Katarina Zrinska

Ana Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625-1673) was a Croatian noblewoman, born into the Frankopan family. She married Petar Zrinski and became known as "Katarina Zrinska."

Life

Katarina was born in Bosiljevo to Uršula Inhofer and Vuk Krsto Frankopan of Trzac, a well known commanding officer and warrior in the Military Frontier. She was the sister of Fran Krsto Frankopan, also a warrior and statesmen. In 1641 she married Petar Zrinski, with whom she had four children.

She became well known for her writing and poetry, in which she wrote in the Kajkavian dialect of the Croatian language, like her brother.

In 1670, her brother and husband became angry at the Peace of Vasvár treaty signed by the Habsburgs in which all the land they captured in victories against the Ottoman empire were given back to the Turks. Together they tried to lead a revolt with Croatian troops, but were captured and taken to Vienna, where they were sentenced to death in 1671.

Before his execution, her husband wrote her a final letter:

:"My dear heart; Do not be too sorrowful and upset on account of this letter. God's will be done. Tomorrow at ten o'clock they will cut off my head and your brother's too. Today we pardoned each other with all our heart. Therefore I ponder this letter and ask you for everlasting forgiveness. If I have mistreated you in some way, or offended you, as well I know, forgive me. In the name of our Father I am quite prepared to die and am not afraid. I hope that the Almighty God who has humiliated me in this world will have mercy on me. I would pray to him and ask him to whom tomorrow I hope to come that we may meet each other in everlasting glory before the Lord. I know nothing else to write to you about, neither our son nor the rest of our poor possessions. I have left this to God's will. Do not be sorry, everything had to be so. In Wiener Neustadt, the day before the last day of my life, at seven o'clock in the evening, April 29th, 1671. May Almighty God bless you together with our daughter Aurora Veronika.":"Count Petar Zrinski"

Following the death of her husband, Katarina was targeted by Vienna Court and was forced into seclusion in a monastery where she remained until her death on November 16, 1673 in Graz.

Quotes

*"O God, you who set Croatia as a bulwark of Christianity, remember our sufferings through the century".

Trivia

* In 1999, the Croatian National Bank, along with the bank of Čakovec, issued a silver commemorative coin of Katarina. It was part of a series entitled "Famous Croatian Women." It described Katarina as "a writer, ardent patriot and a martyr, as well as a spiritual initiator of the liberation movement against foreign rule." [http://www.hnb.hr/numiz/zla-sre/katarina/ekatarina.htm?tsfsg=7ace6983efd6c013cc593d7e4048e881]

*A Croatian women's organization from Toronto named themselves after Katarina Zrinska. [http://www.matis.hr/eng/vijesti.php?id=657] There are also numerous schools and buildings named after her all throughout Croatia.

*There is a square in Zagreb named after her ("Katarinin trg") and is near the Jesuit church of St. Catherine, built between 1620 and 1632 in the baroque style.

References

* [http://www.hnb.hr/numiz/zla-sre/katarina/h-z-katarina.htm?tsfsg=e332bbd39f476278d48b332aa05292a1 Ana Katarina Zrinska]