Veronika of Desenice (died 17 October 1425) ( hr, Veronika Desinićka; sl, Veronika Deseniška, ''Veronika z Desenic'') was the second wife of

Frederick II, Count of Celje Frederick II ( sl, Friderik II. Celjski; german: Friedrich II Graf von Cilli) (17 January 1379 – 13 or 20 June 1454) was a Count of Celje and Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. Early life Frederick was the son of Hermann II, Count of Celje ...

Early life

Little is known of her early life. It is believed the name ''Deseniška'' derives from the village of

Desinić Desinić is a village and municipality in the Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. At the 2011 census, there was a total population of 2,951. Notable people * Veronika of Desenice, the second wife of Frederick II, Count of Celje Frederick I ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, where Frederick also had extensive estates, and it appears in the forms ''Dessnitz'', ''Dessenitz'', ''Desnicze'', ''Teschnitz'', ''Teschenitz'', and ''Dessewitz'' in various historical sources.

Marriage and persecution

Veronika was of lesser status, and Frederick's father Hermann II was greatly opposed to the marriage. The chronicles of the Counts of Celje suggest he had his son arrested and, while holding him prisoner, initiated a trial against Veronika accusing her of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. She was acquitted by the court.

Murder

Despite the court's ruling, she was incarcerated in Ojstrica Castle near

Tabor Tabor may refer to: Places Czech Republic * Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region ** Tábor District, the surrounding district * Tábor, a village and part of Velké Heraltice in the Moravian-Silesian Region Israel * Mount Tabor, Galilee ...

and murdered (supposedly on the orders of Hermann II) by being drowned in 1425. She was buried in

Braslovče Braslovče (, german: Frasslau) is a settlement in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Braslovče. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. Braslovče was fi ...

and a few years later Frederick arranged for her remains to be reburied at the

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Jurklošter Jurklošter () is a settlement in the Municipality of Laško in eastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Savinja Statistical Region. Name The settlement w ...

and in her memory also made an endowment to the monastery at Bistra.

In culture

Veronika and Frederick's tragic love story, which also marked the beginning of the end of the

House of Cilli The Counts of Celje ( sl, Celjski grofje) or the Counts of Cilli (german: Grafen von Cilli; hu, cillei grófok) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes ...

, has been an inspiration for numerous literary creations. Among others, she was the protagonist of

Josipina Turnograjska Josipina Urbančič (married name Toman), who published under the pen name Josipina Turnogradska (later respelled Turnograjska, 9 July 1833 – 1 June 1854), was one of the first Slovene female writers, poets, and composers. Biography Josipina ...

's 1851 story ''Nedolžnost in sila'' (Innocence and Force),

Josip Jurčič Josip Jurčič (4 March 1844 – 3 May 1881) was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (now part of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia)Levec, Fran. 1881. Josip Jurčič. ''Ljubljanski zvon'' 1(6) ( ...

's 1880 play ''Veronika Deseniška'',

Oton Župančič Oton Župančič (January 23, 1878 – June 11, 1949, pseudonym ''Gojko'') was a Slovene poet, translator, and playwright. He is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in Slovene literature. ...

's 1924 play ''Veronika Deseniška'',

Bratko Kreft Bratko Kreft ( Maribor, 11 February 1905 – 17 July 1996, Ljubljana) was a Slovenian playwright, writer, literary and theater historian and director. Biography He grew up in Prlekija. He studied Slavic Studies in Vienna and Ljubljana. In Ljub ...

's 1932 play ''Celjski Grofje'' (The Counts of Celje),

Danilo Švara Danilo Švara (2 April 1902 San Giuseppe, Italy - 25 April 1981 Ljubljana) was a prominent Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bord ...

's 1946

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

''Veronika Deseniška'',

Franček Rudolf Franček Rudolf (born 5 September 1944) is a Slovenians, Slovenian poet, author, screenwriter, playwright, film director, critic, and journalist. Rudolf was born in Lipovci, Slovenia. He grew up in Yugoslavia#Second Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia under ...

's 1968 play ''Celjski grof na žrebcu'' (The Count of Celje on a Stallion) and 1974 play ''Veronika'', and

Dušan Čater Dušan Čater (born 1968) is a Slovene writer, editor and translator. He has published six novels, two of which have also been translated and published in Croatian. Čater was born in Celje in 1968. He studied journalism and sociology at the ...

's 1996 children's novel ''Veronika Deseniška''. She has also inspired works in Croatian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. The Veronika Poetry Award and the Veronika Festival are named after Veronika of Desenice.Veronika Award on Culture.si Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia site
/ref>

References

{{Authority control House of Celje Deaths by drowning People murdered in Slovenia 1425 deaths Year of birth unknown Slovene mythology 15th-century Austrian people Witch trials

Early life

Marriage and persecution

Murder

In culture

See also

References