Katarina Zrinska
Encyclopedia
Countess Ana Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625–1673) was a Croatian noblewoman, born into the House of Frankopan noble family. She married Count Petar Zrinski
of the House of Zrinski in 1641 and later became known as Katarina Zrinska. She is remembered in Croatia as a patron of the arts, a writer and patriot. She died in obscurity in a monastery in Graz
following the downfall of the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
in 1671 and the execution of her husband Petar Zrinski.
Katarina Zrinski and the conspiracy were largely forgotten until the 1860s, when Croatian politician Ante Starčević
began a campaign to rehabilitate
the Zrinski and Frankopan nobility, and the story of her patriotic life and tragic death was widely popularised following the publishing of Eugen Kumičić
's historical novel Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (The Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy) in 1893. In the early 20th century, and especially after World War I
, numerous Croatian women's associations were founded bearing her name, and she is today considered one of the greatest women in Croatian history.
In 1999 the Croatian National Bank
issued a silver commemorative coin depicting Katarina Zrinski, in their Znamenite Hrvatice (Famous Croatian Women) series, along with children's writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić
and painter Slava Raškaj
.
near the modern city of Karlovac
in present-day Croatia
to Vuk Krsto Frankopan
of the House of Frankopan, a well-known commander (general
) and nobleman in the Croatian Military Frontier (which was an autonomous region carved out of the Kingdom of Croatia
within the Austrian Empire
) and his second wife Uršula Inhofer. Fran Krsto Frankopan
, also a notable nobleman, was her half brother, produced in Vuk Krsto's third marriage to Dora Haller.
She was homeschooled in her youth, and learned German during her childhood years (as it was her mother's first language
) along with Hungarian, Latin and Italian which she was later taught. In 1641 she married the Croatian nobleman Petar Zrinski
in Karlovac
, who later went on to become Ban
(viceroy) of Croatia following his brother Nikola Zrinski
's death in 1664. After marrying Petar the pair spent most of their time at Ozalj Castle
, the family residence.
It is said that Katarina was very well educated and an erudite, largely thanks to the well-stocked private libraries in both her father's and husband's homes. In 1660 she wrote a prayer book
titled Putni tovaruš, and had it printed in 1661 in the Republic of Venice
before presenting it as a gift to the 17th century Croatian lexicographer Ivan Belostenec
(the book was later re-printed in 1687 and 1715 in Ljubljana
and then again in 2005 in Čakovec
).
Known as Jelena Zrinska in Croatia and Ilona Zrínyi
in Hungary, she married Hungarian nobleman Francis I Rákóczi
in 1666. After his death in 1676, she married her second husband Imre Thököly
, a Hungarian statesman and Prince of Transylvania
, in 1682. She was also mother to Francis II Rákóczi
, leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in the early 18th century. In her later years she spent 7 years interred in an Ursuline
convent in Austria before being exiled to Turkey in 1699 where she died four years later in 1703. She is today celebrated in both Croatia
and Hungary
as one of the greatest national hero
ines and patriots
in her own right.
One of the two Katarina's daughters who spent the majority of their adult life in convents, Judita died as a nun in a Poor Clares convent in Zagreb
.
In Croatia known as Ivan Antun Zrinski
, he was the pair's only son. After a short military career he was later charged with high treason
by the Austrian authorities. He was imprisoned first at Rattenberg
in Tyrol
and then at Grazer Schloßberg
, where he spent the last 20 years of his life. He eventually went insane and died in 1703.
The pair's youngest child and the last surviving member of the once powerful House of Zrinski. Following the crackdown on the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy (see below), she accompanied her mother during her interment at a Dominican convent in Graz. Aurora later spent her whole life as a nun and eventually died in an Ursuline
convent in Klagenfurt
.
treaty signed in 1664 by the Austria
n Habsburg Monarchy
and the Ottoman Empire
which gave back parts of the territory which had been liberated from the Turks in the preceding Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)
, a conspiracy involving members of the Croatian and Hungarian nobility was formed to overthrow the Habsburgs. The leaders of the conspiracy were Katarina's husband Petar Zrinski, her half brother Fran Krsto Frankopan and the Hungarian count Ferenc Wesselényi
. The conspiracy was largely unsuccessful and in March 1670 a crackdown ordered by Leopold I
ensued, in which all three men were arrested and imprisoned. On 30 April 1671 both Petar and Fran Krsto were executed in Wiener Neustadt
.
