Lieserl Einstein was the secret child of Albert Einstein, the renowned German theoretical physicist. She was also his first child with his first wife, Mileva Maric. She was born on January 27, 1902, in Novi Sad, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Serbia).
Lieserl Einstein’s life was a very short, but her existence was kept largely private and somewhat mysterious. Even though she was the first child of a respected physician, Albert Einstein, some aspects of her life are believed to have been intentionally hidden to shield her from unwanted attention.
When Was Albert Einstein’s Secret Daughter Born?
Lieserl Einstein was born on January 27, 1902, in Novi Sad, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Serbia). She was the first child of the theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and the mathematician Mileva Maric. Lieserl Einstein was born under the Aquarius birth sign and has a trace of German, Jewish, and Serbian ancestry.
Based on the available information about her, Albert Einsteins’ first child doesn’t have an early life history, as the reports hold that she only lived for a year after she was born. Furthermore, going with the report that stated that she was adopted and lived until the 1990s, there is no available information about her early life.
Unraveling The Mystery Behind Albert Einstein’s Forgotten Child
Lieserl Einstein’s parents reportedly met each other when they were in school, during a physics class. Not quite long after they met, Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fell in love with each other and started dating. However, their relationship wasn’t fully approved as Albert Einstein’s mother, Pauline Einstein, wasn’t comfortable with the relationship. Pauline cited some of her reasons against the relationship, including Mileva Maric’s age and background.
She further instructed Albert Einstein to avoid having any children with Mileva Maric, stating that it would be a mess if he eventually welcomed a child with Maric. Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric decided to hide their relationship, which later resulted in a pregnancy. Upon realizing she was pregnant, Mileva Maric stayed with her parents while Albert worked in Switzerland. This helped the scientist successfully keep everything about his girlfriend away from his family.
Not long after, they secretly welcomed their daughter, Leiserl Einstein, and kept everything about her a big secret. Meanwhile, Lieserl Einstein’s life became known only in 1986, when letters between her parents surfaced.
Evelyn, Albert Einstein’s granddaughter, and Hans Albert’s daughter discovered the letters. In one of the letters, Albert Einstein first mentioned Lieserl’s name in a letter to his girlfriend Mileva in 1901, when she was pregnant. He suggested that if the child is female, she should be named Leiserl, but if it is male, he should be named Hanserl.
Mileva Maric’s Father Informed Albert Einstein About the Birth Of Lieserl Einstein
Albert Einstein learned about the birth of Lieserl Einstein through a letter from Milos Maric, Mileva Maric’s father. It was claimed that the letter stated that Lieserl was born on January 27, 1902. According to reports, the original copy of the letter was either destroyed or intentionally lost.
Based on Evelyn Einstein’s discovery, Albert replied to the letter in February of 1902 to inquire about the gender of the baby and further placed a request that her photo be sent to him. He also revealed that the birth of his daughter, Lieserl, was associated with complications.
What Happened to Einstein’s Daughter Lieserl?
There has not been a factual account of what exactly happened to Lieserl Einstein, as all the available theories about her have been doctored. However, let’s look at some of the theories about what exactly happened to Albert Einstein’s daughter.
Albert Einstein’s daughter died a year after she was born, according to the discovery by Albert’s granddaughter, Evelyn Einstein. Based on this discovery, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to his girlfriend in September 1903, expressing his regret over the loss of their daughter Lieserl. It was further disclosed that Lieserl Einstein was born with a severe mental illness and died as a result of scarlet fever.
Scarlet fever in babies under a year old is mainly caused by a sore throat, a sign of improper feeding. This resulted in the assumption that Lieserl Einstein was not fed adequately if she died as a result of scarlet fever.
Michele Zackheim’s Theory About What Happened To Lieserl
Following the discovery of Lieserl Einstein, many theories were put forward about her. According to some of these theories, she attained adulthood, while others believe that she died during childhood.
Michele Zackheim, an American writer, has an exciting and father well-known theory on the mystery behind Albert Einstein’s daughter. She revealed that Mileva Maric left her daughter with her relatives in Serbia and left to be with the scientist in Bern. Though Albert later married Mileva, he never looked for Lieserl or visited her, which might have caused her shortcomings as a scion.
The American writer had the conviction that Liesrl had retarded growth and also had Down syndrome. She revealed that the scientist’s daughter died at 21 months after a bout of scarlet fever and reported the date of her death to be September 15, 1903. Michele also traveled to many places where Mileva Maric’s roots were traced in search of answers. She traveled to places like Serbia, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, and England, but the answers that she needed were not found.
Michele based her conclusions on the letter that Albert sent to Mileva, in which he sympathized with her over the death of their daughter in 1903. She also based her conclusions on the comments of an elderly Maric descendant in the Serbian town of Kac, who revealed that there was idiocy in the family. However, since there was no evidence to back up her theory, it is not considered accurate.
Robert Schulmann Refuted The Claim That Lieserl Einstein Died in 1903
In one of the books written by Robert Schulmann, he claimed that Lieserl Einstein was adopted by Mileva Maric’s friend Helene Savic. According to his claims, Lieserl was raised with another name, Zorka Savic. He tried to prove in his writing that Helen raised a blind daughter who lived until the 1990s.
However, this theory was countered by Dr. Milan Popovic, Helen Savic’s grandson. Popovic, who claimed that he had researched Albert Einstein until 2012, disclosed that the theory by Robert Schulmann is not true. He also went further to refute the fact that there was a letter written by Albert Einstein to Lieserl, claiming that the letter online was fake and wasn’t written by Albert Einstein.
FAQs
Who Was Lieserl Einstein?
Lieserl Einstein was the first and secret child of renowned physicist Albert Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric. She was born on January 27, 1902, in Novi Sad, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Serbia).
What Was Lieserl Einstein’s Age at The Time of Her Death?
At the time of her death, Lieserl Einstein was reportedly a year and a few months old.
How Was Albert Einstein’s Daughter Discovered?
Lieserl Einstein’s life became known only in 1986 when letters between her parents surfaced. Evelyn, the granddaughter of Albert Einstein and the daughter of Hans Albert, discovered these letters.
Who Was Lieserl Einstein’s Mother?
Lieserl Einstein’s mother is Mileva Maric, Albert Einstein’s first wife.
Is Lieserl Einstein Still Alive?
Lieserl Einstein is not alive. According to the discovery by Albert Einstein’s granddaughter, Lieserl Einstein, died a year and a few months after her birth. However, according to another report from Robert Schulmann, she lived until the 1990s.
Did Lieserl Einstein Have any Known Siblings?
Yes, Lieserl Einstein has other siblings known as Hans Albert and Edward Einstein.
How and When Did Lieserl Einstein Die?
Lieserl Einstein died in 1903 as a result of scarlet fever.
Did Albert Einstein Ever Meet His First Daughter?
No, Albert Einstein never met his first daughter. He was working in Switzerland as a Swiss patent officer, and Lieserl’s mother had moved to Serbia, where she gave birth. Until the death of Lieserl Einstein a year and a few months later, Albert Einstein never visited Serbia to see his daughter.
Are any of Einstein’s Descendants Alive?
No, the last known surviving grandchild of Albert Einstein, Bernhard Caesar Einstein, died on September 30, 2008. However, it is believed that his lineage still exists but remains unknown.