Count Xavier Branicki (in Polish: , in French: ), born 26 October 1816 in

Warsaw, Poland Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, died 20 November 1879 in

Assiut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at ...

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which br ...

, was a Polish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

, political exile and landowner who took French nationality. He became a political writer, financier, art collector and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He was the owner and restorer of the

Château de Montrésor The Château de Montrésor is a medieval castle with a Renaissance mansion built in the grounds, located in the French village of Montrésor in the ''département'' of Indre-et-Loire. The Château de Montrésor has been listed since 1996 as a ' ...

and estate in France. He was descended from a powerful

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

family with immense land holdings in the

Duchy of Lithuania The Duchy of Lithuania ( la, Ducatus Lithuaniae; lt, Lietuvos kunigaikštystė) was a state-territorial formation of ethnic Lithuanians that existed from the 13th century to 1413. For most of its existence, it was a constituent part and a nucle ...

and in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

, partly as a result, it is said, of a family connection with Catherine the Great. He was a member of the close circle of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

. He was a co-founder of the

Crédit Foncier de France Crédit Foncier de France (CFF) was a major French bank, active from 1852 to 2019 when its activities were entirely subsumed into Groupe BPCE, although the brand name appears to remain active. History The Crédit Foncier (English: landed cre ...

, a bank that continues to this day.

Publications

Branicki was the author of the following works: * . * . * . * . Montresor04

References

External links

* Chateau de Montresor 1816 births 1879 deaths Xavier Nobility from Warsaw Polish emigrants to France Polish art collectors Polish bibliophiles Polish book and manuscript collectors Polish antiquarians Polish philanthropists 19th-century Polish businesspeople 19th-century French businesspeople French political writers French bankers Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 19th-century Polish landowners {{Poland-noble-stub

Publications

See also

References

External links