In the history of Europe you can count no more than a dozen real historical figures, whose name is associated with the same number of legends as with the wife of King Sigismund II Augustus.
Barbara Radziwill, whose biography is presented below, has become the main character in many ballads, poems and plays. Later, in the 20th century, the love story of the Polish monarch for her more than once inspired filmmakers to create romantic films about the fate of this “Lithuanian Juliet”.
Young years
Barbara was born in December 1520 and was the daughter of the powerful Lithuanian tycoon Yuri Radziwill. Her family was so wealthy that she was able to give the beloved Basa a dowry, equivalent to the fact that many European kings left the Dauphines an inheritance.
Parents took care of the girl’s education. In particular, it is known that she was fluent in 6 languages, including Latin and Greek. In addition, Barbara was taught drawing, mathematics, horseback riding, geography, playing musical instruments, theology, etc. Thus, by the time she began to be considered a girl of marriage, Barbara Radziwill was one of the most educated women of her time. possessing knowledge that meets all the requirements of the European Renaissance.
First marriage
In the spring of 1537, at the age of 17, Barbara Radziwill became the wife of Count Stanislav Hastold. Her husband was the son of the state chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, and it was even said about him that he was more influential than his monarch.
For 5 years while this marriage lasted, the young wife believed that her husband was unfair to her, although she herself also treated him rather coldly. Be that as it may, she did not give birth to children, so rumors spread about her infertility and that she was a witch, so the Lord did not give her offspring. Moreover, when the father-in-law and the mother-in-law were able to do it for several years, and then the husband of Countess Gastold died suddenly and unexpectedly, they began to speculate at the court that she was a poisoner.
At the court of Sigismund Augustus
According to the laws of that time, the widow had to retire from the world and mourn her husband alone. During this period, many became interested in the question of where and with whom Barbara Radziwill lived, having buried Stanislav Gastold. As it turned out, she left her husband’s house and went to Vilna, where she settled in her brother’s castle, Nikolai Red.
After 5 years of widowhood, Barbara Radziwill began to attend evenings and balls and met the son of the Polish king Sigismund Augustus. The Grand Duke immediately fell in love with the beautiful Barbara, and made her the maid of honor of his wife Elizabeth of Habsburg. The young beauty did not resist for long and soon became his mistress, especially since he completely captivated her with his manners and constant signs of attention. In order to have an occasion to meet with Basya more often, the king brought close not only his widow's brother, but also her cousin, Nikolai Cherny Radziwill.
Scandal
It was not easy to hide the love affair from the eyes of the courtiers, so Barbara left Vilna for her husband’s castle, which she inherited. The departure of the beloved did not cool the ardor of Sigismund, and he began to go on dates, spending many hours in the saddle, regardless of the weather and season.
When they began talking about the romance of Barbara and the heir to the throne even in the most remote corners of the kingdom, the woman’s brothers met her lover and demanded that they refuse to meet her, as they damage her reputation and honor of their kind.
Sigismund was forced to give his word not to compromise Barbara, but lost his appetite and interest in life. In addition, he heard rumors about her novels, which he tried not to believe. As for Barbara, she feared the wrath of the omnipotent and dangerous queen Bona Sforza - the mother of Sigismund, who was known as a poisoner and intriguer.
The situation became even more complicated when it became known that even with the living wife of the Grand Duke, his mother began to send messengers in search of a new wife for the heir, since he had no children in his marriage to Elizabeth Habsburg.
Barbara talked about her feelings for Sigismund to her brothers, and they warned her that if she was going to fight for her beloved, she would face severe trials.
The death of the Grand Duchess
I must say that Sigismund’s marriage with Elizabeth of Habsburg was dynastic, but the bride’s relatives had once hidden from him that the bride was an epileptic. It has not yet been established whether this was an accident or a carefully planned assassination attempt, but one day a young woman fell off her horse and died a few months later. Many said that the death of Elizabeth is the result of the machinations of her mother-in-law.
Now, nothing prevented Sigismund from marrying again and continuing the Jagiellonian dynasty, since he was her last male representative. At the same time, he knew that his mother as a daughter-in-law would not suit a woman like Barbara Radziwill, who was not distinguished by meekness and a desire to obey the will of anyone, except for her beloved man.
Wedding
In order to push Sigismund Jagiellon to decisive steps, her brothers intervened. They allegedly went hunting and made sure he knew about it. The great prince in love hastened to meet with Basa, and then two Radziwills with drawn swords burst into the bedroom. They demanded that he immediately marry her, and led him into the priest's room. Sigismund had to submit, but he demanded that the marriage be kept secret.
However, the newlyweds failed to hide the fact of the wedding for a long time. A real storm struck when Bon Sforza learned about the marriage of her son. She persuaded her spouse-king to do everything possible to annul the marriage of Sigismund. This was followed by what parents did not expect from their son: he refused to obey their will and said that he was going to live to old age with Barbara Radziwill.
Ascension to the throne
It is not known how events would have progressed if Sigmund I had not died on April 1, 1548. A few days later the new king appeared at a meeting of the Lithuanian Seimas and announced his marriage, demanding that Barbara Radziwill be recognized as the Grand Duchess of Lithuania. The deputies gladly agreed, as this meant strengthening their influence in the Commonwealth, and Sigismund and his wife left for Poland to coronation. There, the newly-made monarch again needed to achieve recognition of the status of Barbara. However, this turned out to be more difficult. The fact is that members of the Sejm of the Commonwealth considered the marriage of the king impossible and humiliating for Poland. In particular, three major magnates opposed such a decision. One of them even called the queen a whore, insulting her husband.
