Kasper Niesiecki (31 December 1682 – 9 July 1744), also known as Kacper Niesiecki, was a Polish heraldist,

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, lexicographer, writer, theologian and preacher.

Biography

Niesiecki was born in

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest cit ...

to a burgher family. In 1699 he began training as a Jesuit in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

. From 1701 to 1704 he studied philosophy in

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...

, earning a master's degree. In 1707 Niesiecki started his studies in theology at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

, graduating in 1711. He undertook further study in Lutsk,

Krosno Krosno (in full ''The Royal Free City of Krosno'', pl, Królewskie Wolne Miasto Krosno) is a historical town and county in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in southeastern Poland. The estimated population of the town is 47,140 inhabitants as of 2 ...

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with mor ...

, Chojnice and

Kalisz (The oldest city of Poland) , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town , image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...

. Between 1715 and 1723 Niesiecki worked as a preacher in Masovia, Greater Poland,

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...

and

Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...

. He taught rhetoric in Bydgoszcz and Chojnice, and ethics and mathematics in Kalisz. From 1724 he lived in the monastery of

Krasnystaw Krasnystaw ( uk, Красностав, Krasnostav) is a town in southeastern Poland with 18 630 inhabitants (31 december 2019). Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Chełm Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital ...

, where he engaged in his life's work, compiling the ''Herbarz Polski'' (''Polish Armorial''). Niesiecki died there on 9 July 1744. The first volume of ''Herbarz Polski'' was published in 1728 in

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

. Niesiecki wanted to write it in Latin, but his patron, Marianna from

Potocki The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, forma ...

-Tarłowa, specified that it was to be published in Polish. Because Niesiecki tried to not use unverified sources and legends, he was opposed by the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in ...

(Polish nobility). He continued with the work; however, there were delays in printing the next volumes. After the fourth volume was published attacks by the nobles increased; they sent letters of protest to his Polish and Roman superiors. Work on the fifth volume was interrupted by his death; it was completed by Stanisław Czapliński, but never published. In the opinion of historians, the work of Niesiecki obeys all world-standards of genealogy. In the 19th century the armorial was expanded by several authors and published by

Jan Nepomucen de Bobrowicz Jan Nepomucen (de) Bobrowicz (12 May 1805 – 2 November 1881) was a Polish virtuoso guitarist, composer, music editor, and publisher. Franz Liszt called him "the Chopin of guitar". Life Bobrowicz was born in Kraków. He studied the guitar in Vi ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

''Polish Armorial''

* ''Herbarz Polski'' (''Polish Armorial'') full title: "Korona Polska przy złotey wolnosci starożytnemi Rycerstwa Polskiego y Wielkiego Xięstwa Litewskiego kleynotami naywyższymi Honorami Heroicznym, Męstwem y odwagą, Wytworną Nauką a naypierwey Cnotą, nauką Pobożnością, y Swiątobliwością ozdobiona Potomnym zaś wiekom na zaszczyt y nieśmiertelną sławę Pamiętnych w tey Oyczyźnie Synow podana TOM ... Przez X. Kaspra Niesieckego Societatis Jesu",

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

, 1738.
"Korona Polska..." vol. 1

"Korona Polska..." vol. 2

"Korona Polska..." vol. 3

"Korona Polska..." vol. 4
*edition expanded by other authors
Herbarz Polski... vol. 4-10
published by

, 1841
Herbarz Polski...
- some volumes

References

Coats of arms pictures from ''Herbarz Polski''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niesiecki, Kasper 18th-century Polish Jesuits Polish male writers Polish genealogists 1682 births 1744 deaths Polish heraldists Polish lexicographers 18th-century lexicographers

Biography

''Polish Armorial''

See also

References