Eliza Alice Lynch ( Charleville, County Cork,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, 19 November 1833 –

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, 25 July 1886) was the Irish mistress-wife of

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

, president of

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. Slandered as the most vilified woman in Latin American history, she was dubbed as "an ambitious

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

" who seduced the ''heir apparent'' of the Government of Paraguay,

, turning him into "a bloodthirsty dictator." However, all those accusations were part of the propaganda-warfare by the allies during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

, and are now disproven. Nowadays, she is considered as a "National Heroine" of

Early life

She was born Eliza Alicia Lynch in Charleville, County Cork, Ireland, at the time located within the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

. She was the daughter of John Lynch, MD and Jane Clarke Lloyd, who was from a family of officers of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She emigrated at the age of ten with her family to

to escape the

Great Irish Famine The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger ( ), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact o ...

. On 3 June 1850, she married Xavier Quatrefages, a French officer who was shortly afterwards posted to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. She accompanied him, but at eighteen years of age, due to deteriorating health, she returned to Paris to live with her mother in the Strafford household. Courtesy of a few fortuitous introductions, she later entered the elite circle surrounding Princess

Mathilde Bonaparte Mathilde Laetitia Wilhelmine Bonaparte, Princesse Française, Princess of San Donato (27 May 1820 – 2 January 1904), was a French princess and salonnière. She was a daughter of Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte and his second wife, Catha ...

and quickly set herself up as a

. Eliza Lynch was described as possessing a Junoesque figure, golden blonde hair and a provocative smile. In 1854, Eliza met General

, son of

Carlos Antonio López Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (November 4, 1792 – September 10, 1862) was leader of Paraguay from 1841 to 1862. Under his presidency, he undertook a process of economic and political modernization for Paraguay, and ended the isolationist poli ...

, the

president of Paraguay The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay (), is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitu ...

. The young general, in training with the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, regarded his country's interests above all as fundamental reasons for his European journey. However, Lynch and López would begin a relationship which led her to return with him during that same year to Paraguay.Bareiro. Tomo I. p. 104

Paraguay

Once in Paraguay, Eliza Lynch became López's partner, bearing him six children in total. The eldest of them, Juan Francisco "Panchito" López was born in Asunción in 1855. The last child she would bear to López, Leopoldo, was born in 1867 in the midst of the

, and died soon afterwards of

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

, as a result of the poor conditions at the front. After C.A. López died in 1862, he left his son F.S. López as his successor as president. Eliza then became the ''de facto'' first lady, as she and López never actually married. Eliza Lynch would spend the next fifteen years as the most powerful woman in the country. While she never married López, her marriage to Quatrefages was annulled on the grounds that it did not fulfil the legal obligations for it to be considered a lawful marriage (he had not received permission to marry from his commanding officer, and they had no children together). This is supported by his remarriage in 1857, a marriage from which he had children. She arguably is considered to be the reason López was so ambitious. However, in a book she wrote in 1876 while in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

titled ''"Exposición. Protesta que hace Elisa A. Lynch"Bareiro. Tomo I. p. 103 (Exposition. Protest made by Elisa A. Lynch)'' she states that she had actually no knowledge of and did not meddle in political affairs, rather dedicating her time during the war to helping the wounded and the innumerable families which followed López wherever he went.

Battle of Cerro Corá

Lynch followed López during the entire war and led a group of women called "Las Residentas", composed of the soldiers' wives, daughters, and others, who supported the soldiers. It was in this role that she came to be in Cerro Corá on 1 March 1870 when López was finally killed. One of these women was Ramona Martínez, who became known as "the American Joan of Arc" for her fighting and encouragement of the soldiers. After the Brazilian

forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...

killed López, they headed towards the civilians in order to capture them. López and Lynch's eldest son Juan Francisco, who had been promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

during the war and was fifteen years old, was with her. The Brazilian officers told him to surrender, and upon replying "Un coronel paraguayo nunca se rinde" (A Paraguayan colonel never surrenders) he was shot and killed by the allied soldiers. At this Lynch, after jumping and covering her son's body, exclaimed "''¿Esta es la civilización que han prometido?''" ("Is this the civilization you have promised?")Bareiro. Tomo I. p. 106 in reference to the allies' claim that they intended to free Paraguay from a tyrant and deliver freedom and civilization to the nation. She then buried both López and her son with her bare hands before being taken as prisoner.

Life after the war, and death

After being taken prisoner she was taken on board a ship called the ''Princesa'' (Princess) to

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

, where she was banished from the nation by the newly established provisional government, constituted by Paraguayans who had fought in favour of the allied forces and against López's army. She returned to Europe with her remaining children; and after five years, and under promises of the then-elected Paraguayan president Juan Bautista Gill that she would be respected, she decided to return to Paraguay to settle there and try to claim her former property. Upon arrival, however, she was tried and banished from the country permanently by President Gill. It was during these events that she wrote her book. Eliza Lynch died in obscurity in Paris on 25 July 1886. Over one hundred years later, her body was exhumed and brought back to Paraguay where the dictator General

Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and Military dictatorship, military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 19 ...

proclaimed her a national heroine. Her remains are now located in the national cemetery " Cementerio de la Recoleta".

