Countess Ludwika "Luds" Maria Poniatowska (30 November 1728 – 2 October 1804) was a Polish

noblewoman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

, known as the sister of the King of Poland,

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarc ...

Life

She was the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konstancja Czartoryska. In 1745, she married Jan Jakub Graf Zamoyski, by whom she had an only daughter. The couple separated after the birth of their daughter in 1750. In 1763, her brother was elected king of Poland. She and her sister

Izabella Poniatowska 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 clo ...

both opposed her brother's suggested marriage to princess

Sophia Albertina of Sweden Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. It may refer to: *Sophia (wisdom) * Sophia (Gnosticism) *Sophia (given name) Places * Niulakita or Sophia, an island of Tuvalu *Sophia, Georgetown, a ward of Georgetown, Guyana *Sophia, North Carolina, an unincorp ...

. In the spring of 1791, she and her daughter visited Paris during a difficult period in Poland, which attracted bad publicity. On 7 January 1795, she, her daughter and family joined king Stanisław in

Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...

, and remained by his side during the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

. Reportedly, she and her daughter, along with their coterie and urged by the Russian N. Repnin, contributed to persuade the king to sign his abdication on 25 November, as they feared that his refusal would lead to a Russian confiscation of their property and their ruin.Biogram został opublikowany w 1976 r. w XXI tomie Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego On 9 September 1801, she and her daughter donated the

Kazanowski Palace The Kazanowski Palace ( pl, pałac Kazanowskich), also known as the Radziejowski Palace, was a large palace in Warsaw, occupying the place where the Charitable Center ''Res Sacra Miser'' stands today. History When prince Władysław Vasa (future K ...

as a residence for the future

Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

. She spent her last years in Vienna.

References

1728 births 1804 deaths 18th-century Polish women Ludwika Maria Ludwika Maria {{Poland-noble-stub