Constance Markievicz
An Irish revolutionary countess who traded a life of aristocracy for a rifle, becoming the first woman elected to the British Parliament.
1868–1927 (age 59)·Irish revolutionary and suffragist·Birthday: February 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Constance Markievicz was a force of nature who shattered the expectations of her class and gender. Born into immense Anglo-Irish privilege in County Sligo, she was presented at the court of Queen Victoria before her political awakening redirected her fervor toward Irish independence and socialism. She co-founded the nationalist youth organization Fianna Éireann, teaching boys to drill and handle firearms. During the 1916 Easter Rising, she fought fiercely as a lieutenant in the Irish Citizen Army, famously shooting a policeman in the head. Sentenced to death for her role, her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment solely because she was a woman—a fact that infuriated her. In 1918, from a prison cell, she was elected the first woman to the British House of Commons, a seat she refused in line with Sinn Féin's abstentionist policy. Instead, she served as the first female Minister for Labour in the revolutionary Irish government. Markievicz lived a life of radical contradiction: a countess who served prison time, a suffragist who believed in armed struggle, and a socialist who remained, to the end, a relentless patriot.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Constance was born in 1868, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Constance Was Born
The biggest hits of 1868
Constance's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1868Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1884Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Could vote
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Turned 21
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Turned 30
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 40
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1918Turned 50
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Died at 59
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
Key Achievements
- Became the first woman ever elected to the British House of Commons in the 1918 general election (though she refused to take her seat).
- Served as Minister for Labour in the First Dáil of the Irish Republic, making her one of the first female cabinet ministers in Europe.
- Was a leading figure in the 1916 Easter Rising, fighting with the Irish Citizen Army and being sentenced to death (later commuted).
- Co-founded the nationalist scouting organization Fianna Éireann, which trained young boys in military drill and Irish history.
Did You Know?
While in prison, she and other inmates famously burned their mattresses in protest of conditions.
She studied art at the Slade School in London and later at the Académie Julian in Paris, where she met her Polish husband, Count Casimir Markievicz.
During the 1913 Dublin Lockout, she ran a soup kitchen to feed starving workers' families.
She was the only woman among the 92 prisoners sentenced to death for their role in the 1916 Easter Rising.
“Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels in the bank and buy a revolver.”
