Eliza Orzeszkowa née Pawłowska was born on June 6, 1841 in Milkowszczyzna in what is now Belarus. When she was only 3 years old, her father, a wealthy lawyer, died. After leasing the property and moving to Grodno, her relationship with her mother stopped working. She was interested in literature and art, and spent her days reading books and writing stories. At the age of 11, she went to Warsaw, where she continued her studies.
Orzeszkowa was less than 17 years old when she was married to a wealthy landowner. It was because of her that her husband was sent to Siberia
At the beginning of January 1958, she returned to her family home. It was then that her mother introduced her to the landowner Piotr Orzeszka, to whom she decided to marry her daughter. 17-year-old Eliza was not happy about the vision, especially since the man was over two decades older than her. However, the decision was made and there was no turning back. They got married and then moved to Ludwinów. Even though she did not feel loved and had no affection for her husband, she did not feel sorry for her fate, focusing all her energy on social activities.
When the January Uprising broke out, she was actively involved in helping the participants of the uprising. Piotr was not eager to fight, but she persuaded him to shelter the wounded leader Romuald Traugutt, whom she personally took to the border of the Kingdom of Poland a few weeks later. Eliza’s husband agreed to her idea, because he did not expect that one of the servants would betray him to the Russians, as a result of which Orzeszko would be sent to Siberia.
Instead of joining her husband, she had an affair. For over 25 years, Orzeszkowa’s lover was a married man
Although Eliza promised that she would not leave him alone, she did not keep her word. Instead of joining her husband, she got into a heated relationship with doctor Zygmunt Święcicki. A scandal broke out, but the writer did not care about her opinion in the community. She filed for a divorce, which she quickly obtained, and began planning a wedding with her new lover. Ultimately, however, it did not happen because the doctor valued his career more than love.
Orzeszkowa healed her broken heart in the arms of another lover, Stanisław Nahorski. And this time it was not without controversy, because the lawyer was taking care of his sick wife. However, the writer did not mind being “the other one” and continued the relationship for over 25 years.
The fact that her next partner was a married man was not at all in line with the norms of the era. Such things only happened in artistic circles, but Orzeszkowa belonged to elegant society by birth.
– Sławomir Koper in the book “The Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A Journey through the Near Borderlands”. She married her beloved only when he was widowed in 1894. Their marriage, although happy, lasted only 2 years, the lawyer died of a heart attack during a party organized on her name day. If you feel like it, vote in our poll below.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
