Mileva Maria, a work companion, and later wife, of Albert Einstein, was practically unknown to the world of science, and to history in general, until it came to light as a result of the publication, in 1987, of the letters that were exchanged between the two during their courtship, between 1897 and 1902. The news of this correspondence triggered a controversy that has not yet been resolved.
The most relevant aspects, and those that have caused the greatest surprise and interest, have been, on the one hand, Mileva's potential contribution to the development of the most important of Einsteins’s works, including the special theory of relativity and, on the other hand, the existence of a daughter, Lieserl, born out of marriage and whose whereabouts are unknown.
She began a romantic relationship with Einsten, becoming pregnant in 1901, which caused Maria to drop out of school, missing only the final examination of her doctorate. She had studied mathematics and physics at the Zurich polytechnic. She gave birth in January 1902 to Lieserl Einstein. On 6 January 1903, Einstein and Maria married in Bern after completing their studies. After his marriage, Hans Albert Einstein was born in 1904, who later became professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, California. Five years later, in 1910 Mileva gave birth to her second son in Zurich, Eduard Einstein, who was born ill and required special care, which her mother took over, and which apparently led to a feeling of separation between the couple. Albert began an extramarital affair with his cousin Elsa Luwenthal, who lived in Berlin.
Despite everything, they remained together, but Albert imposed the following rules:
1. You will need to make sure that:
- keep my clothes and the home in good condition.
- serve me three meals in my room.
- keep my bedroom and studio clean, and it should be clear that my workbench is for my exclusive use.
2. You will renounce any kind of personal relationship with me to the extent that they are not strictly necessary for social reasons. Specifically, you will waive:
- sit at home next to me.
- walk or travel together.
3. You will consider the following points:
- we will not have intimate relationships, nor will you reproach me.
- You will stop talking to me if I ask you to.
- you will leave my bedroom or studio immediately, and without protesting, if I ask you.
4. You will commit not to belittle me in front of our children, whether with words or deeds.
In 1919 they divorced, and Einstein agreed to sign a clause in which he undertook to cede part of the financial endowment of the Nobel Prize in Physics to Mileva if granted, an event that happened in 1922. Mileva used all of the money for health care for her son Eduard, who was suffering from schizophrenia.
Towards the end of her life, Mileva devoted herself to teaching private physics classes. On the 7th August 1948 Mileva died of an embolism at the Zurich hospital, and was buried in the Friedhof Nordheim Cemetery as Mileva Maria Einstein.
It is thought that the mathematical knowledge of Maria was indispensable for Einstein to develop his theories. It is also true that Mileva never claimed authorship of those works, although Einstein's most creative years coincided with the period in which they were together.
Sources:
https://mujeresconciencia.com/2014/08/07/mileva-einstein-maric-por-que-en-la-sombra/
* Rubio Herráez Esther, Mileva Einstein-Maric ¿por qué en la sombra?, ISBN: 9788495427816, Editorial: Ediciones Eneida, Fecha de la edición: 2006
* Einstein: His Life and Universe (Inglés) Tapa blanda – mayo 13, 2008 de Walter Isaacson
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mileva_Mari%C4%87