Markievicz, Constance de, 1868-1927

Constance (Gore-Booth) de Markievicz was born in London on February 4, 1868, the elder daughter of Arctic explorer and adventurer Sir Henry Gore-Booth and Lady Georgina (Hill) Gore-Booth. In 1892, Markievicz attended the Slade School of Art in London to study painting; it was at this time that she first became politically active and joined the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). Later, she moved to Paris and enrolled at the Académie Julian where she met her future husband, Casimir Markievicz. The two were married in London on September 29, 1900, and she gave birth to their daughter, Maeve, in November 1901.

In 1908, Constance de Markievicz became actively involved in nationalist politics in Ireland. She joined Sinn Féin and Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland), a revolutionary women's movement. Markievicz also joined James Connolly's socialist Irish Citizen Army (ICA), a volunteer force formed to defend demonstrating workers from the police. As a member of the Citizen Army, Markievicz took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and served as second-in-command to Michael Mallin at St. Stephen's Green. Following the failure of the Rising, Markievicz was sentenced to death, but the court sentence was commuted to life in prison. She was released from prison in 1917, along with others involved in the Rising, was jailed again in 1918 for her part in anti-conscription activities, and was later released.

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