servant (Starost)
• (2) Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski († 1608), Lithuanian-Ruthenian prince and civil servant (Starost, voivode, marshal)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Nikolai Karamsin : History of the Russian State , Vol. 7, Chap. 1.
2. ^ Marshall T. Poe: People Born to Slavery: Russia in Early Modern European Ethnography, 1478-1748 . Cornell University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8014-3798-9 , p. 21.
3. ↑ Konstanty Prince Ostroschski, as one of the most powerful feudal lords of Ruthenian origin in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , opposed the autocracy of the Moscow Grand Dukes, with whom he shared a common male ancestor .
4. ^ Andreas Beyer; Günter Meissner . In: General Artist Lexicon . The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL). Volume 23, Saur, Munich a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-598-22763-9 , p. 308.
5. ↑ Genealogy of the Dynasty

literature

• I. Vorontschuk: Ostroskyj Kostjantyn Ivanovich . In: W. A. ​​Smolij and others (Redkol.): Enzyklopedija istoriji Ukrajiny , Vol. 7: Мл — О, Naukowa dumka, Kyjiv 2010. ISBN 978-966-00-1061-1 , pp. 691-693 (Ukrainian) ( online )

Web links

Commons : Konstantin Ostroschski  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files