Maria Walewska. The “Polish Wife” of Napoleon

Written by Rory Thornfield

In the history of political and personal relationships during the Napoleonic era, a special place belongs to the connection between Maria Łączyńska and the Emperor of France. This Polish aristocrat, later known as Maria Walewska, became Napoleon Bonaparte’s mistress under circumstances filled with patriotic compulsion and diplomatic calculations. Their romance produced a son, and Maria herself earned the title of the emperor’s unofficial Polish wife.

Origins and Youth of the Noblewoman

Maria was born in December 1786 as the daughter of Maciej Łączyński and Ewa Zaborowska at the family estate in Kiernozia. She grew up in a large family, having among others two brothers – Benedykt and Teodor. Tragedy struck the family when her father died in 1794 from injuries sustained during the Battle of Maciejowice.

She began her education at the family manor under a private tutor, who was Mikołaj Chopin – father of the future famous composer. She continued her studies at a Warsaw boarding school run by the Notre-Dame sisters. This carefully educated young woman entered an arranged marriage at the age of eighteen.

Maria’s husband in 1804 became Anastazy Walewski, a wealthy landowner and chamberlain. This marriage raised eyebrows due to the fifty-year age difference – the groom was sixty-eight years old and had already been widowed twice. A year later, Maria gave birth to a son, Antoni Bazyli, whose paternity was officially acknowledged by Anastazy.

The Emperor’s Meeting with a Polish Aristocrat

Napoleon Bonaparte was traversing Polish lands in January 1807, conducting a military campaign directed against Prussian and Russian forces. The emperor stopped to change horses in Błonie or, according to other sources, in Jabłonna. During this halt, the thirty-eight-year-old ruler of France noticed Maria and immediately fell under the spell of her beauty – a fair-haired woman with blue eyes.

Bonaparte presented her with flowers accompanied by a note full of flattery, then began flooding her with invitations to visit his Warsaw quarters at the Royal Castle. As a married woman, Maria consistently rejected these proposals. The situation became increasingly complicated, however, when influential representatives of Polish aristocracy entered the game.

Prince Józef Poniatowski along with Stanisław Małachowski exerted intense pressure on the young woman. They convinced her that a relationship with the emperor could bring Poland tangible political and diplomatic benefits. Napoleon assured in his messages that the Polish cause would become dearer to him if Maria showed compassion for his feelings.

Romance and the Birth of a Son

Maria finally yielded to the pressure and on January seventeenth, 1807, appeared at the imperial ball at the Royal Castle. After this event, she became Napoleon’s mistress and took up residence in his quarters. When Bonaparte moved his headquarters, she accompanied him on the journey to Finckenstein Palace in East Prussia, where they spent the spring months together.

The emperor regarded her with genuine affection and gave her the nickname of his Polish wife. Their relationship continued into 1809 during meetings in Vienna, but by then it was already fading. Napoleon was preparing for a dynastic marriage with Maria Ludovika, the Austrian archduchess.

The end of 1809 brought Maria news of her pregnancy. In May of the following year, Aleksander Józef Colonna-Walewski was born in Walewice. The boy’s birth held fundamental significance for Napoleon – he finally received proof of his own fertility, which had been lacking in his relationship with Empress Joséphine.

This circumstance strengthened his intention to divorce and remarry the Austrian princess to ensure legitimate succession. Bonaparte unofficially acknowledged his son, granting him the title of count and material security. Aleksander Walewski later achieved significant standing in France as a diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Loyalty Despite the Ruler’s Fall

Maria dissolved her union with Anastazy Walewski in 1812, obtaining a divorce decree from the Warsaw consistory. She remained faithful to Napoleon even after his political catastrophe. She secretly traveled to Elba in September 1814 together with young Aleksander to visit the dethroned emperor. The final meeting took place in 1815 at the Malmaison residence, just after the lost Battle of Waterloo.

Following Napoleon’s abdication, Maria settled permanently in the French capital. In September 1816 in Brussels, she married a distant cousin of the emperor – General and Marshal Philippe Antoine d’Ornano. This marriage resulted in the birth of a second son, Rudolf August d’Ornano, who came into the world in June 1817.

The childbirth seriously damaged Maria’s health, and she never recovered. She died in her Paris apartment on Rue de la Victoire in December 1817 from kidney disease. According to her wishes, her heart rests at the famous Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, while her body was transported to Poland and laid to rest in the family crypt in Kiernozia.

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Rory Thornfield

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Rory's grandfather left behind a wartime diary filled with accounts of a minor Burma skirmish that history books never mentioned. Reading it, Rory realized: behind every famous battle are dozens of forgotten struggles, each with its own human drama.

His preferred topics: The overlooked corners of military history – secondary campaigns, shadow battalions, local conflicts that never made headlines. From medieval sieges to twentieth-century expeditions, he focuses on the soldiers, not the generals. The people who faced impossible choices and carried those experiences forever.

Rory strips away the romanticism without losing respect for those who served. He combines tactical analysis with personal stories, examining human endurance and moral complexity rather than celebrating warfare. His writing is balanced, thoughtful, and deeply researched.

Outside work, Rory visits forgotten battlefields (now quiet farmland), photographs war memorials nobody tends anymore, and interviews veterans' families.