Eugenia Rasponi facts for kids

Eugenia Rasponi (born 18 September 1873 – died 1958) was an Italian noblewoman. She became a strong supporter of women's suffrage, which means women's right to vote. She was also a successful business owner. Eugenia cared a lot about helping others, just like her mother did. She started a furniture company to help keep alive the special hand-crafted canvases made in her home region of Romagna. In 1918, she met Lina Poletti, a writer and fellow supporter of women's rights. Eugenia and Lina shared their lives for 40 years. They traveled across Europe and Asia, studying different ideas about life and spirituality.

Early Life and Family

Eugenia Rasponi Murat was born on 18 September 1873 in Ravenna, a city in the Romagna region of Italy. Her parents were Princess Costanza Ghica and Gioacchino Rasponi Murat. Eugenia was the youngest of their four children who survived.

Her family had important connections. Her great-grandparents on her father's side were Joachim Murat, who was the King of Naples, and Caroline Bonaparte. Caroline was the sister of the famous leader Napoleon. Eugenia's father became a prefect, which is a government official, in Palermo. Her family moved there when she was very young. Sadly, her father passed away when Eugenia was only four years old.

After her husband died, Eugenia's mother returned to Ravenna. She became very active in social welfare programs. She helped start and became the president of the Società Operaia Femminile, a group for female workers. In 1894, she also helped create a local committee for the Red Cross in Ravenna. She became its first president. Eugenia's mother passed away the next year. She taught Eugenia how important it was to help people.

Career and Activism

In 1903, Eugenia Rasponi bought a large castle fortress called the Castello Malatestiano Santarcangelo in Santarcangelo di Romagna. There, she ran a furniture making business. She was very interested in the local craft of making hand-printed canvases. She bought these beautiful canvases to decorate her castle and to use as special fabric for her furniture.

Eugenia became a leading voice for women's right to vote in Ravenna. She attended a big meeting in Rome in 1908 for the Consiglio Nazionale delle Donne Italiane (National Council of Italian Women, CNDI). Her cousin, Gabriella Rasponi Spalletti, led this group.

Around 1918, Eugenia met Cordula Poletti, who was known as Lina. Lina was also a strong supporter of women's rights. They both lived in Ravenna and shared similar political views and a love for art. The two women became close partners. They lived in the Palazzo Rasponi Murat in Ravenna. In 1921, they even hosted the CNDI congress at the palace.

After the conference, Eugenia and Lina decided to close the factory and move to Rome. In 1922, Eugenia reopened some rooms in the Palazzo in Ravenna. These rooms held many valuable historical items, like portraits of King Murat and Caroline Bonaparte. She continued to work for equal rights for all people. She lived with a group of friends who shared her ideas in her different homes.

When in Rome, Eugenia and Lina lived on Via Giovanni Battista Morgagni. They became part of many intellectual groups. They went to meetings about philosophy and spiritual ideas. Sometimes, authorities would check on their meetings. For example, in 1937, they hosted seminars for Jiddu Krishnamurti, a philosopher who spoke about spiritual matters. The authorities stopped one meeting, but supporters wrote letters to the government. They explained that Eugenia and Lina supported the government and that Krishnamurti's talks were not political. The issues were eventually resolved. Eugenia and Lina traveled widely across Europe and Asia. They took long trips to study different cultures and ideas about life's big questions.

Legacy

Eugenia Rasponi passed away in 1958. She had been partners with Lina Poletti for 40 years. Eugenia is remembered for saving the art of hand-painted canvas in Romagna from disappearing.

Eugenia did not have children. She left her property to her cousin, Count Gian Battista Spalletti Trivelli, who was Gabriella's son. Later, the Rocca Malatestiana Santarcangelo castle was inherited by Princess Marina Colonna di Paliano. She restored the castle and opened it to the public in 2019. Eugenia's apartment in the Palazzo Rasponi Murat was kept as a museum after her death. People could visit it by appointment until 2012.