Definitely dims my view of Einstein the way he treated her. Doesn’t dim it completely though nor anywhere near. I know the times were very different and nothing’s perfect but it’s just a gut reaction that I’m feeling on hearing about this.
His father was denying him permission to marry her. It is likely someone else was blocking him from getting employment of the sort he wanted, possibly because of his relationship to Mileva. She had a baby out of wedlock by another man at a time when that would have been far more scandalous and shocking than it would be today and Albert married her anyway.
Let me suggest you not judge him too harshly. There is only so much one man can do to stand down the sexist, misogynistic crap of the entire world.
