Catherine Radziwill
Encyclopedia
Princess Catherine Radziwiłł (30 March 1858 – 12 May 1941) was a Polish
princess
from the Polish-Lithuania
n aristocratic Radziwiłł family. She was born as Countess Ekaterina Adamovna Rzewuska. She married Prince Wilhelm Radziwiłł at age 15 and moved to Berlin
to live with his family. It was speculated that she was the author of a book gossiping about the German Emperor William II
and Berlin society in 1884 under the pen name Paul Vasili.
She stalked the English-born South Africa
n politician Cecil Rhodes and asked him to marry her, but he refused. She then got revenge by forging his name on a promissory note. She was convicted of forging Rhodes' signature and spent time in a South African jail for her crimes.
Catherine Radziwiłł played a major role in the history of the antisemitic hoax The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
. In 1921, she gave a private lecture in New York. She claimed that the Protocols were compiled in 1904-1905 by Russian journalists Matvei Golovinski
and Manasevich-Manuilov at the direction of Pyotr Rachkovsky
, Chief of the Okhrana, the Russian secret service in Paris. Golovinski worked together with Charles Joly (son of Maurice Joly
) at Le Figaro
in Paris. This account, however, contradicts the basic chronology of the Protocols publication, as they were already published in 1903 in the Znamya
newspaper. Moreover, in 1902, Rachkovsky was dismissed from the Paris Okhrana and returned to Saint Petersburg. Catherine Radziwill's statements were cited during the Berne Trial by Russian witnesses in 1934 and by experts in 1935; they gave evidence that her date of 1905, when Matvei Golovinski
would have shown her a manuscript of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
("with a big blue ink spot on the first page") in Paris, is obviously an error of chronology, possibly caused by a typo in her article published in The American Hebrew
and reprinted by The New York Times
.
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...
princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
from the Polish-Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n aristocratic Radziwiłł family. She was born as Countess Ekaterina Adamovna Rzewuska. She married Prince Wilhelm Radziwiłł at age 15 and moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to live with his family. It was speculated that she was the author of a book gossiping about the German Emperor William II
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
and Berlin society in 1884 under the pen name Paul Vasili.
She stalked the English-born South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n politician Cecil Rhodes and asked him to marry her, but he refused. She then got revenge by forging his name on a promissory note. She was convicted of forging Rhodes' signature and spent time in a South African jail for her crimes.
Catherine Radziwiłł played a major role in the history of the antisemitic hoax The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
. In 1921, she gave a private lecture in New York. She claimed that the Protocols were compiled in 1904-1905 by Russian journalists Matvei Golovinski
Matvei Golovinski
Matvei Vasilyevich Golovinski was a Russian-French writer, journalist and political activist. Critics studying the Protocols of the Elders of Zion have argued that he was the author of the work...
and Manasevich-Manuilov at the direction of Pyotr Rachkovsky
Pyotr Rachkovsky
Pyotr Ivanovich Rachkovsky was chief of Okhrana, the secret service in Imperial Russia. He was based in Paris from March 1885 to November 1902.-Activities in 1880s-1890s:...
, Chief of the Okhrana, the Russian secret service in Paris. Golovinski worked together with Charles Joly (son of Maurice Joly
Maurice Joly
Maurice Joly was a French satirist and lawyer known for his work titled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, later used as a basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.-Life:...
) at Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
in Paris. This account, however, contradicts the basic chronology of the Protocols publication, as they were already published in 1903 in the Znamya
Znamya (newspaper)
Russkoye Znamya — a newspaper, organ of the Union of the Russian People established in Petersburg by Alexander Dubrovin on , notoriously known for its antisemitic bias.Discontinued on by the order of Petrograd Soviet.-History:...
newspaper. Moreover, in 1902, Rachkovsky was dismissed from the Paris Okhrana and returned to Saint Petersburg. Catherine Radziwill's statements were cited during the Berne Trial by Russian witnesses in 1934 and by experts in 1935; they gave evidence that her date of 1905, when Matvei Golovinski
Matvei Golovinski
Matvei Vasilyevich Golovinski was a Russian-French writer, journalist and political activist. Critics studying the Protocols of the Elders of Zion have argued that he was the author of the work...
would have shown her a manuscript of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
("with a big blue ink spot on the first page") in Paris, is obviously an error of chronology, possibly caused by a typo in her article published in The American Hebrew
The American Hebrew
-History:It began publication on November 21, 1879, in New York City. It was founded by F. de Sola Mendes and its publisher was Philip Cowen. The weekly's publisher was The American Hebrew Publishing Company....
and reprinted by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Works
- 'Cecil Rhodes' Future', North American ReviewNorth American ReviewThe North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
, 1900 - The Resurrection of Peter. A Reply to Olive Schreiner, 1900. [i.e. to SchreinerOlive SchreinerOlive Schreiner was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel The Story of an African Farm which has been highly acclaimed ever since its first publication in 1883 for the bold manner in which it dealt with some of the burning issues...
’s book, Trooper Peter Halkett of Mashonaland (1897)] - My Recollections, 1904
- Radziwiłł, Catherine. 1914. Behind the Veil at the Russian Court.
- Radziwiłł, Catherine. 1918. Cecil Rhodes: Man and Empire Maker.
- Memories of Forty Years, 1914.
- The Royal Marriage Market of Europe, 1915.
- The Austrian Court From Within, 1916
- Sovereigns and Statesmen of Europe, 1916
- Because it was Written , 1916 [fiction]
- The Black Dwarf of Vienna, and other weird stories, 1916
- Germany under Three Emperors, 1917
- Russia's Decline and Fall: The Secret History of a Great Debacle, 1918
- Rasputin and the Russian Revolution, 1918
- Cecil Rhodes, man and empire-maker, 1918
- Confessions of the Czarina, 1918
- The Firebrand of Bolshevism; The True Story of the Bolsheviki and the Forces That Directed Them, 1919
- Secrets of Dethroned Royalty, 1920
- Those I Remember, 1924
- The Intimate Life of the Last Tzarina, 1928
- Child of Pity: The Little Prince [the Tsarevitch] Rides Away, 1930
- Nicholas II: The Last of the Tsars, 1931
- The Taint of the Romanovs, 1931
- It Really Happened; An Autobiography by Princess Catherine Radziwiłł, 1932
- The Empress FrederickVictoria, Princess RoyalThe Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, 1934.
External links
- Works by Catherine Radziwill in English (readable online)