On the eve of his execution, her husband wrote her a farewell letter:
The downfall of the conspiracy practically destroyed the House of Zrinski as their enormous property was either confiscated or plundered. Katarina was first arrested and imprisoned in Bruck an der Mur
and then ordered into seclusion by the Vienna court. She spent the remaining years of her life in a Dominican
convent in Graz
with her daughter Aurora Veronika, where she died on 16 November 1673.
is considered the first person who initiated a campaign to politically rehabilitate leaders of the conspiracy in the speech he gave on 26 July 1861 in the Croatian Parliament. The speech spurred renewed interest in the whole affair and anniversaries of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan's deaths started to be commemorated publicly in growing numbers, with increasingly political overtones, as Croatian politicians became vocal in their calls for greater Croatian independence (which was at the time still part of Austria-Hungary
). In the 1880s a committee was even founded with the purpose of transporting their remains from Wiener Neustadt
to Croatia, and in 1893 writer and politician Eugen Kumičić
published a historical novel titled Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (The Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy), which helped to further popularise the image of Zrinkis and Frankopans as Croatian patriots and martyrs for freedom.
The bones of conspiracy leaders were eventually transferred back to Croatia in 1919 by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon
and were greeted by masses upon their return to Zagreb
. By that time Katarina Zrinski also became to be seen as the greatest Croatian woman of the past and a symbol of patriotism for women in Croatia. In the years before World War I
many women's societies sprung up around the country as well as in the Croatian diaspora
. The oldest such association bearing Katarina's name was founded in 1914 in Punta Arenas in Chile
. It was originally called Hrvatska žena (Croatian Woman) and was primarily interested in keeping the Croatian language alive and helping Croatian women cope with life far from home. However, soon after WWI broke out, the society was actively engaged in helping the Pan-Slavic
Yugoslav movement and was thus renamed JNO Katarina Zrinska. In North America the Kćeri Katarine Zrinjske (Daughters of Katarina Zrinski) society was formed in 1917 which even had a youth branch in Youngstown, Ohio
.
In 1919 the Katarina Zrinjska women's association was formed in Karlovac
, the first association bearing her name in Croatia. The society was designed as an organisation of middle class
Croatian Catholic women in the area, and they claimed they chose to be named after Katarina because "strictly adhered to Christian principles throughout her life". The proclaimed goal of the society was to "encourage members to be good Catholics, honest citizens, women of significance, model mothers, advanced housekeepers and apostles of all things good", which they hoped to achieve by organising picnics, concerts, education classes, fundraisers, lectures, etc. In 1920 a similar Društvo Hrvatica Katarine grofice Zrinjski was established in Zagreb
and in 1930 another one was founded in Petrinja
. All these societies were active until the early 1940s, but were eventually disbanded in May 1943 by a decree issued by the fascist government of Independent State of Croatia
.
, as the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) party's women's branch. Other associations abroad carrying her name include Hrvatska žena – Katarina Zrinska in Adelaide
, Australia (est. 1974), HŠKD Croatia Katarina Zrinski in Gothenburg
, Sweden, and many others.
Many streets and squares around Croatia are named after her, including the Katarinin trg (Catherine's Square) in the Upper Town
part of Zagreb
, located next to the Jesuit church of St. Catherine
's built between 1620 and 1632 in the baroque
style. Many schools and institutions are also named after her.
In 1999 the Croatian National Bank
issued a 200 kuna
silver commemorative coin with Katarina Zrinski as part of their "Famous Croatian Women" series. In their press release the bank described Katarina as "a writer, ardent patriot and a martyr, as well as a spiritual initiator of the liberation movement against foreign rule".
