Olshanski
Encyclopedia
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
princely family from Galšia (Alšėnai, Halshany
Halshany
Halshany is a village and former town in Belarus, Hrodna Voblast. It is known as the former seat of the Holszanski princely family and the location of the ruined Halshany Castle.-History:...
, Гальшаны), Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, which used to be a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
. Their Coat of Arms was Hipocentaur
Coat of arms of Hipocentaur
Hipocentaur is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by a number of szlachta families under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-See also:* Polish heraldry* Heraldry* Coat of arms...
. During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries most of the family was Orthodox by faith and Ruthenian by language, although there were exceptions, in particular Pavel Olshanski was a Catholic Church official. The last wives of Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
and Vytautas came from this family. The Olshanski family ended in 1556, following the death of Prince Semen (his uncle Pavel Olshanski, last-but-one male representative of the family, died just one year before). Princess Maria Olshanskaya, the wife of Andrey Kurbsky
Andrey Kurbsky
Knyaz Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky was an intimate friend and then a leading political opponent of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible. His correspondence with the tsar is a unique source for the history of 16th-century Russia...
, died in 1586. Their estates were inherited by the Sapieha
Sapieha
The Sapieha is a Polish-Lithuanian princely family descending from the medieval boyars of Smolensk. The family acquired great influence in the sixteenth century.-History:...
family, which hailed from Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
. The seats of the family included Halshany Castle
Halshany Castle
Halshany or Holszany Castle is the ruined residence of the Sapieha magnate family in Halshany, Hrodna Voblast, Belarus. It was erected in the early 17th century in place of an older seat of the Holszanski princely family....
and Rokantiškės Castle
Rokantiškes Castle
Rokantiškės Castle ruins are in Naujoji Vilnia elderate of Vilnius, Lithuania.The castle was located east of Vilnius on a high hill near the Vilnia River. First castle was built in 12th century. In 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style and has been the seat of the Olshanski family...
.
Members
For the first time Olshanski family is mentioned in written sources at the end of the 14th century when Ivan, son of Algimantas, assisted Vytautas the GreatVytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
in his fight with Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
. This is the only mention of Algimantas, the founder of the dynasty. Such a late mention of strong family is attributed to the geographic location of their domain: Halshany was not in the way of either the Livonian Order
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights...
or the Teutonic Knights. It is unknown how the family managed to maintain their status during long and stable reigns of powerful Grand Dukes of Lithuania from the Gediminid dynasty.
- Ivan OlshanskiIvan OlshanskiIvan Olshanski is the first known and undisputed member of the princely Olshanski family. Historians only know his fathers name, Algimantas. Ivan was a faithful companion of Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania. They both were married to daughters of Sudimantas of Eišiškės...
(Lithuanian: Jonas Alšėniškis) is the first known and undisputed member of the family. He was faithful companion of Vytautas and viceregent of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. His children were:- Juliana Olshanski became the third wife of Vytautas in 1418.
- Alexander Olshanski (Lithuanian: Aleksandras Alšėniškis) went to serve Vasili I of RussiaVasili I of RussiaVasiliy I Dmitriyevich was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1389.He was the oldest son of Dmitri Donskoi and Grand Princess Eudoxia, daughter of Grand Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod.-Domestic policy:...
, Vytautas' son-in-law, in 1406. He ruled Pereyaslavl until 1408 when ŠvitrigailaŠvitrigailaŠvitrigaila Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452; was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.-Struggle against Vytautas:...
came to Moscow. Alexander's further destiny is unknown. - Andrew Olshanski (Lithuanian: Andrius Alšėniškis) is sometimes called Duke of Kiev only because his father was viceregent there. Andrew had three daughters
- Sophia of HalshanySophia of HalshanySophia of Halshany , was a Lithuanian princess of Halshany, Queen of Poland from , and the last wife of Jogaila.-Biography:...
