How a little girl from Charleville, Co Cork, became First Lady of Paraguay!
Should you be passing through the city of Asuncion, Paraguay, you might find yourself walking along the Avenida Madame Eliza A Lynch. A little further along you will come to an intersection with Avenida Mariscal Lopez. For the significance of the convergence of these two main roads in Asuncion, one must go back almost two hundred years to the town of Charleville in County Cork, Ireland.
Baptism of Eliza Alicia Lynch
Source: Roots Ireland
Eliza Alicia Lynch was born in Charleville in November 1833. Her father, John Lynch, was a doctor and her mother, Jane Lloyd, the daughter of a Royal Naval Officer. The Lynch family belonged to the local gentry and were closely related to the prominent Clancy family, Mary Ann Clancy being Eliza’s godmother.
Leaving Ireland
Dr Lynch died in 1846 and Eliza, along with her mother and two brothers, left famine- stricken Ireland for Paris, France. At the age of sixteen Eliza met and married a French army surgeon called Xavier Quatrefages and left for Algiers with her new husband. Just a couple of years later, however, she returned to her mother in Paris. Here Eliza entered the elite circle of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon, who entertained eminent men of the arts and letters at her salon.
In her own words, Eliza told of how she met Francisco Solano Lopez early in 1854 while attending a ball in Paris with her mother. Francisco Solano Lopez was the son and heir of the President of Paraguay. Struck by Eliza’s beauty, Francisco persuaded her to follow him to Paraguay. In November that same year Eliza left Paris, already pregnant with her first child.
Francisco Solano Lopez
Source: Irish Independent 10 March 2024
A new life in Paraguay!
Eliza’s reputation preceded her arrival. A failed marriage behind her and pregnant with an illegitimate child, Francisco’s family refused to acknowledge her. She was referred to as his concubine. Soon after arriving she gave birth to her first child, a son, Juan Francisco Lopez. She was to have six more children.
Eliza’s arrival in Asuncion was both scandalous and exciting for the people of Paraguay. The elite ladies of Asuncion gossiped about Eliza, swapping scandalous stories! “Did you know she refuses to ride side-saddle?” “I hear she goes shopping in Buenos Aires unaccompanied!” The local people, however, adored Eliza. She was a defender of women in society and an advocate for the education of girls.
She introduced the city of Asuncion to Parisienne culture and her style made her a fashion icon much imitated by others. She introduced theatre, opera, French cuisine! She fenced, she danced and Eliza’s house became a focal point for those who were interested in the arts. The conversation was witty and interesting and her home was filled with the newest books and magazines from Paris. Eliza was the first person to hold protocol dinners in Paraguay, hosting ambassadors of other countries. Her social events were like nothing ever seen in Paraguay before!
That she was extremely wealthy by now is not in doubt. She became the country’s largest landowner and amassed a large fortune in gems. There are stories of her generosity towards the local people. She would often buy property or jewellery from them that was for sale, giving them more than it was worth.
Las Residentes
In 1862 life changed again for Eliza. Francisco’s father died and he became President of Paraguay. Eliza was now his First Lady. Francisco was much feared and he was ambitious to expand his kingdom and claim back long disputed land rights. In 1864 he gathered his army and invaded Brazil. This rash move led to the War of the Triple Alliance. Paraguay, a small country, was now being attacked by three stronger countries!
Eliza supported and followed her common-law husband throughout the war. That she was brave and resilient cannot be questioned. The war devastated Paraguay. Before it was over, 90% of the male population had been killed.
Eliza formed her own army unit called ‘Las Residentes’ which comprised of soldier’s wives, daughters and other women who supported the soldiers. They nursed injured soldiers as well as carrying arms. An American newspaper in 1868 reported ‘It appears that Lopez is arming the women! It is reported that 4000 women are already in arms upon the Tebicuari under the command of Brigadier Generaless Eliza Lynch, the spunky Irishwoman who is said to be the real ruling spirit of the war’.
The war came to a climatic end on 1 March 1870 at the battle of Cerro Cora. Francisco and Eliza along with their eldest son were discovered by Brazilian forces. Francisco was surrounded and told to surrender to which he replied ‘I die with my nation!’. He was struck down in front of Eliza. Next her son, Colonel Lopez, was told to surrender. He was fifteen years old. He called out to his captors ‘A colonel never surrenders!’. He too was slaughtered. Eliza threw herself upon his lifeless body and cried out ‘do you call this civilization?’. In what was to become symbolic with Paraguay’s defiance of its’ enemies, Eliza buried her common-law husband and son in the jungle with her bare hands.
Who was the real Eliza?
Propaganda from opposition forces in Paraguay had labelled Eliza as a greedy and heartless courtesan. Indeed, an article in a newspaper recording the events of the 1 March 1870 describe Francisco as ‘The remarkable man who has so long resisted the combined efforts of two powerful nations, assisted by a third to destroy his power.’ The same report describes Eliza as ‘Eliza Lynch, an Irish woman… left her husband and followed Lopez to Paraguay as his mistress …Her power over him was unlimited…It was the belief that Madame Lynch influenced him to the commission of his worst acts of cruelty…’
Eliza was imprisoned for three months. Her status as a British subject protected her from further punishment and she returned to Paris with her remaining children. In July 1886, aged 52, Eliza died in relative poverty. She was buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris where she was to remain for the next 75 years. Lost to history.
Eliza was not forgotten, however, in Paraguay. In 1961, dictator Alfredo Stroessner declared Eliza Lynch to be a Paraguayan National Heroine. He ordered that her remains be exhumed from French soil and instead interred in the national cemetery in La Recoleta Asuncion.
Source: Wikipedia
History has not always been kind to Eliza. She was labelled as a greedy, heartless courtesan who was the real power behind Paraguayan politics. Eliza herself wrote a book about her life in which she denies that she was ever a courtesan. She points out that she returned to Paris in 1853 and met Francisco at the beginning of 1854. More recent historical research carried out by historians Michael Lillis and Ronan Fanning also serve to disprove much of the rhetoric written about Eliza. https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/20707253/
Returning Home!
Each year in Charleville the town comes together on her birthday to remember and celebrate their famous daughter. 2013 saw a return migrant of the Lynch family to Charleville, County Cork. Eliza’s great grandson, His Excellency Miguel Angel Solano Lopez, the Ambassador of Paraguay to Ireland, visited his great-grandmother’s birthplace and unveiled a plaque dedicated to her.
Members of the Paraguayan community in Ireland joined local people in November 2023 to mark 190 years since Eliza’s birth. Mass was celebrated in the community hall in Chapel Street, which was once the church where Eliza was baptised. Further celebrations took place in the Charleville Park Hotel where there was a coming together of Paraguayan and Irish culture through music and dancing.
Celebrations for Eliza Lynch – 190 years since her birth in Charleville
Source: Corkman 23 November 2023 p2
Plans to name the plaza in Charleville after Eliza Lynch came to fruition in 2024. A migrant from the Great Famine era who left her mark on her beloved Paraguay. Her name lives on in both of the countries she called home.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
The Western Times, 17 May 1871 p4
The Australian Women’s Weekly, Oct 8 1949 p18
New York Daily Herald, 22 June 1868, p4
The Irish Times online, 11 March 2014
The Opelousas Journal, 7 May 1870, p1
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/20707253
Secondary Sources
Ronan Fanning and Michael Lillis, The Lives of Eliza Lynch (USA, 2009).
Genealogy Journeys with Elaine