Urška Dolinarka, also known as Dolinarjeva Urška, was a
Slovenian farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
and
folk heroine born in 1457 in
Češnjica,
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. She is renowned for her resistance against the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...
in the Selca Valley.
Childhood
There are no written records about Urška's life; her story survives through oral tradition. She was born in 1457 to Slovenian farmers in
Češnjica in the Upper Selca Valley and had a brother, Jožko, five years her senior. She was given the name Urška, one of Slovenian versions of name Ursula. Her patron saint was
Saint Ursula
Ursula (Latin for 'little she-bear') was a Romano-British virgin and martyr possibly of royal origin. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Her feast day in the pre-1970 G ...
. In 1458, the Turks invaded Slovenian lands, plundering and devastating her native village. Her mother, a poor farmer, was killed, her six-year-old brother Jožko was abducted, and their home was burned down.
Her father managed to escape with one-year-old Urška, and they relocated to an isolated farm by the
Sora River
The Sora (German: ''Zayer'' or ''Zeier'') is a right affluent of the Sava River in western Slovenia. The Sora gathers its waters mainly from the Škofja Loka Hills. Its source branches are the Poljane Sora (, also ), named after the Poljane Valle ...
in
Davča, far from their former home.
Her father died before 1478. Villagers from Davča referred to the farmer Urška as Urška Dolinarka (Urška from the Valley) because she was born in the Upper Selca Valley.
Heroism
In 1478, the Turks invaded the Selca Valley again. A smaller group advanced towards Davča. Aware of the dangers women and girls faced under the Turks, Urška rallied her fellow villagers, both women and men, to defend themselves.
The narrow gorge in the area provided an excellent natural defense. After a prolonged battle, they managed to drive the Turks away.
Among the wounded Turks left in the gorge was a janissary named Jufus. Urška noticed a birthmark on his wrist, identical to her own, and recognized him as her brother Jožko. Jožko returned to the Christian faith and remained in the Selca Valley. He carved a cross into the rock at the site where Urška and the villagers defeated the Turkish forces. This cross still marks the furthest point the Turks reached.
In literature
Urška Dolinarka's story has inspired various literary and historical works. In 1861, priest and poet
France Svetličič published the epic poem "Turški križ" (The Turkish Cross) in ''
Slovenski glasnik'', based on the folk tale about her.
The most renowned literary work about her is the play ''Turški križ'' (The Turkish Cross) by
Janez Evangelist Krek
Janez Evangelist Krek (27 November 1865 – 8 October 1917) was a Slovene Christian Socialist politician, priest, journalist, and author.
Life and career
He was born and baptized ''Johann Krek'' in a peasant family in the village of Sveti Greg ...
, a native of the Selca Valley. It premiered in 1909 and was published in 1910. The main character, Uršula, is clearly modeled after Urška Dolinarka and bears a strong resemblance to
Saint Joan, Maid of Orleans.
[{{Cite web , title=Janez E. Krek: Turški križ (1910) , url=https://www.slogi.si/publikacije/turski_kriz_1910-2/ , access-date=2025-06-02 , website=SLOGI , language=sl-SI]
References
Other literature Dramatic play Turški križ (Turkish Cross) by Janez Evangelist Krek/
Slovenian farmers
Slovenian folklore
Medieval women from the Holy Roman Empire
15th-century women farmers
15th-century farmers
1457 births