Petar Zrinski
Petar Zrinski was a Croatian Ban and writer. A member of the Zrinski noble family, he was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian rebellion of 1664-1670 which ultimately led to his execution for high treason.-Zrinski family:Petar Zrinski was born in Vrbovec, a small town near...
of the House of Zrinski in 1641 and later became known as Katarina Zrinska. She is remembered in Croatia as a patron of the arts, a writer and patriot. She died in obscurity in a monastery in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
following the downfall of the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
Magnate conspiracy
The Magnate conspiracy, also known as the Zrinski–Frankopan Conspiracy in Croatia, and Wesselényi conspiracy in Hungary, was a 17th century attempt to throw off Habsburg and other foreign influences over Hungary and Croatia. The attempted coup was caused by the unpopular Peace of Vasvár, struck...
in 1671 and the execution of her husband Petar Zrinski.
Katarina Zrinski and the conspiracy were largely forgotten until the 1860s, when Croatian politician Ante Starčević
Ante Starcevic
Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
began a campaign to rehabilitate
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
the Zrinski and Frankopan nobility, and the story of her patriotic life and tragic death was widely popularised following the publishing of Eugen Kumičić
Eugen Kumicic
Eugen Kumičić was a prominent Croatian writer and politician.-Biography:Kumičić was born in Brseč, Mošćenička Draga , a small town in Istria, then part of the Austrian Empire....
's historical novel Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (The Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy) in 1893. In the early 20th century, and especially after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, numerous Croatian women's associations were founded bearing her name, and she is today considered one of the greatest women in Croatian history.
In 1999 the Croatian National Bank
Croatian National Bank
The Croatian National Bank is the central bank of the Republic of Croatia.HNB was established by the Constitution of Croatia which was passed by the Croatian Parliament on 21 December 1990. Its main responsibilities are maintaining the stability of the national currency, the kuna, and ensuring...
issued a silver commemorative coin depicting Katarina Zrinski, in their Znamenite Hrvatice (Famous Croatian Women) series, along with children's writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić
Ivana Brlic-Mažuranic
Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić was a Croatian writer. Within her native land, as well as internationally, she has been praised as the best Croatian writer for children.-Life:She was born on April 18, 1874 in Ogulin into a well-known Croatian family of Mažuranić...
and painter Slava Raškaj
Slava Raškaj
Slava Raškaj was a painter considered to be the greatest Croatian watercolorist of the late 19th and early 20th century. Deaf since birth, Raškaj was schooled in Vienna and Zagreb, where her mentor was the Croatian painter Bela Čikoš Sesija. In the 1890s her works were exhibited around Europe,...
.
Early life
Katarina was born in BosiljevoBosiljevo
Bosiljevo is a village and municipality in Karlovac county, Croatia. It is located in the Gorski kotar region, on the highways A1 and A6 leading to Zagreb, Rijeka and Split.-Settlements:...
near the modern city of Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
in present-day Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
to Vuk Krsto Frankopan
Vuk Krsto Frankopan
Vuk Krsto Frankopan was a Croatian nobleman and soldier of the Frankopan family, father of noted poet and politician Fran Krsto Frankopan. He was born about 1588....
of the House of Frankopan, a well-known commander (general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
) and nobleman in the Croatian Military Frontier (which was an autonomous region carved out of the Kingdom of Croatia
Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)
The Kingdom of Croatia was an administrative division that existed between 1527 and 1868 within the Habsburg Monarchy . The Kingdom was a part of the Lands of the Crown of St. Stephen, but was subject to direct Imperial Austrian rule for significant periods of time, including its final years...
within the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
) and his second wife Uršula Inhofer. Fran Krsto Frankopan
Fran Krsto Frankopan
Fran Krsto Frankopan was a Croatian baroque poet, nobleman and politician in the 17th century. He is remembered primarily for his involvement in the failed Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy.-Early life and poetry:...
