Prince Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski (Ruthenian: Костεньтин Ѡстрозский; ; ; ; 2 February 1526 – 23 or 29 February 1608) was a Ruthenian Orthodox magnate of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, starost of Volodymyr, marshal of Volhynia and voivode of Kiev. One of the most powerful and influential figures in Ukrainian lands during the 16–17th centuries, Ostrogski became famous as founder of the Ostroh Academy and protector of Eastern Orthodox religion.
In 2008, the council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate proclaimed Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski a saint and established his feast day on .
Biography
Early life
The date of birth of Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski is disputed. According to some historians he was born around 1524/1525 or 1526. Based on historical sources, the prince's birthday is dated with 13 (O.S. 2) February. or in Dubno. After the untimely death of his brother, at the age of 16 he put forward claims to his brother’s inheritance and to guardianship over his daughter from his first marriage, Yelizavieta. On the other side stood Illia’s widow, Beata née Kościelecka. The trial before the royal court continued until the end of 1541. The final division of the estate took place in 1546. During this meeting which the representative of Constantinople Patriarchate excommunicated Michael Rohoza and other Uniate clergymen. Soon thereafter Ostrogski issued an appeal to the king, threatening him with rebellion for violating the rights of Ruthenian people. The monarch responded by proclaiming all Eastern Christians who refused to adopt the decision of Brest Council to be apostates deprived of royal protection, and ordered all church positions to be taken exclusively by Union supporters.
thumb|Title page of Apocrisis
In 1597–1598, Ostrogski fincanced the publication of Apocrisis, a polemic treatise authored by Polish Protestant Marcin Broniewski under the pseudonym Christophor Philaleth. Broniewski's work interpreted the Union of Brest as a violation of rights of the Ruthenian population and warned about the possibility of a civil war in the Commonwealth. Ostrogski represented anti-union forces at the Sejms of 1597 and 1599, entering a confederation with Protestants, which in 1601 proposed a project to grant positions in the Orthodox Church exclusively to non-Uniates. However, that draft was rejected by the king under the influence of pro-Catholic senators.
In advance to the Sejm of 1603, Ostrogski conducted negotiations with Krzysztof "Piorun" Radziwiłł. The active policies of the pro-Orthodox camp eventually brought success, and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was removed from partonage of the Uniate archbishop. In 1605 the Chamber of Deputies succeeded in adopting a law restoring the Orthodox hierarchy, however it was vetoed by the king. In 1606–1607, expulsion of Jesuits and restoration of the previous status of the Orthodox Church were included into the list of demands issued to the monarch by the participants of Zebrzydowski rebellion. As a result, the king declared the freedom of worship for followers of "Greek religion" and guaranteed the appointment of Orthodox Christians to religious positions without breaking the Union. Despite this, many Orthodox episcopal sees remained vacant, and Orthodoxy remained in a weakened position in respect to the government-supported Catholic and Uniate churches.
During the Time of Troubles Ostrogski refused to help False Dmitriy I and supported Jan Zamoyski.
Death and inheritance
Ostrogski died on 29 February 1608 in Ostroh at the age of 81. On 27 April, he was buried in a crypt located inside of the castle church. He left no testament. Ostrogski established the Ostroh Academy, a wellregarded humanist educational and scholarship institution, with the instruction in Greek, Latin and Old Church Slavonic languages. The sum for the school's foundation was donated by Ostrogski's niece Halszka. which was edited by Ivan Fedorov. It was Ostrogski who built Starokostiantyniv Castle. His private army counted 15,000 soldiers from among the local boyars, land tenants, personal clients and allied Tatars. Ostroh boasted an Orthodox academy, a yeshiva, a mosque, and a Unitarian Church. By the end of the 16th century, Ostrogski's landholdings encompassed 80 towns and 2760 villages in Volhynia (today's Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and Ternopil regions), Kyiv and Bratslav voivodeships, Galicia and parts of modern Poland; 20 monasteries, 40 castles and 600 churches were located on those territories. The prince's annual income reached the sum of 19 million złoty, and he employed around 2,000 servants. As one of the richest magnates of Poland-Lithuania, Ostrogski was nicknamed "Uncrowned King of Ruthenia".
Canonization
A deeply religious person, Ostrogski entered the Orthodox tradition as an especially pious prince. He respected the Lent and regularly spent the first week of the period in seclusion at the Holy Cross Monastery near Dubno, dressed as a simple monk. Caring for the sick, he established a hospital in Ostroh. Ostrogski became known as the founder and restorer of numerous convents, and supported the St. Michael's, St. Cyril's and Pechersk monasteries in Kyiv. Supporting the unity of Christian Church, he at the same time opposed the Union of Brest due to its non-universal character.