- The daughter of the humble and generous Vladislav Tyshkevich
- The Princess of Lentvaris Manor
- Memories of the childhood that was spent at the manor
- War and tough times have not spared the Tyshkevich family
The daughter of the humble and generous Vladislav Tyshkevich
Sofija Róża Maria Tyshkevich-Potocka (Polish: Zofia Róża Maria Tyszkiewicz-Potocka) was the daughter of a nobleman, Count of Leliva, a lawyer, a dentist, a social activist, a collector, and the founder of the Museum of the Vilnius Society of Science and Art, Wladyslaw Tyszkiewicz, and Duchess Maria Krystyna Aleksandra Ks. Lubomirska. In the 1970s, she began to write the chronicle of the Tyszkiewicz family, "Echo of the Last Century. The 19th and 20th centuries. My memoirs'.
It is 8 volumes, several hundred manuscript pages, supplemented by 25 folders from the archives of the Tiškevičius, Potocki, Lubomirski, and Zamoiski families. The chronicle reveals how the famous Tiškevičius of Lentvaris lived, how the famous Tiškeviūtė saw the world, and what Lentvaris meant to her[1].
Sofija Tiškevičiūtė-Potocka's father Vladislov Tyshkevich was born in Kretinga in 1865. In 1886 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Law School and moved to Riga, where he worked as a trainee at the Ministry of Justice and then as a judge. Vladislav maintained good relations with local Poles and became friends with one of them, Prince Konstantin Lyubomirsky.
One day, Sophie's father saw a picture of a very beautiful girl at his friend's house and told him that this was the only girl who would be his wife. The young lover did not suspect that the beautiful girl was Konstantin Lyubomirsky's sister, Maria Kristina. Vladislav Tiškevičius asked for her photograph, which was not so easy or acceptable in those days. At first, Konstantin considered it, but finally he relented and gave his friend a photograph of his sister on the condition that he would not show it to anyone.
Vladislovas and Konstantinas would spend their holidays together in Lentvaris, Voke, Palanga and Kretinga, as well as in Warsaw, at the home of Konstantinas's relative, the elderly Stefan Liubomirski. There Vladislav made a good impression on Stefan and, with his support, went to Kruszyna, the home of Konstantin Liubomirski, to ask for the hand of the beautiful Maria Kristina.
The Princess of Lentvaris Manor
The princess grew up surrounded by luxury, the love of her parents, and four brothers and did not yet intend to marry and go to her husband's house. The young lover visited Kruszyna regularly and married Maria Christina every month. Vladislav gradually won the affection of the people around him and the girl's parents, and four years later, the girl's heart. The engagement took place on St. The wedding took place on Christmas Day in 1891 and on 25 April 1892. Afterward, the young couple settled in Lentvaris[2].
Their marriage was successful and the couple had four children, who were born in Warsaw. On 8 February 1893, their eldest child, Sofija Róża Maria Tyszkiewicz-Potocka, was born, followed by Stefan Eugeniusz Maria Tyszkiewicz on 24 November 1894 and Stefan Eugeniusz Maria Tyszkiewicz in 1897. Rozalia Róża Tyszkiewicz-Mycielska on 10 April, Eugeniusz Stanisław Maria Tyszkiewicz on 21 January 1901.
In April 1892, Sofija Tyszkiewicz was baptized and taken from Poland to Lithuania, to the Lentvaris estate, where she was to be looked after by a wet nurse, Antonina Zukovska, wife of a coachman in Lentvaris, and by a nanny, Liudvika Metlewicz-Friedenstal, who, after the death of her husband, worked for wealthy landowners to support her two little daughters.
Memories of the childhood that was spent at the manor
The relationship between parents and children in the family was quite close and warm. As Sophie recalls, the children would always come into their parents' room before going to bed to say goodnight. Before the children went to sleep, their father, Vladislav would drop by and never let them down. Dad would mark their foreheads with the sign of the cross.
The Chronicle also reflects the strict upbringing - the children of the nobility were not allowed to do whatever they wanted. For example, children were not allowed to sit together at the dinner table and eat with adults even up to a certain age.
Sophie particularly remembers 1903, when she was 10 years old and her brother Stefan was 8. That was when they gained the right to eat at the same table with adults. Their uncles, and especially their aunts, watched their eating manners and behaviour with a harassing, critical eye. Mademoiselle Jeanne discreetly observed and corrected mistakes. The children were not allowed to talk at the table but only to give short answers to questions.
In the afternoon, the children could take a walk or have riding lessons. The children attended three times a week and learned to ride quite quickly. They especially admired their mother, who was an excellent horsewoman and now they could ride with her. (The love for horses, deeply instilled in their childhood, did not pass with Sophie and Eugene. Sofija rode even in the last month of her pregnancy, for which she almost paid the price with the death of her only son, when she was thrown by a horse on her way from Vilnius to Lentvaris near Paneriai). Sofija probably had no idea that three years later, she would be sent to Italy.
War and tough times have not spared the Tyshkevich family
1904 is known in history as the year when the famous "Tiškevičius Memorandum" was adopted against the anti-Polish policy of Tsarist Russia and the idea of autonomy for the Kingdom of Poland was put forward. On 30 November 1904, on the initiative of Władysław Tyshkevich, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was established.
On 30th November 1904, about 200 educated courtiers and intellectuals from all over the country gathered in Warsaw to discuss the situation arising from the Russo-Japanese war. The meeting then adopted a document, the Tyshkevich Memorandum, which discussed the hitherto silent and painful Polish question and the situation of Poles under occupation, and expressed the idea of autonomy for the Kingdom of Poland, while also touching on the inactive opinion of the public in the press[3].
This memorandum was handed over by Wladyslaw Tyszkiewicz to the Minister of the Interior in St Petersburg in December. Of course, the Tsarist authorities did not like this, as they did not approve of Vladislav's position on the pogrom against the Jews. Therefore, when the Duma was dissolved in 1906 and Vladislav was a Duma deputy, the Tsarist authorities had the perfect opportunity to send him to Archangelsk. Fortunately, his father knew the right people, and eventually he ended up in Milan, Italy, where his family came to visit him in 1907.
In 1911, in Milan, Sophie passed her final exams and, as she writes in her memoirs, was "recognized as an adult lady", already entitled to marry. A serious lady had to look the part too, and special attention was paid to this. Sophie was given a suitable hairstyle, and her wardrobe was updated. To go with her dresses, Sophie had to choose hats, shoes, gloves for different occasions, socks, parasols, handbags and many other small items.
And she really needed them, because the first ball of her life was also the first ball where she would be inducted into high society. It took place at the Hunters' Club in Kredytowa Street, Warsaw. Sophie wore a white sundress with Irish lace and a red-orange shawl. As a debutante, Tiškeviciute opened the ball by dancing the waltz "By the Danube" with Andrzej Zoltovski. Sophie was a great dancer that night and won many flowers.
