— 19th of NOVEMBER 1539, birth of HALSHKA (Elyzaveta, Elżbieta) OSTROZKA (OSTROGSKA), "the Black Princess"
Born on feast day of St. Elizabeth, she was christened Elżbieta, Elyzaveta, or Halshka (under this latter name she came down into history). Halshka’s father was Prince Illia Ostrozkyi (Ostrogski), a weathly magnate and a member of ancient Ukrainian (Ruthenian) powerful aristocratic family, that traced their origins back to the semi-legendary prince Rurik. The representatives of this family held great offices in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. At the royal court in Krakow, Illia Ostrozkyi met Beata Kościelecka, a notable beaty, and, according to the rumours, an illegitimate daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland. The couple was married in 1538, but their happiness did not last long: Illia was wounded during the tournament, and died soon after, in August 1539. In November Beata gave birth to their only child, a daughter.
According to her father’s will, Halshka stood to inherit half of his vast estates (including the cities of Ostroh and half of Rivne, along with many more), that were to be under her mother’s control until the heiress reached adulthood. Beata was also to keep control of her husband’s younger half brother’s Vasyl’s inheritance. The latter, who was to become powerful magnate and patron of religion and education under the name of Vasyl Kostyantyn Ostrozkyi (Ostrogski), soon took measures to retain the power of his estates his estates and rule them on his own. In his testament, Illia had also entrusted the care of his daughter to the King Sigismund, his wife, Queen Bona Sforza, and their son, Sigismund II Augustus.
Since Halshka was the recipient of such a magnificent inheritance, it soon became a matter of almost national importance to find her a suitable husband. Here, the interests of Lithuanian and Polish nobility also clashed. Suitors, eager for wealth and influence were not slow to appear. Among them were Dymitr Sanguszko, starost of Kaniv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr, Jan Mielecki, voivode of Podilia, and even, according to a legend, Dmytro Vyshnevetskyi, the famous founder of the first stronghold on the Khortytsya island. Halshka’s uncle, Vasyl Kostyantyn Ostrozkyi, who was gradually growing in power, supported the candidature of Dymitr Sanguszko, while both the King of Poland and Beata Kościelecka were against him. Sanguszko married Halshka all the same, but was soon sentenced to infamy (deprivation of noble status and threat of death sentence if he did not agree to annul his marriage), and murdered.
The next match for Halshka, proposed by the King Sigismund II, was Łukasz Górka, voivode of Poznań, Kalisz, Łęczyca and Brześć Kujawski. Beata Kościelecka had at first agreed to it but later changed her mind towards this marriage. Once again, her protests availed nothing: the wedding took place in the presence of the royal family in Warsaw. Halshka was told that her mother agreed to the marriage, but when she learned that this was not the case, Princess appealed to the royal council to annul it, and fled to Lviv with Beata.
Halshka’s third union was orchestrated by Beata. This time the groom was Prince Siemion Slutski, who, for the sake of conspiracy, had to meet his bride in a monastery disguised as beggar. The couple wed in 1559, but this marriage was also short-lived. Though neither Halshka nor Beata regarded Łukasz Górka as the Princess’s true husband, Górka himself was evidently of different opinion. He rushed to Lviv with arms and took Halshka captive. Prince Siemion Slutski died in 1560. Górka placed Halshka – virtually a prisoner – in the castle of Szamotuły, near Poznań, where she spent fourteen years until his death, isolated from the world. It is said that during her imprisonment Halshka was wearing the black mourning robes, which was why she got nicknamed “the Black Princess”.
After the death of Łukasz Górka in 1573, Halshka Ostozka was finally free and able to return to her homeland. During the reign of Henri Valois as the King of Poland, Halshka’s uncle, Vasyl Kostyantyn Ostrozkyi saw to it that the estates, left to her by her father, were returned to the Princess. The rumours that Halshka has got insane during her confinement in Szamotuły, do not seem to be true, as in her later years she actively participated in the works of patronage, attended court hearings, and financially supported a prominent educational institution – the Ostroh Academy, established by Prince Vasyl Kostyantyn Ostrozkyi. She died in 1582, leaving her estates to Vasyl Kostyantyn.
Halshka Ostozka was said to be a remarkable beauty, but sadly none of her life portraits survived. She is featured in famous painting Kazanie Skargi (Sermon of Piotr Skarga, painted in 1862-64) by Jan Matejko, where Halshka is depicted as a young richly dressed woman, covering her forehead with her hand in sad contemplation; she is placed a little behind Anna Jagiellonka, sister to Sigismund II, and once Queen of Poland.
Another renown portrait of Halshka Ostrozka was painted in 1996 by Ukrainian artist Yurii Nikitin, who did a research among the portraits of Ostrozky family. The portrait features a young serious woman with delicate features, dressed in strict black gown, adorned with rich jewels, and a white headwear that covers her hair and neck closely. In her hand she is holding a book – most likely a Holy Scripture.
