Veronika Deseniška

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Veronika von Deschenitz ( Slovenian Veronika Deseniška , Croatian Veronika Desinićka ; * between 1380 and 1400; † October 17, 1425 or October 18, 1428 in Ojstrica ) was the second wife of Frederick II of Cilli . She was murdered at Osterwitz Castle in the Sanntal.

prehistory

Friedrich II von Cilli was initially married to Elizabeta Frankopanska (Elisabeth Frangipani). From this eight-year marriage came a son Ulrich (born in 1406 or 1407). Through this marriage relationships existed with the old Croatian princely family Frankopan. The domain of this family was threatened from the east by the Ottomans and from the south by the Venetians . The Counts of Cilli were valued allies, but they also had an interest in gaining safe access to the Adriatic .

The father Friedrich II., Hermann II. Von Cilli was already around 85 years old, his son around 60 years old. Nevertheless, the father held the reins tightly in his hand, his son is said to be insolent , fornication , epicurery and a "peculiar regiment". Friedrich's wife was born in 1373 and is described as elderly. For the marriage with Frederick II it is published that it could have been arranged by King Sigismund , the then ruler in Hungary and Croatia , in order to clear the way for the Cillians to the Adriatic through the relations with the Frankopans.

Frederick II, however, was said to have tried (at least) to hand over castles and lordships in the area of ​​influence of the Cillier to Venice in exchange for a “refuge”. Venice tried to get hold of the last Hungarian spheres of influence in Central Dalmatia at that time, which was in contrast to the efforts of the Counts of Cilli and the Frankopans, and on June 25th 1425 had already promised Friedrich protection.

The first wife of Frederick II, Elizabeta Frankopanska, died suddenly in 1422, not yet fifty years old. Rumors arose in which Frederick II was accused of murdering his wife in order to make room for his lover Veronika Deseniška.

These rumors intensified when Frederick II married this mistress three years later without asking his father or King Sigismund. It has not been clearly established whether (only) a secret marriage was actually entered into or whether the head of the family's formal consent to a public marriage was not obtained.

person

Who Veronika Deseniška was and when or where she was born cannot be clearly established. The Slovenian biographical encyclopedia gives Hrvatsko Zagorje in Croatia as the place of birth . It was also assumed that it came from the village of Desinić near the Veliki Tabor castle , but other places with this name are also possible. Whether she came from a noble family cannot be proven: an origin from the area around Veliki Tabor speaks against it (there was no corresponding estate there near Desinić), but there is a place Desnicze or Dessnitz near Bjelovar , after which a noble family is named would have. It is also put up for discussion whether she was a maid of honor, a chambermaid of Elizabeta Frankopanska, who came from Venetian influence area in the Quarnero .

fate

It is assumed that the behavior of Frederick aroused "avenge for revenge against Madame Veronica" in the old Count Hermann and also caused "displeasure" in King Sigismund. Sigismund was married to Friedrich II's sister, Barbara von Cilli . King Sigismund summoned Frederick II to Hungary , had him arrested and handed over to his father. This also avoided a possible duel between Frederick II and a male relative of his wife who had died under mysterious circumstances. Friedrich had already been accused by Hans Veglia-Modrusch, a nephew of the deceased, that he was actually unworthy of a duel as a "bed killer".

Hermann had his son imprisoned at Osterwitz Castle, then in the Friedrichsturm at Obercilli / Celjski grad, named after him . He further forced him to return all castles, lordships and cities that had already been preserved to his father. The Friedrichstein Castle (Grad Fridrihštajn near Dolga vas, Kočevje ), which is considered a “love nest” , was demolished by Hermann II (his son later rebuilt it).

Osterwitz (below) and Frasslau (above), places of captivity, death and first burial of Veronika Deseniška in the west of the Cilli basin

Veronika Deseniška was researched and captured in the Pettau field . She was accused of having enchanted Friedrich II and also tried to kill his father Hermann II with poison. However, the witch trial initiated against them failed. She was acquitted of both counts for lack of evidence, which is highly credited to the judge and his lay judges in the literature.

However, this legal success could not protect them from the violence of the sovereign . Veronika was brought to Osterwitz Castle and slowly starved to death there. A knight from Hermann, Jobst von Helfenberg, helped: he drowned the prisoner while bathing.

The behavior of Hermann II is also shown understanding: According to the views of his time , he had understandable reason to recognize the influence of evil forces in the behavior of his son and to suppress this - after the death of Veronika and after "the magic was broken", he sought reconciliation with his son Friedrich. The behavior of Hermann II is also justified with disappointed hopes: Hermann had the prospect that the Counts of Cilli would be elevated to the rank of imperial prince (which later also happened through Sigismund as emperor), for which it was not appropriate that his son was a "little Ritterfräulein ”had married. Sigismund is quoted as saying “you love something like that, but you don't take it to the altar”. Sigismund was also conciliatory and had planned to appoint Frederick II as his governor in Burzenland Transylvania . This did not happen, however, because Friedrich arrived too late for this award. On April 29, 1429 Frederick was given Krupa Castle in Weisskrain as his own "because of his services to the crown" .

