Maria Tarnowska
Encyclopedia
Maria Tarnowska born Maria Nikolaevna O'Rourke
(Russian phonetical transcription: Orurk), born June 9, 1877, Poltava
(Ukraine
, at the time the Russian Empire
) – died January 23, 1949, Santa Fe
, Argentina
.
She gained international notoriety by standing trial for plotting and instigating the murder
of one of her lovers. Her trial in Venice (1910), with its details, and her subsequent conviction
attracted media
attention from both sides of the Atlantic and later became the subject of various books (Annie Chartres Vivanti, Hans Habe
etc.). Luchino Visconti
and Michelangelo Antonioni
worked on a treatment for a film to be called Il processo di Maria Tarkowska (‘The Trial of Maria Tarkowska’), which in the event was never made.
After marrying the Russian aristocrat Wassily Tarnowski at the age of seventeen and giving birth to a son (Tioka, b. 1895) and a daughter (Tatyana, b. 1896), she became romantically involved with several other men. She was also known to abuse narcotic drug
s (morphine
).
In 1907, one of her lovers, Nicholas Naumov (also spelled Naumoff), killed another one of Maria's lovers, Count Pavel Kamarovsky, in Venice, allegedly upon her instigation. The Countess Tarnowska, as she was commonly called, was arrested that same year in Vienna
and transferred to La Giudecca
penitentiary
in Venice, where the trial was to be held.
The trial, locally called the Russian affair (l'affare dei Russi), began on March 14, 1910, and ended on May 20 of the same year, with the conviction of both defendants. Maria Tarnowska was found guilty but was sentenced to serve a relatively mild term of only eight years in prison, thanks to an ingenious defence (it was one of the first to include Freudian analysis of the defendant's personality and motives) – and, possibly, due to the leniency of the presiding judge.
She was transferred to the penitentiary at Trani
(southern Italy), and was released in 1915.
Accounts of Tarnowska's life after her release are sketchy at best. She is known to have emigrated to America shortly after her release, in the company of a USA diplomat, possibly under the assumed name of »Nicole Roush«. In 1916, she was living in Buenos Aires
with a new lover, the Frenchman Alfred de Villemer, and calling herself »Madame de Villemer«. There are accounts of her running a store selling silk
and other finery.
In 1940, Alfred de Villemer died. (The same year also saw the death of her husband, the Count Wassily Tarnowski.)
Maria Tarnowska herself died on January 23, 1949. Her body was transported back to the Ukraine (then the USSR) where she was laid to rest in her family tomb.
O'Rourke
The O'Rourkes were the historic rulers of Breifne.O'Rourke may refer to several different people:-People:* Andrew O'Rourke, judge and politician from New York State* Beto O'Rourke , American entrepreneur and civic leader...
(Russian phonetical transcription: Orurk), born June 9, 1877, Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
(Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, at the time the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
) – died January 23, 1949, Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
She gained international notoriety by standing trial for plotting and instigating the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of one of her lovers. Her trial in Venice (1910), with its details, and her subsequent conviction
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...
attracted media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
attention from both sides of the Atlantic and later became the subject of various books (Annie Chartres Vivanti, Hans Habe
Hans Habe
Janos Békessy, better known under his pen name Hans Habe was an Austrian writer and newspaper publisher...
etc.). Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
and Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
worked on a treatment for a film to be called Il processo di Maria Tarkowska (‘The Trial of Maria Tarkowska’), which in the event was never made.
After marrying the Russian aristocrat Wassily Tarnowski at the age of seventeen and giving birth to a son (Tioka, b. 1895) and a daughter (Tatyana, b. 1896), she became romantically involved with several other men. She was also known to abuse narcotic drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s (morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
).
In 1907, one of her lovers, Nicholas Naumov (also spelled Naumoff), killed another one of Maria's lovers, Count Pavel Kamarovsky, in Venice, allegedly upon her instigation. The Countess Tarnowska, as she was commonly called, was arrested that same year in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and transferred to La Giudecca
La Giudecca
La Giudecca was a term used In Southern Italy and Sicily to identify any urban district where Jewish communities dwelled and had their synagogues and businesses....
penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Venice, where the trial was to be held.
The trial, locally called the Russian affair (l'affare dei Russi), began on March 14, 1910, and ended on May 20 of the same year, with the conviction of both defendants. Maria Tarnowska was found guilty but was sentenced to serve a relatively mild term of only eight years in prison, thanks to an ingenious defence (it was one of the first to include Freudian analysis of the defendant's personality and motives) – and, possibly, due to the leniency of the presiding judge.
She was transferred to the penitentiary at Trani
Trani
Trani is a seaport of Apulia, southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, in the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani , and 40 km by railway West-Northwest of Bari.- History :...
(southern Italy), and was released in 1915.
Accounts of Tarnowska's life after her release are sketchy at best. She is known to have emigrated to America shortly after her release, in the company of a USA diplomat, possibly under the assumed name of »Nicole Roush«. In 1916, she was living in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
with a new lover, the Frenchman Alfred de Villemer, and calling herself »Madame de Villemer«. There are accounts of her running a store selling silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and other finery.
In 1940, Alfred de Villemer died. (The same year also saw the death of her husband, the Count Wassily Tarnowski.)
Maria Tarnowska herself died on January 23, 1949. Her body was transported back to the Ukraine (then the USSR) where she was laid to rest in her family tomb.