300px, Stanisław and Konstancja Poniatowski Princess Konstancja Czartoryska (c. 1696 or 29 January 1700 – 27 October 1759) was a Polish-Lithuanian

noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...

and the mother of King Stanisław II August of Poland. She played a political role as a driving force within the

Familia (political party) The Familia ("The Family", from Latin ''familia'') was the name of an 18th-century Polish political faction led by the House of Czartoryski and allied families. It was formed towards the end of the reign of King of Poland Augustus II the Strong ...

Life

She was the daughter of

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

Prince

Kazimierz Czartoryski Prince Kazimierz Czartoryski (4 March 1674 – 31 August 1741) was a Polish nobleman, Duke of Klewań and . Kazimierz became Podczaszy of Lithuania since 1699, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania in 1707–1709, nominated by King Stanisław ...

and his wife, Izabela Elżbieta Morsztyn. She was given a fashionable French-influenced education. She married

Stanisław Poniatowski Stanisław Poniatowski was the name of several Polish nobles: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762), castellan of Kraków * Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 Februa ...

on 14 September 1720. The marriage was arranged by the assistance of Jakub Henryk Flemming as an alliance between the Poniatowski and Czartoryski family. After marriage, she frequently attended the royal court. Konstancja Czartoryska came to acquire a great influence within the family and was described as a driving force behind the political career of her spouse and her brothers. Through the connections she made at court, she could benefit the career of her brothers. She reportedly persuaded August Czartoryski to leave Imperial employ. At the interregnum and royal election after the death of king August II in 1733, Konstancja Czartoryska, alongside her mother and Maria Zofia Czartoryska, are described as the most influential people in the Familia Party. The French ambassador initiated negotiations with her regarding the election of

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (Stanisław Bogusław; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duk ...

in connection to Stanisław Poniatowski and

Józef Potocki Józef Potocki (; 1673 – 19 May 1751) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic), magnate, Great Hetman of the Crown. Early life Potocki was born in Stanisławów in 1673. He was a son of Andrzej Potocki and Anna Rysińska. Career Józef was consid ...

. In September 1733, she left Warsaw with her family and spent the War of the Polish Succession in Gdańsk. She is described as a serious person with an interest in education and politics and strongly devoted to her mother, and reportedly made sure that her children be given a good education, in contrast to what was often the case in contemporary Poland. In January 1736, she visited Koszalin and successfully persuaded Michał Czartoryski to support August III as king. She returned permanently to Warsaw in 1739. Konstancja Czartoryska devoted a lot of her time to politics, mainly to secure the alliance between her and her husband's family as a united political party, and she is depicted in the diary of Stanisław August as always attending the family meetings, where she was a driving force in the party's political policy; often supporting Michał Czartoryski, but rephrasing his emotional outbursts and discussing the issues in a more constructive tone with August Czartoryski. In 1743, she was involved in the scandal when her son was Kazimierz challenged to a duel by Adam Tarła after having danced with Tarla's wife. After her son escaped the first duel unharmed, she allegedly told her son that she would rather see him dead than covered in shame. This led to the second duel, in which Tarla was killed in the famed Marymont-duel. In 1745, she resolved the conflict between Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski and Czerniak Stanisławs and Antoni Lubomirski. In 1752, the wife of the French ambassador, countess de Broglie, accused her of being behind the poisoning of L.A Duperron de Castér and described her as a person capable of anything. In 1753, she called her son back from France and supported him being sent to Russia in cooperation with Ch. H. Williams. In 1755, she lost her political influence within the family political party because of her opposition to a Polish participation in the Seven Years' War and discord with her brothers, who no longer respected her opinions. The death of her mother caused her to fall in to depression and a greater interest in religion.

In culture

She was portrayed in a novel by Maria Dernałowicz, "Portret Familia" (W. 1974).

Children

Kazimierz Poniatowski Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski (15 September 1721 – 13 April 1800) was a Polish nobleperson, ''podkomorzy wielki koronny'' (1742–1773), Lieutenant general of the Royal Polish forces, ''generał wojsk koronnych''. Knight of the Order of th ...

- podkomorzy of the Crown *

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 ...

- last king of Poland * Andrzej Poniatowski - Austrian field marshal *

Michał Jerzy Poniatowski Prince Michał Jerzy Poniatowski (12 October 1736 – 12 August 1794) was a Polish nobleman. Abbot of Tyniec and Czerwińsk (''opat tyniecki i czerwinski''), Bishop of Płock and Coadjutor Bishop of Kraków (''koadiutor krakowski'') from 17 ...

- last primate of Poland (in the

First Republic of Poland First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

) * Izabella Poniatowska - wife of

Jan Klemens Branicki Count Jan Klemens Branicki (also known as Jan Kazimierz Branicki; 21 September 1689 – 9 October 1771) was a Polish nobleman, magnate and Hetman, Field Crown Hetman of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1735 and 1752, and Great Cro ...

, and later of

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, which opened in 1742 in Wisniowiec. He subseque ...

Life

In culture

Children

References

Further reading