Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Love story




There was an unusual love story in the XVI century in Poland. Our king Sigismund II Augustus married secretly a lady, Barbara Radziwiłł. His mother, the queen Bona Sforza hated her, and also the noblesmen were opposing this marriage, since a marriage of a king was a political matter. The king's first wife Elżbieta Habsburżanka died early and the king wanted his second marriage to be acknowledged. He was fighting for years for his love. Finally he succeeded and Barbara was crowned to be the polish queen. However she was seriously ill and several months later she died. This is a tragic and beautiful story. Moreover it really happened. I remember I was reading somewhere that the king was personally looking after her, he was so afraid for her not to be poisoned that he ordered the pot with water for her should be locked. Barbara wanted to be buried in Vilnius, while she died in Kraków. The king did observe her will. The legend says he was walking after her coffin all the way.

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