Countess Izabella Poniatowska (1 July 1730 – 14 February 1808) was a Polish noblewoman, sister of king Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski.

Life

She was the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konstancja Czartoryska. She was reportedly close to her brother Stanisław during their childhood. On 19 November 1748 she married

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. The marriage was arranged to give the Czartoryska-Poniatowski family political party an ally in her spouse, and she was expected by her family to influence him. However, her spouse was indifferent to her, and she left him to live with the Masovian voivode

Andrzej Mokronowski Andrzej Mokronowski (1713–1784) was a member of the Polish szlachta, a politician and general of the Polish Army. He was the first Polish Mason and founder of the first Masonic Lodge in Poland, opened in 1774 in Warsaw. He was made a Knight ...

, whom she eventually married. This was a time of difficulty for her, as she was exposed to conflict with her family and her elopement was treated a scandal.

Sister of the King

In 1763, her brother was elected king of Poland. She was described as her brother's close confidante and friend, and her relationship with him is described as sentimental and tender, but she was said to lack any understanding of - or interest - in political issues. In 1769, she advised the king to ally with France in order to be given a secure future with an allowance if he should be deposed by the

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. Her brother the king granted her Moscow, Bielsko and Krosno as ''starosti'' for her personal income. She lived a life in comfort and had a private Italian orchestra, theater and ballet, and spent the winters in Warsaw and the summers in Bialystok. She was called pretty but not intelligent, and her receptions was visited by foreign travelers and diplomats. In Bialystok, she introduced several social inventions such as schools and hospitals. She was included in the circle of advisers of her brother, and supported the career of

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. She and her sister

Ludwika Maria Poniatowska Countess Ludwika "Luds" Maria Poniatowska (30 November 1728 – 2 October 1804) was a Polish noblewoman, known as the sister of the King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Life She was the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konst ...

both opposed her brother's suggested marriage to princess

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. In 1783, she visited France with her husband. In 1784, she was widowed a second time. She stayed with her brother the King in Warsaw all through the

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to support him, despite being afraid, and the first shots during the revolution is said to have been fired near her palace. She supported

Stanisław Mokronowski Stanisław Mokronowski (1761-1821) was a prominent member of the Polish landed gentry of Bogoria coat of arms. A general of the Polish Army and a royal Chamberlain Mokronowski took part in both the Polish–Russian War of 1792 (War in the Defe ...

during the uprising, but advised her brother not to endanger his safety. She followed her brother on his exile to Grodno.

References

* Biogram został opublikowany w 1936 r. w II tomie Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego. * https://translate.google.se/translate?hl=sv&sl=pl&tl=sv&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ipsb.nina.gov.pl%2Fa%2Fbiografia%2Fizabella-branicka&anno=2 1730 births 1801 deaths Izabella 18th-century Polish nobility 18th-century Polish women {{Poland-noble-stub