Urszula Zachara-Związek

URSZULA ZACHARA-ZWIĄZEK is a PhD student based in the History Faculty, University of Warsaw, where she previously completed an MA (2013). The title of her PhD dissertation is The Habsburg Wives of Sigismund Augustus. Marriage Cultures – Clashing Cultures. As a member of the team working on Old Polish Cultural History (Warsaw), she participated in the project Wills as historical sources, and has also contributed to the online edition of sixteenth century tax registers entitled Historical Atlas of Poland in the 16th century.

Zachara-Związek’s work on the Marrying Cultures project centres on the Habsburg wives of Sigismund Augustus at the royal court in Poland between 1543 and 1572. The first date marks the marriage of the first Habsburg princess, Elisabeth, and the latter the death of Sigismund Augustus and his third wife, Katarina Her dissertation focuses on the cultural exchange between Poland, the Habsburg lands and Italy which the marriages of these consorts facilitated, and Zachara-Związek examines these in a bi-directional manner. Zachara-Związek asks whether existing dynastic patterns were transported into the Jagiellonian court, and considers the extent and importance of cultural exchange with regard to religion, literature, music and food and also considers how the experiences of Elisabeth and Katharina afford examples of contrasting models of cultural exchange.

Research information (in German & Polish): http://www.dhi.waw.pl/de/forschung/forschungsprogramm/religion-und-politik.html#c1655