He called his wife “a beautiful freak.” For a decade he lived under one roof with her and his lover

is the most outstanding creator of Polish romanticism and one of the three national bards. His works, such as “Forefathers’ Eve” or “Ode to Youth”, had a significant impact on the development of culture and the shaping of society. It is therefore not surprising that readers, apart from his artistic legacy, are also interested in the history of his life, which, as is commonly known, was very turbulent.

She was Adam Mickiewicz’s first great love. Eventually she married a wealthier man

It is no secret that the poet did not shy away from works, most of which inspired his work. His first great love was Maryla Wereszczakówna. The daughter of a wealthy landowner, living in the manor house in Tuhanowicze, although she was not a classic beauty, quickly stole his heart. This did not please her father, who planned her wedding with the handsome and wealthy count from the neighborhood, Wawrzyniec Puttkamera. As soon as he learned that the impoverished teacher, who was Mickiewicz at that time, was courting his fiancée, he made the matter clear. Apparently, out of despair at being rejected, he even carved an obscene inscription on the wall of the gazebo where they had previously met.

After 2 weeks, he returned to Kaunas and healed his broken heart in the arms of Karolina Kowalska, the wife of his friend Józef. He tried to keep the affair a secret, but a man named Nartowski, who also caught the doctor’s eye, revealed everything to her husband after a card game that ended in a fight.

Karolina saved the whole situation. As befits a well-mannered person, she fainted dramatically

– Sławomir Koper in the book “Shocking secrets of authors of Polish readings”, adding that after this incident he went to Tuhanowicz for some time, where he again started courting Maryla, this time already married.

She bore Mickiewicz six children. For years he had been cheating on her with a governess two decades younger than him

Ultimately, Celina Szymanowska became the bard’s wife. They met in 1827 in St. Petersburg, but at that time she was engaged to Erazm Puchalski. While it was love on her part, he saw her as a chance to make a career, specifically her mother, who was a renowned pianist and composer. After the woman’s unexpected and untimely death, he left the 19-year-old to live with her father and his second family. When she became an orphan shortly afterwards, with the help of Kazimierz Morawski, who was her sister’s husband and Mickiewicz’s friend, she renewed contact with .

In June 1934, she went to Paris with him, and in July they were married. Although they had six children, the marriage was not a success. Celina couldn’t take care of the house or the children, she also struggled with a “mental illness”, today we know that it was probably postpartum depression, which is why Mickiewicz called her a “beautiful weirdo”.

After another strong episode, the prophet decided to place her in a psychiatric hospital. Then Andrzej Towiański, a supposed healer, appeared in their lives. He conducted several sessions for her, after which she almost immediately regained her former joy in life. As a form of gratitude, she and her husband became a zealous member of the Divine Cause Circle founded by him. The Mickiewicz family was at Towiański’s every beck and call, and it was on his recommendation that an aspiring singer from Vilnius, Ksawera Dybel, moved into their house as a domestic help. The woman, 20 years younger than the poet, quickly became his lover and the mother of his seventh child. For a decade they formed a triangle, living under the same roof as his wife, who died on March 5, 1855.