Maria Anna Katharina Rutowska
Encyclopedia
Maria Anna Katharina Rutowska (1706–1746) was a Polish
noblewoman
.
She was the illegitimate daughter of Polish
king Augustus II the Strong
and his mistress, the Turk Fatima or Fatime, later renamed Maria Anna of Spiegel
.
, was born four years before.
Shortly after the birth of Frederick Augustus, the King married Maria Anna with his chamberman Johann Georg of Spiegel, but she remained as his mistress. Katharina was born during this marriage and legally used the name Maria Anna Katharina of Spiegel during her first years of life.
In 1715 her stepfather Johann Georg of Spiegel died; her mother Fatima survived him by only five years.
Augustus II took the guardianship of his children, but only recognized and legitimized both in 1724 and were granted with the title of Count
and Countess Rutowska.
The now Countess Rutowska was married by her father in 1 October 1724 with the Polish
nobleman
Count Michał Bieliński. Nevertless, since the beginning the marriage failed. After eight years of unhappy union, they were divorced in early 1732.
In February 1732 she married secondly with the Comte Claude Marie de Bellegarde et d'Entremont. They had only one daughter, Frédérique Augusta Marie de Bellegarde, who was named after her maternal grandparents. Frédérique married on 27 April 1779 with François Sébastien de Chevron-Villette, called the Comte de Villette, but the marriage was childless.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
noblewoman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
.
She was the illegitimate daughter of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
king Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
and his mistress, the Turk Fatima or Fatime, later renamed Maria Anna of Spiegel
Maria Aurora of Spiegel
Maria Aurora of Spiegel, born Fatima , was a mistress of Augustus II the Strong and the wife of a Polish noble. Originally a Turkish slave, she was brought to the royal courts of Sweden and Poland from Buda and trained as a lady-in-waiting....
.
Life
Katharina was the second child of the liaison between Augustus II and Fatima; her older brother, Frederick AugustusFrederick Augustus Rutowsky
Frederick Augustus, Count Rutowsky , was a Saxon Field Marshal who commanded Saxon forces in the Siege of Pirna during the Seven Years War.-Early years:...
, was born four years before.
Shortly after the birth of Frederick Augustus, the King married Maria Anna with his chamberman Johann Georg of Spiegel, but she remained as his mistress. Katharina was born during this marriage and legally used the name Maria Anna Katharina of Spiegel during her first years of life.
In 1715 her stepfather Johann Georg of Spiegel died; her mother Fatima survived him by only five years.
Augustus II took the guardianship of his children, but only recognized and legitimized both in 1724 and were granted with the title of Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
and Countess Rutowska.
The now Countess Rutowska was married by her father in 1 October 1724 with the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
Count Michał Bieliński. Nevertless, since the beginning the marriage failed. After eight years of unhappy union, they were divorced in early 1732.
In February 1732 she married secondly with the Comte Claude Marie de Bellegarde et d'Entremont. They had only one daughter, Frédérique Augusta Marie de Bellegarde, who was named after her maternal grandparents. Frédérique married on 27 April 1779 with François Sébastien de Chevron-Villette, called the Comte de Villette, but the marriage was childless.