Veronika Desinićka - Croatian Anne Boleyn?

Lo and behold finally something really interesting on local TV and I tuned in just to watch this fascinating documentary about famous legend about this castle that is towering above my little country house vacation spot. Usually I avoid TV at all costs because it just upsets me most of the time, but last night t was exciting + it was documentary.

"Veliki Tabor" (Big fortress) is a massive castle that probably goes back to 15th century and was built as a defence from Turks. It changed hands often and owners were mostly aristocratic families connected to a royal court. There is a very interesting folk legend about young girl who was imprisoned and probably killed here because of her forbidden love for aristocrat - I believe this is combination of forgotten and confused historical facts and later folk tradition told by superstitious, illiterate and uninformed locals whose descendants (as this documentary clearly shows) are still not 100% sure about it. What is very interesting is that we know names of four main protagonists and its truly a Shakesperian tragedy for all included, but it takes some re-thinking and analysis to see it from different perspective.

In a nutshell: powerful count Hermann (pictured above) hunts down his disobedient son Friedrich (who is already married) and his young mistress (legendary low-born Veronika Desinićka - Veronika from local village Desinić), imprisons the son and orders the girl to be killed here in this castle, where her ghost still weeps according to local tourist tradition. It makes for a very romantic love story and it inspired a lot of artists trough centuries not to mention that it appeals to sensitive audience who like the idea of forbidden love. But I watched the documentary last night and mulled it over in my head since.

What was fascinating was how differently people look at it - historians from neighbourhood Slovenia (where these lords originally came from) are far more informed because they actually researched original documents and can explain some motives of characters. On the other hand, locals filmed here (with exception of lady who works in the castle/museum) are all confused, giggling crowd repeating what they have heard and not only nobody stop to think about possible reasons and historical roots of the story but they clearly show centuries-old hostility towards injustice towards "little people" (because Veronika was victim of ruling classes), some of them even meekly repeat superstitious claims that she was witch. Absolutely nobody has any opinion about what actually might have happened and who was victim here.

Here is what I think.

Count Hermann was powerful but not invincible lord who also had to explain himself to the king and the court. Like all aristocrats of his time, he planned prosperity of his descendants with marriage that would ensure that in the future generations, family wealth would spread until the Adriatic sea - because of this he had arranged marriage of his only son with rich Croatian lady. So far, so good. But the son being sole inheritor, is spoiled, strong-willed and disobedient and whores around, ignoring the bride Elizabeth of Frankopan who in fact ends up murdered so the stage is clear for her replacement, the low-born village Veronika who might have manipulated her lover into this. Come on people, who is a victim here? Not a word about poor, innocent Elizabeth who was sold into cold and cruel marriage, but everybody feels sorry for Veronika. While Croatian aristocracy is in uproar, in order to hush up the scandal and very probable royal punishment, count Hermann imprisons his own son himself (effectively protecting him) until the dust settles and orders meddlesome girl strangled to make sure she won't stand on the way later. In all probability the couple really loved each other, which I see in a careful ways young count Friedrich tried to protect her in monasteries and isolated castles later - that they both eventually got caught up and separately imprisoned & punished is surely cruel and later in life Friedrich never forgot his real, true love whose body he got exhumed and re-buried, her face painted in local chapels as "St.Veronika" from Gospel stories. As historians explained in this documentary, this was era when marriages between aristocracy was almost never arranged for love but for various material reasons so public relationship with low-born girl was a political suicide and Friedrich would have done much better if he kept Elizabeth as his wife and Veronika as secret lover, which he could have done easily. I am tempted to see Veronika as Croatian Anne Boleyn who must have been aware that her high-born lover is already married and something must have be done about it.

Its really strange that tradition and legends made her into romantic heroine, I analysed this from various perspectives and see it a little bit differently though I admit that love between these two people could have been genuine. And yes, nobody mentions what happened to the child they supposedly had with them during hiding in a monastery?