Speaker: Adam Zamoyski

Izabela Czartoryska’s world was one of close encounters with figures such as Frederick the Great, Benjamin Franklin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie-Antoinette and Tsar Alexander I – and the enmity of Catherine the Great. She lived through revolution and no less than five wars, in which her cherished homes were devastated, her possessions looted and her children scattered. Caught up in tempestuous love affairs, which led her to nervous breakdown and the brink of suicide, she remained undaunted and, unusually for her time, she became a caring mother devoted to her children. Travelling extensively around Europe at a time of political and ideological change, she pioneered schooling for children of the poor and developed her own educational methods. Fascinated by the power of objects to kindle memories and arouse emotions, she was an avid collector of anything with a sensuous association and built two unique museums to act as teaching aids. Izabela’s life is a remarkable story of triumph over adversity, achieved by sheer force of personality.