The Lithuanian Family of Montovt (Montovt Koblynsky) in Volhynia in the 15th–16th centuries

The joint development of Lithuanian and Ukrainian lands within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th–16th centuries fostered inter-ethnic family ties. One of such cases was the Lithuanian family of Montovt, known in Volhynia since the second half of the 15th century. The article looks at the history of the family of Montovt. The Grand Duke of Luthuania bestowed upon Mykhailo Montovtovych, a member of this family, the most important administrative office in Volhynia – starosta of Lutsk, and the latter’s descendants settled in Volhynia permanently. Jakub Montovtovych, the younger son of Mykhailo Montovovych, whilst serving as starosta of Kremenets, received for his service substantial land holdings – volost of Mlyniv together with the town of Koblyn. After the name of the town Volhynian Montovts started to be called the Montovt Koblynskies. The important status of the family of Montovt in Volhynia is evidenced not only by high offices held by some of its members, but also by matrimonial ties: the Montovts established kinship ties with several ducal families, in particular the families of Holshan, Porytsky, Lubetsky and Sokolsky. The most famous from the family of Montovt in the 16th century was Hanna Montovtivna, the daughter of Yan Yakubovich, who was the son of Yakub Mykhailovych. Hanna's destiny, which began happily, had a very sorrowful continuation. When she was 14, her father gave her in marriage to Duke Bogush Lubetsky. In her second marriage, she was the wife of Duke Vasyli Sokolsky. Altogether Hanna was married four times. After the death of her father, her stepmother and her second husband Oleksandr Semashko, trying to appropriate her inheritance, married her against her will to a cruel and uneducated man Pavel Zglychynsky, who deprived her from her property and kept her in prison for 14 years. Freed from the captivity, Hanna tried to divorce her husband, but according to the decree of Lutsk bishop, Zglychynsky only apologized to his wife and promised to treat her well henceforth. Thus, Hanna was forced to forgive him and to continue to live with him in marriage.