Princess Elżbieta Izabela Czartoryska (21 May 1736 – 11 November 1816), better known under her married name of Izabela Lubomirska, was a politically influential Polish

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, philanthropist and cultural patron.

Life

She was the daughter of

August Aleksander Czartoryski Prince August Aleksander Czartoryski (9 November 1697, Warsaw4 April 1782, Warsaw) was a member of the Polish nobility (), magnate. Life August became major-general of the Polish Army in 1729, voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in 1731, gene ...

, one of the leaders of the Familia, and

Maria Zofia Czartoryska Countess Maria Zofia Czartoryska née ''Sieniawska'' (15 April 1699–21 May 1771) was a Polish szlachcianka (noblewoman). By birth she was member of powerful Sieniawski family and by marriage she was member of House of Dönhoff and House of ...

. In her youth, she fell in love with her cousin,

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, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...

, later elected

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

as Stanislaus Augustus, but was unable to marry him due to the objections of her father, who thought him not sufficiently rich or influential. Eventually, she married Stanisław Lubomirski on 9 June 1753, later

Grand Marshal of the Crown Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

, with whom she had four children:

Julia Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...

, Konstancja, Elżbieta, and

Aleksandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus ...

. She was a member of the Women's Adoption Lodge - ''Dobroczynność'' (''Charity'') - of the Polish Freemasons from 1783. Because of her liking for blue, which she often wore, she was called the "Blue Marquise". She was one of the biggest and the wealthiest landowners in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. Her properties included the palace in Wilanów (prior royal residence of

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

) near

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, the palace in Ursynów (then called ''Rozkosz'', translating as ''Plaisance''), which she built for her daughter Aleksandra, and the ''Mon Coteau'' palace in

Mokotów Mokotów () is a district of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. It is densely populated, and hosts many companies and foreign embassies. Only a small part of the district is lightly industrialised (''Służewiec Przemysłowy''), while the majori ...

(today's Szustra Palace). She laid the cornerstone for the building of the

National Theatre in Warsaw National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and initiated the reconstruction of her husband's family estate, the

Łańcut Castle Łańcut Castle (Polish language, Polish: ''Zamek w Łańcucie''; pronounced: ) is a complex of historical buildings located in Łańcut, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland. Historically the residence of the Pilecki, House of Lubomirski, Lubomirsk ...

, in the Rococo style. Undoubtedly, she was one of the most outstanding women in Poland in the 18th century. She took a very active part in the politics of her camp, strove both for the acquisition of foreign courts and the masses of the

Polish nobility The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

. At first, she was very fond of her youth's presumed lover, Stanislaus Augustus, then she fought him passionately. Embittered by the failure of her actions at court, she moved to Paris, and after the outbreak of the revolution, she escaped to Vienna. Apart from her political activity, she distinguished herself as a progressive protector of peasants - she founded schools and hospitals in her estates. She died on November 25, 1816, in Vienna. She was buried in the Währing cemetery. On September 23, 1885, due to the liquidation of the cemetery in Währing, the coffin was transported to the parish church in Łańcut, where it was buried again. Earlier, a monument of white Carrara marble was erected in the temple, funded by count Alfred Potocki. In the

Łańcut Łańcut (, ; ; ) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 18,004 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), it is the Capital (political), capital of Łańcut County. History Archeological investigat ...

estate, she founded a distillery which exists today under the name Polmos Łańcut.Polmos Łańcut
/ref> File:Spektakl w obecności króla Stanisława Augusta.jpg, Play in the presence of king Stanisław II August, 1790. The painting depicts the interior of the first National Theatre in Warsaw situated at the Krasiński Square. This theatre was generously supported by Elżbieta Lubomirska. File:Izabela z Czartoryskich Lubomirska z Henrykiem Lubomirskim.jpg, Izabela Lubomirska playing a concert with Prince Henryk Lubomirski (playing the harp) and her two French acquaintances in Łańcut, 1793. File:Carl Hummel, Izabela Lubomirska (1816).jpg, Painting of Izabela Lubomirska, 1816, by Carl Hummel

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Czartoryska, Elzbieta 1736 births 1816 deaths Elzbieta Czartoryska 18th-century Polish nobility Polish Freemasons 18th-century Polish women Polish patrons of the arts