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The love story between King of Poland Zygmunt II August and Barbara Radziwill.
"Of all the ill-starred royal romances, the tale of Barbara Radziwill and her King remains amongst the most moving. It's also one of the least known. We say least, but by that we mean on the international stage. For the tale of Barbara Radziwill is legendary in both Lithuania and Poland. It's inspired poems, myths, paintings and a fair few films as well. So without further ado, grab your kerchief and settle into your throne, for here follows a true tale of love, betrayal and one of the most malicious mother-in-laws in history....
Our tale begins in the 1540's. At that time, Michelangelo was designing the dome of St. Peter's for Pope Paul III, and here in Vilnius, a young prince was cultivating his own glittering court. Zygmunt August was a man of dashing looks, as well as a poet, a humanist and a champion of religious tolerance. He was also heir to one of the most powerful states in Europe, his father being King of Poland and Lithuania.
In 1543 the Prince was married to Elizabeth of Habsburg. Zygmunt had already been Vice-Regent of Vilnius for fourteen years, and the city was enjoying its golden age. The Prince embellished the Royal Castle, furnishing it with a theatre, a choir and a picture gallery, replete with exquisite Flemish tapestries. Full of fantasy, he kept five bears, a lion and ten camels, as well as an extensive stable. Meanwhile, local nobles strove to keep up - palaces, printing presses and churches sprung up across the city. But in spite of this prosperity, not all bode well for the king-in-waiting. He was the sole heir of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the crucial link in the twin state of Poland and Lithuania. What's more, it turned out that his Austrian bride was epileptic, and after barely two years of marriage she fell from a horse, fatally injured. She died childless.
The Prince would have to remarry - that was beyond debate. The problem was, the girl who came on the scene was not the one everyone else had in mind. In fact she was quite the opposite.
The Prince had fallen head over heels for a Lithuanian lady named Barbara Radziwill. She was a young widow from one of the grandest families in Lithuania. According to letters of the time, she was amongst the most beautiful ladies in Europe. But the Cracow court was dead against the match. And not only were the senators and the King furious, so too was the Queen, the terrifying Bona Sforza. Rumours had it that Bona, an Italian by birth, had used her Macchiavellian skills to poison the epileptic Habsburg for failing to produce a child.
Yet such was Zygmunt's passion that he did the unthinkable and married Barbara in secret in 1547.
All hell broke loose around the couple, a situation that was exacerbated by the death of the old King in 1548. Parliament demanded a divorce, and all kinds of mud was thrown at the twenty-eight year old princess. Barbara was cast as the wicked Wallace Simpson to Zygmunt's Edward VIII. The charges came thick and fast - that the marriage was illegal, that Barbara was a woman of easy virtue, and above all that she was incapable of childbirth. Yet Zygmunt stood firm.
Whether or not Barbara was guilty of the insults hurled at her it is difficult to surmise. But the gentry, proud of their democratic privileges, were certainly furious that the King should have gone over their heads, ignoring parliament and marrying the daughter of a magnate. And in Queen Bona's eyes, a Lithuanian lady was no dynastic match compared to a Habsburg or Bourbon princess.
Yet after three years of wrangles, the young King pushed through the coronation of his bride. It was a triumph over all the odds. But just five months later, Barbara was stricken by a terrible illness.....
Zygmunt was distraught. Once again, the rumours circulated that Queen Bona had been up to her poisonous tricks. (Until this day, historians cite the charge of foul play). The young King did everything he could to save his bride. But to no avail. Barbara breathed her last at Wawel Castle on 8th May 1551.
The King was inconsolable. According to her dying wishes, Barbara was to be buried in Vilnius cathedral, and the King set off with the cortege on the huge journey to Vilnius. He would wear black for the remainder of his life."
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