The House of Zasławski (plural ''Zasławscy'') was the name of a Polish–

Ruthenia ''Ruthenia'' is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin, as one of several terms for Rus'. Originally, the term ''Rus' land'' referred to a triangular area, which mainly corresponds to the tribe of Polans in Dnieper Ukraine. ''Ruthenia' ...

n noble family and a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the Ostrogski family. The Zasławski family had its power base in

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the Pat ...

(today in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

), and traced its origins to a branch of the Rurikids that took its name from the Iziaslav. Due to their relation to the Rurikids, the Zasławski family held the title of ''

Knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

'' (prince).

History

The Zasławski family was one of the three major families 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 ...

to trace its origins to either

Kaributas Kaributas (''Koribut'', ''Korybut'', baptized ''Dmitry''; after 1350 – after 1404) was a son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and reigned in Severian Novgorod until 1393. Kaributas was born some time after 1350 (exact date is unknown ...

(they used Korybut coat of arms) or, according to modern historical interpretations, the Ruthenian Rurikids; the other two families were the Ostrogski family and the Wiśniowiecki family. The Zasławski family was sometimes seen as a junior line of the Ostrogoski family. After the death in 1620 of the last male heir of the Ostrogoski family,

Janusz Ostrogski Prince Janusz Ostrogski () (1554 – 17 September 1620 in Tarnów) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble and statesman. He served as a voivode of Volhyn (1584-1593), as a castellan of Kraków (from 1593 on), and as a starosta of Bohuslav (from 1591), ...

, many of the Ostrogoski possessions were inherited by the Zasławcy. However, the Zasławski family faced a similar fate when their last male heir,

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 ...

, died in 1682. Their huge possessions passed to the

Lubomirski The House of Lubomirski is a Princely Houses of Poland, 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 ...

family (due to their marriage with Aleksander's sister, Teofilia Ludwika Zasławska) and other families of Polish

szlachta 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 ...

. A complicated litigation concerning the Ostrogski inheritance continued until the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

annexed Poland during the Partitions.

Notable members

* Vasyl′ "Krasny" Ostrogski, father of Yurii * Yuri Zasławski (1432–1500), Prince of Iziaslav (Zaslav), progenitor of Zaslavski clan who inherited the Zasław town * Ivan Zasławski (died 1515), Prince of Zaslav and Ostrog * Kuz′ma Zasławski (died 1556) * Janusz Zasławski (1548–1629),

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

of Podlaskie and Volhynia * Konstanty Alexander Zasławski, (1620–1642) * Aleksander Zasławski (died 1628), voivode of

Bratslav Bratslav (, ; ) is a rural settlement in Ukraine, located in Tulchyn Raion of Vinnytsia Oblast, by the Southern Bug river. It is a medieval European city and a regional center of the Eastern Podolia region (see Bracław Voivodeship) founded ...

, and

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

* Władysław Dominik Zasławski-Ostrogski (1618–1656), voivode of Kraków *

(c. 1650–1682), last male heir * Teofila Ludwika Zasławska (1650–1709), last female heir

References

External links

*
Zaslawski
at the

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...

Zaslavski
at the Handbook on history of Ukraine {{Poland-noble-stub

History

Notable members

See also

References

External links