Frederick II went on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1431 . He no longer married, but allegedly did not change: Even as a 90-year-old, he is said to have been able to boo and other carelessness. However, whether he was actually a libertine, as some sources describe him, remains doubtful (the sources, e.g. the reports by Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini , are at least partially colored due to different viewpoints). The fact that the high debts he had entered into were not due to his way of life, but rather to the fact that he had been captured by the Marquis of Ferrara on his return trip to Rome and had to repay the ransom is at least discussed in the literature posed.

Veronika Deseniška was buried in Braslovče (Fraßlau, north of Osterwitz, near Sanneck / Žovnek Castle ), a few years later (1435, after the death of Count Hermann II), her remains were in the Carthusian monastery of Geirach (Kartuzijanski samostan Jurklošter near Laško , earlier Tüffer) laid to rest and foundations made for their salvation. Friedrichstein Castle, which was destroyed by Hermann, was also rebuilt during this time.

Aftermath

The memory of Veronika Deseniška lives on in the memory of the people of Slovenia and in a number of literary works, an opera and a musical about her fate were also written. The Veronika Award (Veronikina nagrada), a Slovenian literary prize, is named after her.

The fate of Veronika Deseniška made the name of Osterwitz Castle famous.

Veronika Deseniška had a daughter from her marriage to Frederick II, who married Vlatko before March 2, 1455, the brother of Katarina Kosača-Kotromanić , the penultimate queen of Bosnia .

Fiction, stage works

  • Mr. Frank (pseudonym for Franz Krones): Veronika von Teschenitz and the Count House of the Cillier. Original novella from the years 1422-1429 of the history of Styria. In Tagespost , Graz, 1863, No. 143 to 215.
  • Jožef Iskrač: Veronika Deseniška. Epic poem in 15 songs, 1863.
  • Jean Litahorsky (or Litahovsky) (pseudonym for Franz Krones, see the contribution by Ingrid Roitner): Veronika von Ceschenik historical tragedy in 4 acts, samozaložba, 1867
  • Josip Jurčič: Veronika Deseniška. Drama, 1881.
  • Oton Župančič: Veronika Deseniška drama, 1924.
  • Anton Novačan: Hermann von Cilley. Drama in five acts. Translated into German by Anna Wambrechtsamer . Munich, Trofenik 1977. ISBN 3-87828-109-9 .
  • Musical 2016

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Spelling variants of the family name in literature are: Teschnitz, Desenice, Desinićka, Dessnitz, Dessenitz, Desnicze, Teschenitz, Dessewitz, Desinić, Desenik
  2. ↑ a b c Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 193.
  3. ↑ Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 189 and 193 (fixed after Pirchegger's death, but dubious year, according to the death register of the Carthusian monastery Geirach / Kartuzijanski samostan Jurklošter).
  4. ↑ a b Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 188.
  5. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 66.
  6. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . Pp. 58, 65.
  7. ↑ a b c d Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 58.
  8. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 58 quoting a passage in Valvasor, Die Ehre des Herzogthums Krain .
  9. ↑ a b c Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 60.
  10. ↑ a b Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 62.
  11. ↑ Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 191.
  12. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . Pp. 58-61.
  13. ↑ Roitner: Desinić. P. 879.
  14. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 57.
  15. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 69, with references.
  16. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . Pp. 60-61.
  17. ^ Krones: Count Hermann. P. 127.
  18. ↑ a b c Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 61.
  19. ↑ Pirchegger: Lower Styrian Bernauer . P. 194.
  20. ^ [1] Albert Muchar: History of the Duchy of Styria. 7. History of Styria under the rule of H. Leopold the Pious (Probus) separated from the Land of Austria in 1373 until the reunification with Austria in 1457 under K. Friedrich IV. Grätz: Leuschner & Lubensky. 1864. pp. 183-184.
  21. ↑ a b Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 67.
  22. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . Pp. 62-63.
  23. ^ Krones: Count Hermann. P. 130.
  24. ↑ a b Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 190.
  25. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 63.
  26. ↑ Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 189.
  27. ^ Krones: Count Hermann. P. 131.
  28. ↑ Pirchegger: Untersteirische Bernauer , p. 192.
  29. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 57 footnote 3, pp. 63, 67.
  30. ↑ Roth: "Witch" Veronika . P. 64 footnote 10.
  31. ↑ Veronika Literature Prize (accessed July 4, 2016).
personal data
SURNAME Deseniška, Veronika
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Deschenitz, Veronika von; Teschnitz, Veronika; Desenice, Veronika; Desinićka, Veronika; Dessnitz, Veronika; Dessenitz, Veronika; Desnicze, Veronika; Teschenitz, Veronika; Dessewitz, Veronika; Desinić, Veronika; Desenik, Veronica
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Slovenian count wife
DATE OF BIRTH between 1380 and 1400
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 1425 or October 18, 1428
Place of death Ojstrica