Princess Teofila Ludwika Zasławska (ca. 1650 – November 15, 1709) was a member of the

Polish nobility The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

(), known as the perhaps most significant heiress and landowner of her contemporary Poland. She was the daughter of

Katarzyna Sobieska Katarzyna Sobieska (1634–1694) was the sister of King John III Sobieski of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathi ...

, who was the sister of

Jan III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

, the king of The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Her father was Władysław Dominik Zasławski, a Polish nobleman of Ruthenian stock of the house of Ostrogski, one of the richest magnates in Poland. Teofila Ludwika Zasławska was an heiress of the

Ostrogski family The House of Ostrogski (; ; ) was one of the more prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The family spanned from the 14th century Ruthenian noble Daniil Ostrogski ...

, one of the great Ruthenian princely families of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. She was the fifth ordinate of the Ostrogski

Ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

(one of the largest landed estates in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

). Her father was the third, and one of her sons would become the sixth ordinate of it.

Life

Teofila Ludwika Zasławska married the Great Crown Hetman of the Commonwealth, Dymitr Jerzy Wiśniowiecki in 1671, and after his death in 1682, married Prince

Józef Karol Lubomirski Prince Józef Karol Lubomirski (1638–1702) was a Polish szlachcic, noble. He was owner of Dubno, Wiśnicz, Tarnów and Zasławski family, Zesław, Koniuszy, Crown Koniuszy since 1683, Court Marshals of the Crown, Crown Court Marshals since ...

(Joseph Carl Lubomirski) in 1683. Upon her first husband's death, she inherited holdings that included

Baranów Sandomierski Castle The Baranów Sandomierski Castle is a Mannerist castle located in the town of Baranów Sandomierski in the Subcarpathian Voivodship, south-eastern Poland. It is one of the most important Mannerist structures in the country. The castle is commonly ...

, which had become her main residence in 1677. After the death of her brother,

Aleksander Janusz Zasławski Prince Aleksander Janusz Zasławski-Ostrogski (1650–1682) was the last male representative of the Ostrogski princely line. He was the 4th ordynat of the Ordynacja Ostrogska, Ostrogski Family Fee Tail. Biography Son of Prince Władysław Dominik ...

in 1673, she became the only heir to one of the largest estates in the Commonwealth, the Ostrogski

. This ordination was the largest one in the Volhyn, accounting for – about a third of the Volhynian Voivodeship – with over 1,000 settlements, including several dozen towns. As a result of her marriage to Lubomirski, the large landed estates of the Ostrogski

in Poland were transferred to the

Lubomirski family The House of Lubomirski is a Polish princely family. The Lubomirski family's coat of arms is the Drużyna coat of arms, which is similar to the Szreniawa coat of arms but without a cross. Origin and the coat of arms The Lubomirski f ...

. The combined fortune of Zasławskis and Lubomirskis would become for a time the largest fortune in the Commonwealth. Lubomirskis owned several palaces where they lived, all of them designed or redesigned by the royal architect

Tylman van Gameren Tylman van Gameren, also ''Tilman'' or ''Tielman'' and Tylman Gamerski, (Utrecht, 3 July 1632 – c. 1706, Warsaw) was a Dutch-born Polish architect and engineer who, at the age of 28, settled in Poland and worked for Queen Marie Casimire, ...

, including palaces in

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Lubartów Lubartów () is a town in eastern Poland, with 23,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the capital of Lubartów County and the Lubartów Commune. Historically it belongs to Lesser Poland. Lubartów was established in 154 ...

, and the Baranów Sandomierski Castle in Baranów. The Baranów Sandomierski Castle with arcaded courtyard, and surrounded by massive gardens, became commonly known as the "little

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

". She and Lubomirski had three children, Prince Aleksander Dominik Lubomirski, Princess

Teresa Lubomirska Princess Teresa Katharina Lubomirska (1 January 1685 – 6 January 1712) was a Polish noblewoman.http://genealogia.grocholski.pl/gd/osoba.php?id=018696 She was the second spouse of Count Palatine Charles Philip of Neuburg, who became Elector P ...

, and Princess Marianna Lubomirska. Prince Józef Karol Lubomirski had an ongoing extramarital affair which became public, resulting in Teofila's attempt at declaring him legally insane. They were formally separated until his death in 1702.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaslawska, Teofila Ludwika 1650s births 1709 deaths Teofila Lubomirski family 17th-century Polish women 17th-century Polish nobility 17th-century Polish landowners 17th-century women landowners