Esterka
Encyclopedia
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of Casimir the Great
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
, King of Poland. She was the daughter of a poor tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
from Opoczno
Opoczno
Opoczno is a town in south-central Poland, within the eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship . Important communication routes run through the town, namely the central railway line, which connects Silesia with Warsaw, and road 12, which creates a...
named Rafael.
Contemporary writers treated the love affair between Esterka and the Polish king as fact but modern historians have been more skeptical. The earliest written record of the story was made by Jan Dlugosz
Jan Dlugosz
Jan Długosz was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków....
, less than a hundred years after the king's death. According to later writers the love affair took place while Casimir was married to Adelaide of Hesse
Adelaide of Hesse
Adelaide of Hesse was a daughter of Henry II, Landgrave of Hesse, and his wife Elisabeth of Thuringia. Adelaide was a member of the House of Hesse.-Unhappy marriage:...
and Krystyna Rokiczanka (the king had four wives during his reign). Supposedly the affair produced four children; two boys, Polka and Niemira, and two daughters (names not recorded). Another part of the story holds that the king had built a small castle in Bochotnica, north of Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, which he connected to Wawel Castle
Wawel Castle
The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...
via an underground tunnel.
Several places, streets and monuments in Poland are named after Esterka, usually ones associated with her and the king. One such place is a remaining wall of an old castle build by Casimir in Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
where, according to local legend, Esterka's ghost comes at night to wait for her lover.
In some sources Esterka is presented as king's consort who actually lived with him at Wawel Castle
Wawel Castle
The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...
although the two never married nor was she ever declared queen. Esterka is also sometimes credited by writers as being responsible for the expansion of privileges granted to Jews under Casimir.