Legacy and historical perception

Some historians believe that Eliza Lynch was responsible for inducing Francisco Solano López to start the

. During her time as First Lady, Eliza Lynch educated Paraguayan society in many European customs and was largely responsible for the introduction of social events and clubs. She is considered a prominent figure of the war for her support of the troops and her willingness to remain with López until the bitter end. She also introduced the protocol dinners with the ambassadors and ordered the composition of several songs as London Karape. This music has endured until now. She transformed the Paraguayan woman into her way of dressing and thinking. Lynch is known as Madam or Madama Lynch in Paraguay due to her European origins, the fact that she never married López, and the implications of her past as a courtesan.

Eliza Lynch in art and literature

Non-fiction

* ''Elisa Lynch por Orion, critica literaria'', by Mariano Pelliza (1870). * A history based facts in ''The Shadows of Elisa Lynch'' by Siãn Rees. "There is no doubting her scholarship and fine writing"—Sunday Times. * A sympathetic biography which discovers her birthplace is "The Lives of Eliza Lynch" by Michael Lillis and Ronan Fanning (2009) Gill & Macmillan, Dublin. * A more fictional leaning anti-Lynch work, ''The Empress of South America'' by Nigel Cawthorne. * ''"Calumnia" La historia de Elisa Lynch y la guerra de la triple alianza'' by Michael Lillis y Ronan Fanning. Paraguay 2009 (Spanish translation)

Fiction

Eliza Lynch is often noted as the Paraguayan predecessor to the Argentine Evita (without the change of heart from aristocratic elitism to champion of the downtrodden). Due to the melodramatic appeal of her story, many fictionalized accounts of her life were written at the time and up to the present day, but the historical record is somewhat ignored and liberties are taken to maximize dramatic effect. Novels include: * William Edmund Barrett, ''Woman on Horseback'' (1938) * Graham Shelby, ''Demand the World'' (1990) * Anne Enright, ''The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch'' (2003) * Lily Tuck, '' The News from Paraguay'' (2004), which won the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

for that year See also ''The Shadows of Eliza Lynch'' by Sian Rees (Headline Review (6 January 2003)) and ''The Empress of South America'' by Nigel Cawthorne (William Heinemann, London 2003). ''Madame Lynch y Solano López'' by Maria Concepción Leyes de Chávez. Editorial "El Lector" 1996 Paraguay. (Spanish) ''Elisa Lynch'' by Hector Varela. Editorial "El Elefante Blanco". Argentina 1997. (Spanish) ''Pancha Garmendia y Elisa Lynch'' Opera en cinco actos by

Augusto Roa Bastos Augusto Roa Bastos (13 June 1917 – 26 April 2005) was a Paraguayan novelist and short story writer. As a teenager he fought in the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, and he later worked as a journalist, screenwriter and professor. ...

. Paraguay 2006. Editorial "Servilibro" (Spanish) ''La Gran Infortunada'' by Josefina Plá. Ediciones "Criterio" Paraguay 2007. (Spanish) ''Madame Lynch and Friend'' by Alyn Brodsky. Harper and Row Publishers New York 1975. (English) The play ''Visions'' (1978) by

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

depicts Lynch and López leading Paraguay to disaster in the Paraguayan War. Ballet in two acts "Elisa" (2010) libretto by Jaime Pintos and Carla Castro, music by Nancy Luzko and Daniel Luzko. Commissioned by Ballet Municipal de Asunción

Film

In the 2013 biographical film ''Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay'', Eliza Lynch was portrayed by

Maria Doyle Kennedy Maria Josephine Doyle Kennedy (born 25 September 1964) is an Irish singer and actress. With a singing and acting career that has spanned more than 30 years, she has established herself as one of Ireland's most prolific artists and entertainers. ...

References

Sources

#Margaret Nicholas, ''The World's Wickedest Women'', Octopus Books, 1984; pp. 34–35 #Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, ''Stupid Wars'', pp. unknown

External links

Murray, Edmundo. "Beauty and the Beast: A Beautiful Irish Courtesan and a Beastly Latin American Dictator"

Murray, Edmundo. "¿Santa o cortesana?" in ''The Southern Cross'' (Buenos Aires) Vol. 133 No. 5933, February 2008 (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Eliza 1833 births 1886 deaths First ladies of Paraguay People from Charleville, County Cork People of the Paraguayan War Women in war in South America Irish emigrants to Paraguay Irish courtesans 19th-century Paraguayan people Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Women in 19th-century warfare Paraguayan exiles 19th-century Paraguayan women Francisco Solano López