Joanna Grudzińska (17 May 1791,Poznań – 17 November 1831,Tsarskoye Selo) was aPolish noble, aPrincess of Łowicz and the second wife ofGrand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia, thede facto viceroy of theKingdom of Poland. This marriage cost Constantine the crown of Russia.
Joanna was the eldest of three daughters of Count AntoniGrudziński,Grzymała coat of arms (1766–1835), the last owner of the town ofChodzież and his wife MariannaDorpowska,Leliwa coat of arms (1757–1810). Grudzińska was known for her beauty. From 1815, she had a relationship with Grand Duke Constantine of Russia whom she married as his second wife on 27 May 1820. Constantine was previously married toPrincess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who left him in 1801. In order to give approval for his marriage to Joanna, Constantine's brotherTsar Alexander I required him to forfeit his rights to the throne of Russia in favor of their younger brotherNicholas I. The secrecy of this decision, known only to a very close circle inSaint Petersburg, contributed to theDecembrist revolt of 1825 that followed Alexander's death.
After the marriage on 8 July 1820, Alexander styled JoannaPrincess of Lovich. ARussian Imperial Navyfrigate named in her honour (Knyaginya Lovich [ru], Княгиня Лович) was launched in 1828 and served in theMediterranean fleet during theGreek War of Independence and theRusso-Turkish War (1828–1829).
By some considered a traitor, Joanna remained faithful to her husband even after theNovember Uprising in which he fought against his Polish subjects. Her sisterMaria Antonina was married to Gen.Dezydery Chłapowski, one of the most notable Polish commanders during the Uprising; another sister Teresa married Count Wiktor FelixSzoldrski (1817–1885), who served as an officer of Russian tsar'sretinue.
Constantine died ofcholera inVitebsk in June 1831, shortly before their planned evacuation to Saint Petersburg. Joanna delivered his body to Saint Petersburg, and died the same year. She was buried inTsarskoye Selo; in 1929 her remains were exhumed and reburied in the grave of her sister and Gen. Chłapowski in Rąbin nearLeszno.
Her life was fictionalized in the Polish filmDuchess of Łowicz (Polish:Księżna Łowicka).
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
 | This biography of aPolish noble is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