, also a notable nobleman, was her half brother, produced in Vuk Krsto's third marriage to Dora Haller.
She was homeschooled in her youth, and learned German during her childhood years (as it was her mother's first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
) along with Hungarian, Latin and Italian which she was later taught. In 1641 she married the Croatian nobleman Petar Zrinski
Petar Zrinski
Petar Zrinski was a Croatian Ban and writer. A member of the Zrinski noble family, he was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian rebellion of 1664-1670 which ultimately led to his execution for high treason.-Zrinski family:Petar Zrinski was born in Vrbovec, a small town near...
in Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, who later went on to become Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
(viceroy) of Croatia following his brother Nikola Zrinski
Miklós Zrínyi
Miklós Zrínyi or Nikola Zrinski was a Croatian and Hungarian soldier, statesman and poet, member of the Zrinski noble family....
's death in 1664. After marrying Petar the pair spent most of their time at Ozalj Castle
Ozalj Castle
Ozalj Castle is a castle in Ozalj, Croatia.The Ozalj fortress, located on the stone cliff perched above the Kupa river, is one of the best known fortifications of this type in Croatia. It is a very old stronghold which has been converted into a castle. The popularity of this castle is because this...
, the family residence.
It is said that Katarina was very well educated and an erudite, largely thanks to the well-stocked private libraries in both her father's and husband's homes. In 1660 she wrote a prayer book
Breviary
A breviary is a liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by bishops, priests, and deacons in the Divine Office...
titled Putni tovaruš, and had it printed in 1661 in the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
before presenting it as a gift to the 17th century Croatian lexicographer Ivan Belostenec
Ivan Belostenec
Ivan Belostenec was a Croatian linguist and lexicographer.-Life:In 1616. he joined the Paulists. He studied philosophy in Vienna and theology in Rome...
(the book was later re-printed in 1687 and 1715 in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and then again in 2005 in Čakovec
Cakovec
Čakovec is a city in northern Croatia, located around 90 kilometres north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, smallest and most densely populated Croatian county.-Population:...
).
Children
Katarina and Petar had four children, born between 1643 and 1658:- Jelena (1643 – 18 February 1703)
Known as Jelena Zrinska in Croatia and Ilona Zrínyi
Ilona Zrínyi
Countess Ilona Zrínyi was one of the last surviving members of the Croatian Zrinski/Zrínyi noble family and one of the greatest heroines of Croatian and Hungarian history...
in Hungary, she married Hungarian nobleman Francis I Rákóczi
Francis I Rákóczi
Francis I Rákóczi was a Hungarian aristocrat, elected prince of Transylvania and father of Hungarian national hero Francis II Rákóczi....
in 1666. After his death in 1676, she married her second husband Imre Thököly
Imre Thököly
Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk was a Hungarian statesman, leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising, Prince of Transylvania, and vassal king of Upper Hungary.- Early life :Imre Thököly was born at Késmárk, Royal Hungary Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk (Thököly/Tököly/Tökölli Imre in Hungarian, Mirko...
, a Hungarian statesman and Prince of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, in 1682. She was also mother to Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
, leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in the early 18th century. In her later years she spent 7 years interred in an Ursuline
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
convent in Austria before being exiled to Turkey in 1699 where she died four years later in 1703. She is today celebrated in both Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
as one of the greatest national hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
ines and patriots
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
in her own right.
- Judita Petronela (1652–1699)
One of the two Katarina's daughters who spent the majority of their adult life in convents, Judita died as a nun in a Poor Clares convent in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
- Ivan IV Antun Baltazar (26 August 1654 – 11 November 1703)
In Croatia known as Ivan Antun Zrinski
Ivan Antun Zrinski
Ivan Antun Zrinski , , was a Croatian count, a member of the Zrinski noble family, its last male descendant.-Life:...
