Antonina Niemiryczowa or Niemierzycowa, née Bożeniec Jełowicka (pseud. ''A.Z.I.N.L.O: Antonina Z Iełowickich Niemiryczowa Litewska Oboźna, tr. Antonina née Iełowicka Niemiryczowa Lithuanian Camp dweller'' c.1702 in Ożenin,

Ostróg Ostroh ( , ) is a city in Rivne Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated on the Horyn, Horyn River. Ostroh was the administrative center of Ostroh Raion until 2020, but as a city of regional significance (Ukraine), city of oblast significance did ...

- c.1780 in

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

), a

Polish Enlightenment The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later than in Western Europe, as the Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta (nobility) culture (Sarmatism) together with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth political system (Gol ...

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 ...

poet and translator. Along with

Franciszka Urszula Radziwiłłowa Franciszka Urszula Radziwiłł (, ; February 13, 1705, Czartorysk, Chartorysk – May 23, 1753, Navahrudak), was a Polish writer and playwright, the first female writer on the territory of modern Poland and Belarus. She was a Princess, the last fe ...

and

Elżbieta Drużbacka Elżbieta Drużbacka (née Kowalska, 1695 or 1698 – March 14, 1765 in Tarnów) was a Polish poet of the late Baroque period. Little is known of her life. She learned French at the court of Elżbieta Sieniawska. She married a Jewish man, and ha ...

, she is considered a leading Polish poet of the age.

Life

Early years

Born into an ancient Ruthenian-Polish ducal family on her father's estate in Koleśniki,

Ożenin Ozhenyn, ( uk: ''Оженин'', pl: Ożenin), is a village in Ukraine in the Ostroh Raion, Rivne Oblast. It is the site of Ostroh railway station, on the Kovel – Koziatyn line. Until the 1930s it was called "Ożenin". The city of Ostroh is 14 ...

near

, she was one of three children, the daughter of Józef Jełowicki (1667-1708), Court Swordbearer, promoted to Master of the hunt for

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

. Her mother was Konstancja née Zorzewska (or Zarzecka), formerly, Samuelowa Kałusowska. Her paternal grandmother who was Zofia Hieronimowa Jełowicka, née Kurdwanowska, left her granddaughter a "tidy sum" in 1704. She was tutored at home by an enlightened governor, possibly a

Frenchman French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the native speakers of langues d'oïl from nort ...

, brought in from

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 ...

, originally to coach her older brother, Franciszek (b. 1699) who would later become a

starosta Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...

in Nowosielsk. Her education was completed in the

Bernardine Bernardine is a Latinate diminutive of the given name "Bernard". It can be applied to men, notably Saint Bernadine, but is now much more often a female name. Bernadine and Bernadene are variant spellings of the female name. The nickname '' B ...

convent in Lwów. She acquired fluent

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and a thorough knowledge of the literature of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the German speaking lands and of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. She was schooled in musical composition and in

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

Marriage and status

In 1719 she married a wealthy landowner, Karol Józef Niemirycz, in Koleśniki. By 1724 her brother had settled a 30.000 zpn (złotych polskich)

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

on the groom. She went to live with her husband in Czerniechów in

Owrucz Ovruch (, ) is a city in Korosten Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. It was the capital city of the Drevlians in the 900s, later conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century, then later part of the Grand ...

. In the 1730s they moved to Zołotyjów near Równe. The couple managed large estates which grew larger following the purchase of Horoszki in the

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

powiat in 1749 and the deaths of the Niemirycz brothers. By 1749 they owned the township of Derezna in the Ostroga

Ordynacja In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust, established by deed or settlement, that restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents that property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alie ...

. The couple also owned a modern library of the time and shared a love of literature. Already in 1750 Antonina was a noted poet who had won the approval of luminaries including,

Józef Aleksander Jabłonowski Prince Józef Aleksander Jabłonowski (4 February 1711–1777) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic). Józef became Stolnik of Lithuania in 1744, voivode of Nowogródek Voivodeship from 1755 to 1772 and starost of Busk, Ukraine, Korsuń, Zvenyh ...

, Józef Andrzej Załuski and Jan Daniel Janocki, for the clarity and charm of her

Polish language Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...

. She maintained a correspondence with

despite their differing tastes, the latter being more in favour of French Classicism, while Antonina preferred the

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style in all matters of art, in the manner of

. She also had the reputation of a demanding critic of the poetic art.

Philanthropy

The couple shared half their revenues, at Antonina's instigation, with the Lwów Roman Catholic Cathedral, where their son, Fryderyk was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

. They were involved in several court and tribunal proceedings in an effort to restore their reputation due to their alleged political defiance connected to the election of the Polish king. In another civil case they settled with their workers after a peasant revolt.

Later years

Karol Niemirycz died in 1755 and was buried on 9 June in Równe cemetery. Antonina now spent half her time in the country and half in the city setting of Lwów, with an additional two years in Warsaw, to gain access to the Court of

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 ...

. Her creativity continued and she is known to have won plaudits in January 1774, when Walenty Tepper, professor of

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

of the Zamoyski Academy, dedicated his ''Wiersz smutny śmierć męczeńską św. Jana Chrzciciela wyrażający'' (1774), to her.

Selected works

* ''Krótkie ze świata zebranie koniektur, odmienne alternaty przez pieśni świeckie wyrażające, samej prawdzie nieskazitelnej Bogu przez krótkie aprobaty przyznawające, od jednej polskiej damy, tj.: A.Z.I.N.L.O., komponowane dla częstej refleksji człowiekowi roku 1743'', Lwów 1743. * ''Le beau Polonois'' (1681), Jean de Préchac translated into Polish as ''Feniks rzadki na świecie tj. Przyjaciel w różnych intrygach i awanturach stateczny, JMPan Walewski wojewodzic chełmiński...'' 1750. She translated at least four other works from the French. * ''Historia o kawalerze polskim Walewskim...z Beraldą w intrygach statecznej miłości zostający...'' 1750, with a dedication to Stanisław Lubomirski and his brother, Józef, owners of

Smila Smila ( ) is a city located on Dnieper Upland near the Tyasmyn River, in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine. The Tiasmyn River, a tributary of the Dnieper River, flows through the city. In January 2022, the estimated population was 6 ...

. * ''Wiersze polskie''. 1753

Bibliography

* * * * * Rabowicz E. (1978) "Niemiryczowa Antonina (c. 1700–1780)", ''

Polski Słownik Biograficzny ''Polski Słownik Biograficzny'' (''PSB''; Polish Biographical Dictionary) is a Polish-language biographical dictionary, comprising an alphabetically arranged compilation of authoritative biographies of some 25,000 notable Poles and of foreigner ...

'' XXIII: 1 – 3 (in Polish) * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niemiryczowa, Antonina 1700s births 1780 deaths 18th-century Polish nobility 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian poets 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian women writers People from Rivne Oblast Polish women poets 18th-century women landowners 18th-century Polish translators Polish translators Polish philanthropists Polish salon-holders Pseudonymous women writers 18th-century philanthropists 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian landowners 18th-century pseudonymous writers 18th-century women philanthropists