Elizaveta Ostrogska

Early life She was born in the Ostrog castle on 19 June 1539, soon after her father, Illia Ostrogski, died. In the Lithuanian Metrica she is referred to by name, including as Elżbieta, Elizabeth, and Halszka.

First marriage to Dymitr Sanguszko By the time she turned 13, which was the age considered acceptable for marriage, she was already being courted by many to take possession of her holdings including by Dymitr Sanguszko, Martyn Zborowski, and Mykolai Melenetsky. There is a rumour that Dmytro Vyshnevetsky was also allegedly interested in her, which led to his eventual lifelong bachelorhood, but this has not been confirmed.

Some sources allege that after Dymitr's death, in 1554, Halshka gave birth to a son by Dymitr. Due to Halshka's circumstances at the time, it is said that she gave up the infant for adoption to the Nalyvaiko family in Husiatyn.

Halszka was brought by Górka to his castle in Szamotuły, where she was kept for 14 years. Halszka's inheritance had been awarded to Olelkowicz at Beata's insistence, but in a few months the prince was murdered, and his severed hand was reportedly sent to Halszka along with his engagement ring. Soon thereafter Beata married Sieradz voivode Olbracht Łaski. For this, she was called the first female philanthropist in Ukraine.

Inspirations Her tragic story was told in Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's book Halszka (Wilno 1838).

Jan Matejko pictured her in the background of Kazanie Skargi.

There is a legend about one of the Szamotuły castle towers, that it was the prison for a "dark princess", whose face was hidden behind an iron mask by her husband.

In 1971 Ihor Kalynets dedicated a cycle of poems to Halszka.