,
Feodor Ostrogski,
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski The Ostrogski family was most likely of
Rurikid stock and descended from
Sviatopolk II of Kiev. Some scholars however claim that their descent is from the
Galicia-Volhynia line of the Rurikid dynasty. Vasilko Romanovich (c.1256-1282), Prince of
Slonim, may have been the grandfather of Prince
Daniel Ostrogski. The probable progenitor of this family was Prince Danylo Dmytrovych (
or Danylo Wasilijewicz), who received
Ostroh from
Liubartas, son of
Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas. His son, Prince Feodor Danilovich Ostrogski, was a supporter of King
Jagiello, who in 1386 confirmed him in possession of the
Ostroh Castle and appointed
governor of
Volhynia in 1387. In addition to Ostrog Feodor Danilovich Ostrogski became owner of
Korets, Zaslav (Izyaslav, in present
Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine), and other towns. In some chronicles Feodor is called
Dux Fethko de Ostrog. Their dominions in
Volynia,
Galicia, and
Podolia included 24 towns, 10 townlets, and more than 100 villages. The most notable among Feodor's descendants was
Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Prince
Konstanty Ostrogski, who defeated
Muscovy in the
Battle of Orsha (1514) and his son
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski (or
Konstantin Konstantinovich Ostrozhski). Unlike other Ruthenian magnates, the Ostrogskis refused to give up
Eastern Orthodoxy for
Roman Catholicism despite the cultural pressure that led to
Polonization of
Ruthenian nobility. For several generations the Ostrogskis supported the religion of their forefathers, by opening schools, printing books in
Ruthenian language with
Cyrillic such as "
Ostrog Bible" (written by
Ivan Fedorov) and making a generous charitable contributions to the construction of the Orthodox churches in the region. The last male member of the family was
Janusz Ostrogski (d. 1620); the last female was
Anna Alojza Ostrogska (1600–54), married to Grand Hetman
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz. When a junior line of the family (princes
Zasławski or Zasławski-Ostrogowski) which inherited the Ostrogoski fortune became extinct in 1682 (with the death of
Aleksander Janusz Zasławski), their huge possessions passed to the
Lubomirski family (due to their marriage with Aleksander sister,
Teofilia Ludwika Zasławska) and other families of Polish
szlachta. A complicated litigation concerning the Ostrogski inheritance continued until the
Russian Empire annexed Poland during the
Partitions. in
Warsaw,
Poland == Notable family members ==