, who married JogailaJogailaJogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
and gave birth to Wladislaus III of Poland and Casimir IV of Poland - Maria, who married to Iliaş of MoldaviaIlias of MoldaviaIliaş or Ilie I was Prince of Moldavia twice: in January 1432–October 1433 and with his brother Stephen II in August 1435–May 1443....
- Vasilisa, who married AlgirdasAlgirdasAlgirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
's grandson Iwan Belski.
- Sophia of Halshany
- Michael Olshanski (Lithuanian: Mykolas Alšėniškis) is first mentioned in the Treaty of MelnoTreaty of MelnoThe Treaty of Melno or Treaty of Lake Melno was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on September 27, 1422, between the Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at Lake Melno , east of Graudenz...
of 1422 as viceregent of Kiev. He was loyal to ŠvitrigailaŠvitrigailaŠvitrigaila Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452; was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.-Struggle against Vytautas:...
and helped him to fight Sigismund KestutaitisSigismund KestutaitisSigismund Kęstutaitis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name; Sigismund's pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. He was son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis and his wife Birutė....
until his brother Simanas was killed by the order of Švitrigaila. Michael was also likely killed by Švitrigaila. - Semen (Simanas) Olshanski, nicknamed Luty (the Fierce or the Cruel) in the chronicles, was one of the most important people in removing Švitrigaila from the throne in 1432. He was faithful to the new Grand Duke Sigismund Kestutaitis, but in 1433 was captured and killed by Švitrigaila in VitebskVitebskVitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
.- Jurgis Olshanski participated in the election of Casimir IV JagiellonCasimir IV JagiellonCasimir IV KG of the House of Jagiellon was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447, until his death.Casimir was the second son of King Władysław II Jagiełło , and the younger brother of Władysław III of Varna....
in 1440.- Alexander Olshanski (used to sign as Alexander Juriovicz) is mentioned in 1486 as starostaStarostaStarost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
of HrodnaHrodnaGrodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
. Later, after death of Casimir IVCasimir IVCasimir IV may refer to:*Polish king Casimir IV Jagiellon*Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania...
, he was promoted to castellanCastellanA castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. In 1506 he received title of starosta of BrestBrest, BelarusBrest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
in exchange of lost Hrodna. He died in 1511. It is likely that Alexander, first in his family, converted to Roman Catholicism.- Janusz Olshanski studied in Cracow in the late 1480s. In 1501-1504 he served as starosta of SlonimSlonimSlonim is a city in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus, capital of the Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa rivers, 143 km southeast of Hrodna. The population in 2008 was 50,800.-Etymology and historical names:...
. He is mentioned in 1505 for the last time. - Jurgis Olshanski was mentioned for the first time in 1502. He was voivode of Kiev from 1508 to his death in 1510.
- Pawel Olshanski (died in 1555) was bishop of LutskLutskLutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
and Vilnius and the last-but-one male successor of the Olshanski princely family.
- Janusz Olshanski studied in Cracow in the late 1480s. In 1501-1504 he served as starosta of Slonim
- Iwan Olshanski-Dubrovicki (executed in 1481 for participation in a conspiracy against the Grand Duke).
- Juri (Jurgis) Olshanski-Dubrovicki, voivod of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.- Numerous children, all of the sons died childless. Among them was Semen (Simanas), the last male successor of the family (died in 1556). The vast possessions of the Dubrovicki branch of the family passed to the daughters of Juri, and through them to the families of Sapieha, Polubinski, etc.
- Juri (Jurgis) Olshanski-Dubrovicki, voivod of Kiev
- Iuliania, who died at 16 and was later canonized by the Orthodox Church; little is known about her life, and there is some dispute as for which Juri/Jurgis Olszanski was her father, Juri Semenowicz or Juri Iwanowicz of Dubrovica.
- Alexander Olshanski (used to sign as Alexander Juriovicz) is mentioned in 1486 as starosta
- Jurgis Olshanski participated in the election of Casimir IV Jagiellon