Clan of Ostoja

Clan Ostoja (ancient Polish: Ostoya) was a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe. The Clan encompass families in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Upper Hungary (Slovakia), Hungary, Transylvania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Prussia. The Clan crest is the Ostoja coat of arms, and the battle cry is Ostoja ("Mainstay") or Hostoja. The Clan adopted the Royal-Sarmatian tamga draco (dragon) emblem.

During the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Clan adopted several Lithuanian and Belarusian families, generally of Ruthenian princely origin, and transformed into a Clan of landlords, senators and nobility. Members of the Clan worked together closely, often living close to each other. They held high positions, and held a great amount of land and properties in both Commonwealth and in Upper Hungary (today mostly present-day Slovakia) in medieval times, including many great gothic style castles. Members of the Clan of Ostoja ruled several feudal lordships in Upper Hungary between 1390 and 1434 and Transylvania in 1395-1401 and again in 1410-1414, during the time of Duke Stibor of Stiboricz.

A line of the Clan, which included relatives of Stibor of Stiboricz who followed him to Hungary, is included in Hungarian aristocracy as Imperial Barons (Reichfreiherr) of the Hungarian kingdom in 1389. Stibor of Stiboricz and his son, Stibor of Beckov were both members of Order of the Dragon. At the same time in Poland between 1390 and 1460, several members of the Clan of Ostoja ruled Voivodeships and cities as castellans, voivods and senators on behalf of the King and the Clan was therefore in control of the Duchies of Pomerania, Kuyavia-Pomerania, and partly Greater Poland, which were a considerable part of the Kingdom of Poland at that time.

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