, he was the pair's only son. After a short military career he was later charged with high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
by the Austrian authorities. He was imprisoned first at Rattenberg
Rattenberg
Rattenberg, Austria is a town on the Inn River, near Rattenberg mountain and Innsbruck. With a population of 440, it is the smallest town in the country....
in Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
and then at Grazer Schloßberg
Grazer Schloßberg
The word "Schloßberg" literally means "castle mountain", which describes it exactly. It is a hill topped by a castle, in the centre of the city of Graz, Austria....
, where he spent the last 20 years of his life. He eventually went insane and died in 1703.
- Aurora Veronika (1658 – 19 January 1735)
The pair's youngest child and the last surviving member of the once powerful House of Zrinski. Following the crackdown on the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy (see below), she accompanied her mother during her interment at a Dominican convent in Graz. Aurora later spent her whole life as a nun and eventually died in an Ursuline
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
convent in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
.
Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
Following the unpopular Peace of VasvárPeace of Vasvár
The Peace of Vasvár was a treaty between the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire which followed the Battle of Saint Gotthard of August 1, 1664, and concluded the Austro-Turkish War...
treaty signed in 1664 by the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
which gave back parts of the territory which had been liberated from the Turks in the preceding Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)
Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)
The Austro-Turkish War or fourth Austro-Turkish War was a short war between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire.The Habsburg army under Raimondo Montecuccoli succeeded to halt the Ottoman army on its way to Vienna in the Battle of Saint Gotthard.Despite this Ottoman defeat, the war ended...
, a conspiracy involving members of the Croatian and Hungarian nobility was formed to overthrow the Habsburgs. The leaders of the conspiracy were Katarina's husband Petar Zrinski, her half brother Fran Krsto Frankopan and the Hungarian count Ferenc Wesselényi
Ferenc Wesselényi
Count Ferenc Wesselényi de Hadad et Murány was a Hungarian military commander and the palatine of the Royal Hungary.-Life:...
. The conspiracy was largely unsuccessful and in March 1670 a crackdown ordered by Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
ensued, in which all three men were arrested and imprisoned. On 30 April 1671 both Petar and Fran Krsto were executed in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
.
On the eve of his execution, her husband wrote her a farewell letter:
The downfall of the conspiracy practically destroyed the House of Zrinski as their enormous property was either confiscated or plundered. Katarina was first arrested and imprisoned in Bruck an der Mur
Bruck an der Mur
Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufactures include metal products and paper; Bruck is an important rail junction in the region located on the Graz to Vienna main...
and then ordered into seclusion by the Vienna court. She spent the remaining years of her life in a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
convent in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
with her daughter Aurora Veronika, where she died on 16 November 1673.
1860s–1940s
Croatian politician Ante StarčevićAnte Starcevic
Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
is considered the first person who initiated a campaign to politically rehabilitate leaders of the conspiracy in the speech he gave on 26 July 1861 in the Croatian Parliament. The speech spurred renewed interest in the whole affair and anniversaries of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan's deaths started to be commemorated publicly in growing numbers, with increasingly political overtones, as Croatian politicians became vocal in their calls for greater Croatian independence (which was at the time still part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
). In the 1880s a committee was even founded with the purpose of transporting their remains from Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
to Croatia, and in 1893 writer and politician Eugen Kumičić
Eugen Kumicic
Eugen Kumičić was a prominent Croatian writer and politician.-Biography:Kumičić was born in Brseč, Mošćenička Draga , a small town in Istria, then part of the Austrian Empire....
published a historical novel titled Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (The Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy), which helped to further popularise the image of Zrinkis and Frankopans as Croatian patriots and martyrs for freedom.
The bones of conspiracy leaders were eventually transferred back to Croatia in 1919 by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon
Brethren of the Croatian Dragon
The Brethren of the Croatian Dragon is a Croatian historical and cultural society established in 1905.In 1907, the Brethren claimed to have found the remains of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan, and by 1919 those were moved to the Zagreb Cathedral. During the Independent State of Croatia,...
and were greeted by masses upon their return to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. By that time Katarina Zrinski also became to be seen as the greatest Croatian woman of the past and a symbol of patriotism for women in Croatia. In the years before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
many women's societies sprung up around the country as well as in the Croatian diaspora
Croatian diaspora
Croatian diaspora refers to the Croatian communities that have formed outside Croatia.Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records and naturalization, but estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of...
