Extremely clever, devilishly beautiful, sexually ineffective and calculating to the limit. The name of Agnieszka Machówna on the pages of history has been written in exceptionally red ink. Because in the veins of a beautiful peasant woman who claimed to be a descendant of a magnate family, exceptionally hot blood was flowing. Temperament was combined with cleverness, thanks to which Machówna was able to deceive men from every state of society. Until at least.
Born schemer - daughter of a peasant woman and drummer
Our heroine, who could pass for an unusual Cinderella, was born around 1648 in the village of Kolbuszowa. My father was a drummer of the Lord's militia in Dubno, while my mother worked at the court of the Lubomirski family. And it was there that little Agnieszka, who was most likely named Jadwiga at baptism, learned to read and write , well, she also learned basic phrases in foreign languages. Despite her peasant roots, and therefore the lack of education, she was incredibly gifted, there is no doubt about it.
Helena Tekla Lubomirska was charmed by the natural charm of a teenage girl
Just like the fact that was considered a real beauty . As she watched the lessons of noble children, she gradually began to comprehend what life in the high society was all about. The young woman slowly became a human chameleon who observes special behaviors, learned gestures, characteristic words in order to blend in with the new environment. In the future, Machówna was to play at Polish, Austrian, Italian and French courts.
A marriage network and expensive gifts from strangers
However, it all started at the court of the Polish nobility. Although after the death of her mother Agnieszka was forced to graze geese and a flock, the paths of destiny eventually led her to the palace interiors. Helena Tekla Lubomirska was enchanted by the natural charm of a teenage girl, which is why she helped her arrange for herself to get a life. The duchess decided to bind young Agnieszka with the court Cossack, Bartosz Zatorski.
Agnieszka Machówna was like a real Cinderella. Adult version!
The marriage should be successful, the military man was fond of his beautiful wife, but Mrs. Zatorska was a figure difficult to control. She was known for various outbursts, the most famous of which is her escape to Krakow, where Agnieszka decided to experience big city life - crazy fun. Both for the body and soul.
The peasant who became a court lady wanted to conquer more salons. It attracted the attention of wealthy townspeople, military men, and apparently even clergy. Men of different statuses sought the favor of an unknown beauty, because Agnieszka also made sure that the former capital was completely incognito.
A loving cheater and cuckold husband of many…
Zatorska, when she decided that there would be enough madness and it was necessary to stabilize a bit, returned - as if nothing had happened - to her husband in Kolbuszowa. The court Cossack of the Lubomirskis was one of the characters, he must have been aware that his spouse could sin, but eventually forgave her all sins . He welcomed her with open arms, which might have been considered extremely strange behavior. The inhabitants of the village, however, knew their own, often called her a slutty harlot who did not care about divine commandments. Agnieszka, a woman with a truly devilish temperament, did not care about such opinions at all. What's more, in order to manifest the power of her character, she walked around the village almost exclusively in city clothes, giving a signal that - despite her birth - nothing would ever tie her to the peasants' state anymore.
Sins in the capital, the beginning of conspiracies and plots ...
Some time later, Agnieszka wanted more experiences. This time in Warsaw. Her small-town life must have bored her, she was hungry for new challenges, which was encouraged by numerous admirers whom she met during her Krakow adventures. It appeared in the capital around 1670 to quickly make its presence felt. The intriguer decided that then she would become a real chameleon. From then on, she titled herself as Aleksandra, the daughter of Kopciówna and Marcin from Rytwan Zborowski. She found out about the existence of this honorable family as a child at the court of the Lubomirski family. And although the last representatives of the Zborowski family were most likely to die half a century, Agnieszka - or rather Aleksandra - , with the help of fake documents and charismatic abilities, convinced the inhabitants of the capital of her aristocratic origin . The family was almost extinct. So how could you contradict the words of beautiful Oleńka?
Eleanor of Habsburgs
Characteristic beauty, characterized by animal magnetism, in Warsaw was considered a model of all virtues . Modest, charming, well-born, she attracted the eyes of both men and women. Aleksandra could lie and fantasize perfectly well. To make her story more plausible, she came up with an entire, extremely colorful biography with details. As a child, she was supposed to hide in a peasant hut from enemy troops, and then she stayed at many aristocratic courts.
She tempted, beguiled, provoked. She moved around the city only in the company of a maid. The Austrian officer Collati, who at that time was at the court of Eleanor Habsburżanka, wife of King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, turned out to be exceptionally susceptible to the charm of the fraud. Giordano Collati von Ekerin decided to take Aleksandra as his wife, although she was still in a legal relationship with Bartosz Zatorski!
