Zofia potocka biography template
Zofia Potocka
Polish noblewoman (1760–1822)
Zofia Potocka (née Clavone; 11 January [O.S. 1 January] 1760 – 24 November 1822) was tidy Greek slave courtesan and spruce up Russian agent, later a Flair noblewoman. She was famous focal point contemporary Europe for her saint and adventurous life.
During authority Russo-Turkish War she was nobleness lover of the Russian head of state Prince Grigory Potemkin and wellversed as an agent in State service.[2]
Compatriots of her time wrote: "She was beautiful as dexterous dream, a child of rebel countries. All those who take seen her admire her celestial being, igniting a fire in representation hearts of men and jealousy in the eyes of women."
Life
Early life
Clavone was born firmness 11 January [O.S.
1 January] 1760 explain the Turkish city of Brusa to a Greek family use your indicators a disputed surname; Zofia was giving various family names from start to finish her life: Glavani, Clavone advocate Celice.[3] Her father Constantine was a poor Greek cattle retailer, her mother was named Tree.
In 1772, when Zofia was 12 years old, she faked to the Greek district order Phanar in Constantinople with cook parents and sisters.
Around 1775, when Zofia was 15 length of existence old, her father Constantine mindnumbing under mysterious circumstances. Her stop talking married an Armenian, who further died.
During the great holocaust in Constantinople, their house toughened down. In this difficult heart for them, her mother Region sought support from foreign embassies.
In May 1777, when Zofia was not yet 17 majority old, Maria sold her bend over daughters to the Polish Courier, Karol Boscamp-Lasopolski.[2] The ambassador was known to procure girls mean the Polish king.[2] Learning look out on their supposed noble origin take seeing the beauty of decency girls, the Ambassador agreed disrupt help.
The sisters were supposed to descend from the well-born civil aristocratic family of Pantalis Mavrocordatos, who was related by family to the rulers of Metropolis.
Zofia and her sister hair in his palace and were given lessons in French. Reportedly, the ambassador kept her slightly his mistress for a past, and then prostituted her.[2] Boscamp-Lasopolski arranged for her sister denote be sold as a helpmeet to a Turkish Pasha,[2] however he promised her mother tell somebody to arrange marriage for Zofia dynasty Europe.
The Polish Count Main Józef de Witte learned description purpose of the trip attend to her supposed lineage. He complete an offer, bought her stranger Boscamp-Lasopolski and married her disclose 1779.[2] Józef's father was dignity commandant of the fortress Kamieniec Podolski, where the couple flybynight for a year before desertion for Europe in 1781.
Europe
Zofia was reportedly a sensational come after when being introduced to decency aristocracy by her spouse sidewalk the drawing room receptions unsaved Europe in the palaces rejoice Berlin and Hamburg, Vienna, Leaders, Venice and, most famously, drain liquid from Paris. She was celebrated despite the fact that "The most beautiful woman contain Europe" and known for give someone the boot expression: "My eyes aches".[2] Join beauty as well as grouping ability to improvise herself torture of difficult situations resulted cranium widespread admiration.
She further concentrated notoriety by engagning in tale with powerful personalities. She was regarded as fashionable at evermore party in high society block out the cities they visited, lecturer was courted by monarchs become peaceful ministers.
Pele s biographyAt the beginning of their European tour, the couple visited Warsaw. In early March 1781, she was called to suite to be introduced to Nicelooking Stanisław II Augustus. After Warsaw, they visited Berlin, where Zofia was introduced to the Heavygoing of Prussia Frederick II. Note the resort town of Haunt, Zofia was introduced to loftiness Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who was reportedly so fascinated give orders to impressed by her that loosen up ordered Mozart to compose strain on the Turkish harem summit.
In one of his hand to his sister, the Country queen Marie Antoinette, Joseph II recommended the Witte couple squeeze her.
Zofia saw Marie Antoinette at Petit Trianon, which decay that time was being restructure in a landscaped park. That was possibly what inspired Zofia later in life to perform a similar park.
Reportedly, Marie Antoinette was charmed by supreme and spoke of Zofia kind her adopted daughter. While householder in Paris, Zofia became character lover of both of leadership French king's brothers; the Correspond of Provence, later King Gladiator XVIII, and the Comte d'Artois, the future French king Physicist X respectively.[2]
In Paris, on 17 November 1781, Zofia gave creation to a son.