. The oldest such association bearing Katarina's name was founded in 1914 in Punta Arenas in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It was originally called Hrvatska žena (Croatian Woman) and was primarily interested in keeping the Croatian language alive and helping Croatian women cope with life far from home. However, soon after WWI broke out, the society was actively engaged in helping the Pan-Slavic
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
Yugoslav movement and was thus renamed JNO Katarina Zrinska. In North America the Kćeri Katarine Zrinjske (Daughters of Katarina Zrinski) society was formed in 1917 which even had a youth branch in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
.
In 1919 the Katarina Zrinjska women's association was formed in Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, the first association bearing her name in Croatia. The society was designed as an organisation of middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
Croatian Catholic women in the area, and they claimed they chose to be named after Katarina because "strictly adhered to Christian principles throughout her life". The proclaimed goal of the society was to "encourage members to be good Catholics, honest citizens, women of significance, model mothers, advanced housekeepers and apostles of all things good", which they hoped to achieve by organising picnics, concerts, education classes, fundraisers, lectures, etc. In 1920 a similar Društvo Hrvatica Katarine grofice Zrinjski was established in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and in 1930 another one was founded in Petrinja
Petrinja
Petrinja is a city in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. The city belongs to Sisak-Moslavina County .- History :The name of Petrinja has its roots in Latin petrus, meaning "stone"...
. All these societies were active until the early 1940s, but were eventually disbanded in May 1943 by a decree issued by the fascist government of Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
.
1990s–present
The women's societies of the past and their work were largely forgotten during the SFR Yugoslavia period (1945–1990), until the modern-day Zajednica žena Katarina Zrinska (Community of Women Katarina Zrinska) was founded in 1999 in SplitSplit (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, as the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ) party's women's branch. Other associations abroad carrying her name include Hrvatska žena – Katarina Zrinska in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia (est. 1974), HŠKD Croatia Katarina Zrinski in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden, and many others.
Many streets and squares around Croatia are named after her, including the Katarinin trg (Catherine's Square) in the Upper Town
Gradec, Zagreb
Gradec or Grič is a part of the Zagreb, Croatia, and together with Kaptol it is the mediaeval nucleus of the city. It's situated on the hill of Gornji Grad.- History :Gradec was given a royal charter by King Bela IV in 1242...
part of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, located next to the Jesuit church of St. Catherine
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
's built between 1620 and 1632 in the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style. Many schools and institutions are also named after her.
In 1999 the Croatian National Bank
Croatian National Bank
The Croatian National Bank is the central bank of the Republic of Croatia.HNB was established by the Constitution of Croatia which was passed by the Croatian Parliament on 21 December 1990. Its main responsibilities are maintaining the stability of the national currency, the kuna, and ensuring...
issued a 200 kuna
Croatian kuna
The kuna is the currency of Croatia since 1994 . It is subdivided into 100 lipa. The kuna is issued by the Croatian National Bank and the coins are minted by the Croatian Monetary Institute....
silver commemorative coin with Katarina Zrinski as part of their "Famous Croatian Women" series. In their press release the bank described Katarina as "a writer, ardent patriot and a martyr, as well as a spiritual initiator of the liberation movement against foreign rule".
External links
- Katarina Zrinska short biography at the Croatian National BankCroatian National BankThe Croatian National Bank is the central bank of the Republic of Croatia.HNB was established by the Constitution of Croatia which was passed by the Croatian Parliament on 21 December 1990. Its main responsibilities are maintaining the stability of the national currency, the kuna, and ensuring...
website - Article about Katarina Zrinski published in July 2007 by Matica hrvatskaMatica hrvatskaMatica hrvatska is one of the oldest Croatian cultural institutions, dating back to 1842. The name is somewhat idiosyncratic, best translated as "The Croatian Centre" . It is the largest publisher of Croatian language books...