Viennese love and protection of the emperor himself
Machówna knew perfectly well how to wrap men. Collati was lured by her kind words, tender looks and erotic talents. Everything went as planned by Agnieszka Machówna, who probably wanted even more from life. In the sphere of power and rule over male souls. While in Vienna - already as the officer's wife - she got into an affair that Collati found out about. The Austrian military, being agitated, lost confidence in his beloved.
During one of his subsequent visits to Poland, he decided to investigate Zborowska's past. In this way, Giordano Collati von Ekerin discovered the truth about Alexandra's fraudulent practices. The man threw her out of the house, deprived her of her dignity and property, but not her cunning. The intriguer decided to complain to Emperor Leopold himself, to whom she explained that she was the daughter of a Polish marshal, her recent husband - her father-in-law's employee, kidnapped her from the convent, and then squandered her substantial dowry. The emperor, not indifferent to the woman's spell, believed her every word. He ordered the payment of tens of thousands of damages, thanks to which the fraudster could leave. This time to Italy, where she reportedly even played with representatives of the Vatican.
Rich victims on the erotic list
Agnieszka Machówna acted calmly. Methodically. She was well aware of how popular she was among the opposite sex, but that didn't mean she devoted herself to everyone. She chose the men. The victims on the list had to meet certain conditions. Another unfortunate person turned out to be Stanisław Rupniewski, an extremely wealthy young man whom she met when she was sixteen. Inexperienced, naive, and orphaned in his youth. In a word - the perfect candidate for a husband.
Emperor Leopold I Habsburg fell under the charm of the cunning Polish woman
The couple quickly got married and then left for Paris. And everything could have taken place in relative peace, were it not for Rupniewski's death. No strong evidence was found that could blame Agnieszka, although the death was suspect anyway. The chameleon woman, however, did not last long in mourning. Mentioned this time, she decided to return to Poland with her son, the fruit of her last relationship with a young nobleman.
A victim of their own deceptions - the rope tightens close to the neck ...
Machówna gained enormous fortune, thanks to which she did not have to worry about her further fate. Anyway, she wanted to live in Rupniów, i.e. the property of the deceased. However, Stanisław's sister, Anna Szembekowa (wife of Franciszek Szembek), née Rupniewska, also began to try to obtain the inheritance. The sister-in-law found multiple traces of the woman's forgeries, thanks to which Anna filed a suit with the Lublin Tribunal. In it, she accused Agnieszka of peasant origin and tried to prove that the marriage with Rupniewski was invalid, because the Austrian officer Collati was still her legal partner. The case got more and more complicated. Oszustka decided to flee to the convent, where she married her fourth wedding with starost Kazimierz Domaszewski. The man had to be destined for her, because the money of the young widow was definitely more important to him than love.
Agnieszka was characterized not only by eroticism, but also by an excellent analytical mind. Calculus. Knowing that her days could be numbered, she decided to find the Zborowski family - part of the family to which she joined herself as a Warsaw star. It turned out that the family was not completely extinct. The impoverished nobility was then bribed by Agnieszka and officially recognized her as part of the family, thanks to which she gained a kind of credit of trust. And support in the upcoming lawsuit. Agnieszka won the first legal battle.
However, we need to know that at the same time Anna Szembekowa, sister of the deceased Rupniewski, found Agnieszka's first husband and bribed him to accuse the woman of bigamy. Moreover, Anna was additionally supported by Agnieszka's fourth husband, who was probably also bribed by her. The second trial has begun. There was irrefutable evidence on the judge's table, but Machówna was not a losing case. She still had the money to hire the best lawyers. Neither side had a final victory. A tiny detail was to decide about the failure. Because as you know - the devil is in the details.
Because of cheating… she lost her head
The trick turned out to be clever, but extremely vain. When writing her birth certificate under the false name of Zborowska, she decided to rejuvenate herself a bit. The documents therefore included the date of birth in 1651. Meanwhile, Anna Szembekowa, née Rupniewska, decided to bring out the heaviest cannon at the end of the trial. It reached the second wife of Marcin Zborowski, who was supposed to be Agnieszka's mother. As part of the legal confrontation, it turned out, however, that Marcin Zborowski died in 1649, so 2 years before ... Agnieszka was born. There was therefore no biological possibility for Agnieszka to become his daughter.
Agnieszka was to be sentenced to a very brutal punishment for her crimes.
Machówna was eventually found guilty - of forgery, perjury, seizure of property, as well as adultery. The punishment imposed on the woman was extremely gruesome. The court's ruling provided for her not only beheading, but also tearing her breasts with tongs. The second part of the sentence was finally forgiven, but , delighted with Agnieszka's beauty, the executioner cut her head off only the third time . The sentence was carried out in the Lublin market on July 12, 1681. Machówna went down in history as an extremely clever personality, devilishly beautiful, sexually inexhaustible and calculating to the limit. And her own vanity had lost her. And love - or love affairs actually - that made her finally lose her head.