"Our love is so strong that no distance will weaken it" - Zygmunt Stary assured his first wife, Barbara Zápolya. He loved her to death. Even decades after her premature death, perhaps.
Barbara Zápolya was not a princess. Many might say that it was not the right party for the Polish monarch at all. But is it right? She came from a family that was at the forefront of Central Europe in terms of political influence and wealth, successfully competing with great dynasties.
Barbara Zápolya. Bust of an unknown sculptor
She was the sister of the Transylvanian voivode, Jan Zápolyi - a powerful Hungarian magnate who owned seventy-two castles and towns, and also had a fabulous estate. What's more:John was considered a potential contender to the Hungarian throne in the event of the end of the dynasty with the death of the childless (or at least without legal descendants) Ludwik II Jagiellończyk.
The wedding, which aroused great interest in the international arena and the resistance of the Habsburgs rivaling the Jagiellonians, took place on February 8, 1512. Barbara received an enormous dowry from her brother - even five times as high as those provided to Polish kings.
Family tree of the Jagiellonians from 1519. On the left side - Barbara Zapolya.
Zygmunt Jagiellończyk (not yet the "Old Man" - he was only 45 at the time) could enjoy the cash flow, especially since he was forced to borrow in order to organize a decent wedding. However, it was not only money that brought him joy. Above all, the bride herself immediately charmed him.
By the grace of God, we will come as soon as possible. Love letters of Zygmunt Stary
She was said to be the truest angel. She was only seventeen, beautiful, quiet, gentle as a field flower and charmingly naive. The chronicler Marcin Kromer wrote about her that she was a "holy and pious lady" who, with constant fasting and prayers, pleaded with God for Poland's successes in wars and diplomacy. Marcin Bielski added that thanks to her "inexpressible goodness" all subjects loved her. Especially, however - the king himself fell in love with her.
He never parted with his wife, taking her on every journey, even when she was already in an advanced stage of pregnancy. When finally the war with Moscow and preparations for the battle of Orsha forced him to leave, he began to send long, even fiery letters to Barbara.
Many of them have survived and are of a completely different nature than the factual, lofty-cliche correspondence of Zygmunt and his second wife, the Italian Bona Sforza.
The king wrote to Barbara with tenderness and longing. "Our love is so strong that no distance will weaken it," he said in one letter. He constantly took care of his wife's well-being. For example, his pleas that the queen should not stay in church for too long, and that "for the rest of the mind and body movement, she would walk in the garden or in some other pleasant place" have survived.
Copy of one of Barbara Zapolya's letters to Zygmunt Stary
The monarch, although he was hoping for a son, did not reproach Barbara in the slightest when she bore him two daughters. On the contrary:he urged his wife not to think that she would no longer be "always the nicest" for him. Out of the way, when he could not accompany Barbara at the second birth, he assured her:"with God's grace, we will come as soon as possible to enjoy the face of Your Majesty, beloved for us."
Overall, the king could not stand even a week without writing to his beloved. Twenty of his epistle to Barbara has been preserved from the short, five-month trip outside Krakow. "I will never allow us to separate ourselves from Your Majesty again for a short while!" - he assured in one of them. The separation, however, turned out to be very quick and irrevocable.
"Unspeakable agony". Death and mourning for Queen Barbara
The Queen died on October 2, 1515 - shortly after the birth of her second child, "amid pain and untold agony." The causes of death are unknown. Conflicting accounts of witnesses and commentators suggest that the death was not caused by puerperal fever, but rather by a cerebral hemorrhage or heart attack. Barbara didn't even have time to turn twenty.
Accompanying his dying wife, Zygmunt "started to cry". For many months, the monarch plunged into deep regret. Regardless of the opinion of his surroundings, he spent his days and nights sobbing for his beloved. At the same time, he forgot about state affairs, handing them over to corrupt officials.
In fact, it was the king's black despair and mental numbness that helped Bona Sforza, and above all the mother of the Italian princess, Izabela Aragońska, to win the Polish crown. The monarch did not want to think about getting married, discussing which candidate would be the best and would be able to worthily replace the deceased. He left everything to his surroundings, barely sticking his nose out of his chamber.
Bona became queen because her mother knew who to bribe with money or promises. The arrival of the new ruler in the spring of 1518 ended the long period of mourning for Sigismund. The king, however, never loved Bona as he loved Barbara. And he probably never forgot about the woman who gave him so much joy in less than three years of marriage.
Source:
You can learn more about the confusing history of the Jagiellonian family in Kamil Janicki's book Ladies of the golden age (Horizon Label 2014). The article is based on the literature and materials collected by the author during the work on the book.