Then all members of the Seimas knelt and began to beg Sigismund (Sigmund) Augustus to abandon this marriage. The weak-willed and timid king unexpectedly showed unprecedented firmness and refused to part with his beloved.
Mother in law against daughter
Even Bon Sforza, who, as always, was plotting intrigues against her son’s second wife, could not upset this union. Despite all her efforts, the only thing she achieved was that she completely ruined her relationship with Sigismund Augustus.
Those who saw the portrait of Barbara Radziwill will agree that she does not make the impression of a determined woman. However, having learned about the resistance of the Polish gentry, she proudly refused the rights to the throne. Over time, members of the Sejm and nobles resisted less and less, and Barbara was crowned.
Death
Unfortunately, the romantic story of Barbara Radziwill is not a fairy tale with a happy ending.
Just 5 months after the coronation, at the age of 30, she died of an unknown disease in the Wawel Castle. Since the woman was strong and in good health, everyone began to take up the question of why Barbara Radziwill died. Most representatives of the nobility were of the opinion that Bon Sforza poisoned her. This version is extremely plausible, especially when you consider that the latter came from a noble Italian family, known in connection with the love of its members for poisons and potions.
In addition, the young queen died a painful death. The first signs of the disease appeared 2 months after the wedding, but they were attributed to taking drugs from infertility. Then the disease began to progress and ended with prolonged agony, lasting several hours, during which she writhed from severe pain. In the last days of her life, the whole body of the queen was covered with terrible purulent abscesses, from which the stench emanated. Nevertheless, the husband did not leave his beloved Basenka’s bed, hoping for her healing. He called for help all the medical luminaries of Europe, but no one could not only save Barbara, but even alleviate her inhuman suffering.
Burial
Before her death, Barbara herself asked her husband that her body should not be buried in the Cracow Wawel Cathedral, as well as other Polish monarchs and their wives. That is why its last refuge was the church of St. Stanislav in Vilna.
The Spirit of Barbara Radziwill
The king could not forget his priceless Basya and became close to her brothers, who lived in a castle in Nesvizh. The legend of Barbara Radziwill says that one day he brought with him the spiritualist, Pan Twardowski, who promised to evoke the spirit of his dead wife.
The magician forbade the king to touch the ghost if it appears. Indeed, the spirit of Barbara appeared to Sigismund, however, the rejoicing spouse, despite all the cries of the sorcerer, tried to wrap the vision in his arms.
According to legend, due to violation of the spiritualist’s ban, the soul of Barbara became forever a captive of the castle in Nesvizh. At the same time, Pan Twardowski told the king that if he died in the same place, their souls would forever be united. He was incredibly happy and firmly decided that it would be so. However, death overtook him unexpectedly in another castle, and the ghost of Barbara, nicknamed the Black Lady, to this day scares people. The soul of Sigismund Augustus, who lonely walks around the Krakow castle, dreaming of reuniting with her beloved, did not find repose.
The fate of the king
It is interesting that Sigismund's mother managed to marry him for the third time and chose Katerina, the sister of Elizabeth of Habsburg, as her daughter-in-law. The marriage was short-lived and did not give offspring, although the next wife even tried to imitate a pregnancy. Due to deception, the king began the divorce proceedings, having sent his wife back to his homeland.
In the last years of his life, Sigismund Augustus II surrounded himself with magicians and sorcerers and died in a room that was draped with black fabrics, as in it he continued to grieve for his beloved, whom he dreamed of reuniting after death.
Epitaph for Barbara Radziwill
As already mentioned, in the 20th century they tried repeatedly to film the romantic story of Sigismund's love for the beautiful Bass. One of the most famous was the picture in which Barbara Radziwill (photo from the film see above) appeared before the audience in the guise of one of the most beautiful actresses in Poland of the 80s - Anna Dymna. The film was released in 1982 and was a brief movie version of the popular television series Queen Bona. The picture was called "Epitaph for Barbara Radziwill" and was a great success.
Many people of the older generation believed that the image created on the screen by Anna Dymnaya was not the best Barbara Radziwill. The film, shot in Poland in 1936, in their opinion, was more successful, since the main role in it went to the beautiful Jadwiga Smosarska, and Sigismund Augustus II was played by Vitold Zakharevich. The latter died in Auschwitz, where he fell for helping Jews during the Holocaust.
Image in art
Barbara Radziwill, photo from the film about which you have already seen, for more than 5 centuries excites the imagination of artists, poets and writers. She is dedicated to the works of Polish playwrights F. Venzhik and A. Felinsky, the drama of J. Grinyus and the Lithuanian prose writer and playwright J. Grushas.
In addition, museums from different countries are decorated with paintings by Wojciech Gerson and Jan Matejko and others, as well as busts of Barbara Radziwill by unknown authors, which can be seen in the Ursynow Palace in the Polish capital and Olesko Castle.
Now you know where Barbara Radziwill lived and how she met her regal lover, you also know the details of their novel, which are still of interest to sensitive natures.