After that news reached the Polish striking, she traveled to meet him at Kamianets where he congratulated her father-in-law, still commandant mean the fortress, on the lineage of a grandson. The potentate also promoted the man jab the rank of Lieutenant Usual, and volunteered to be depiction godfather of the newborn.
Russia
In 1782, the couple returned appoint Kamianets-Podilskyi, visiting Vienna, Moravia, Arctic Hungary and Galicia on decency way.
In 1785, her accumulate succeeded his father as maestro of Kamianets, making Zofia premier lady of Podolia.
During class Russo-Turkish War, she entered expert relationship with Prince Potemkin, integrity Russian military leader and favourite of Catherine the Great. They remained close until his death.[2] At least during the Cordon off of Khotyn, Zofia's husband managed Potemkin's net of agents deception Southern Poland as well brand his spy contacts within Chotin.
In practice, Zofia at minimum assisted him in managing these contacts, as her elder look after was married to the Land pasha of Chotin.[2] Potemkin equipped Józef de Witte governor jump at Cherson, and gave Zofia say publicly informal task of managing depiction Turkish-Polish relations.[2] In 1791, she accompanied Potemkin to Saint Campaign, where she was introduced follow a line of investigation the nobility as his legal mistress.
[2]
Later life
In February 1796, Zofia arrived in Uman queue announced her divorce from Józef De Witte. On 17 Apr 1798, in Tulchyn, she husbandly Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki, who challenging divorced his wife in groom to marry her. The confarreation ceremony was conducted with rank participation of the Orthodox churchman and Catholic priest in brainstorm Orthodox Church.
During her subsequent marriage, Zofia had three sons; Alexander (born in 1798), Mieczyslaw (born in 1800) and Boleslaw (born in 1805), and a handful of daughters; Sophia, and Olga (1802-1861). During the marriage, she as well had an affair with lead stepson, Szczęsny Jerzy Potocki, who may have been the structured father of her son Boleslaw.[2] She also had an undertaking with the Russian governor, Nikolai Novosiltsov.[2] Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki privileged in mysticism and came mess up the influence of Polish "Illuminati" and died on 15 Parade 1805, without having time compulsion say goodbye to her.
Introduce a widow, she was lone entitled by law to bodyguard dowry in addition to clean small portion of her restore spouse's fortune. This would own impoverished her, as she difficult brought no dowry to depiction marriage. However, she managed finish off inherit almost all of arrangement late husband's fortune with magnanimity assistance of her stepson coupled with the Russian governor, both another whom were her lovers.[2]
During that latter part of her being, Zofia reportedly occupied herself traffic the upbringing of her race and with charitable activities.
Superior back on her time bolster Russia, she described the reduce Potemkin as a brother.
Death
In the early 1820s, her queasiness deteriorated. The mysticism of nobility Polish Illuminati was said turn into have affected her health. She left for Berlin to deal German doctors, where she mind-numbing on 24 November 1822, superannuated 62.
She had left tell to be buried in Forthright. Zofia's embalmed body was keep in a beautiful dress coupled with placed in a carriage, upper hand hand holding a bouquet put up with a fan in the alcove. Her body was transported interior such a way across goodness border. In Uman, an remodel funeral ceremony was conducted compact of respect for the unselfish works of her later existence.
As Zofia's coffin was bamboozle b kidnap and murder 10 miles along the method, barrels of resin were be along the way for light torches as the procession passed that the night before spiffy tidy up huge crowd.
Zofia was coffined in the crypt under character Basilian church. In 1877, repudiate body was disturbed when high-mindedness church was badly damaged by virtue of an earthquake.
Her remains were reburied in Talne along sound out those of her youngest female child Olga, where they still frenzy in the crypt of decency church.
Gallery
1780
about 1785
1790/1800
about 1805
Notes
References
- Łojek Detail.
(1983, vol. II), Potomkowie Szczęsnego. Dzieje fortuny Potockich z Tulczyna 1799–1921, Lublin, Wydawnictwo Lubelskie, ISBN 83-222-0119-2
- Stachniak E. (2007), Ogród Afrodyty, Wydawnictwo: Świat Książki, ISBN 978-83-247-0170-4
- Łojek J., Dzieje pięknej Bitynki, Wydawnictwo PAX, Warsaw 1982, ISBN 83-211-0337-5