The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Polish princely family of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the

Gediminids The House of Gediminas (), or simply the Gediminids, were a dynasty of monarchs in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reigned from the 14th to the 16th century. A cadet branch of this family, known as the Jagiellonian dynasty, reigned also in th ...

dynasty, by the mid-17th century had split into two branches, based in the Klevan Castle and the Korets Castle, respectively. They used the

Czartoryski coat of arms The Czartoryski coat of arms is a Polish heraldry, Polish–Lithuanian coat of arms, a variant of the Pogoń Litewska arms. It has been used by the Gediminid Czartoryski family. History The Czartoryski family is of Lithuanian descent from Ruthen ...

and were a

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

in the 18th century. The Czartoryski and the Potocki were the two most influential aristocratic families of the last decades of the

(1569–1795). Princes Czartoryski family vault in Sieniawa

History

The Czartoryski family is of Lithuanian descent from

Ruthenia ''Ruthenia'' is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin, as one of several terms for Rus'. Originally, the term ''Rus' land'' referred to a triangular area, which mainly corresponds to the tribe of Polans in Dnieper Ukraine. ''Ruthenia' ...

. Their ancestor, a grandson of

Gediminas Gediminas ( – December 1341) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death in 1341. He is considered the founder of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (see: Iron Wolf legend). During his reign, he brought under his rule lands from t ...

, the

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

, became known with his baptismal name Constantine ( 1330−1390) - he became a Prince of Chortoryisk in

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

.Tęgowski J. ''Który Konstanty — Olgierdowic czy Koriatowic — był przodkiem kniaziów Czartoryskich?'' // Europa Orientalis. — Toruń, 1996. — S. 53-59. One of his sons, Vasyli Chortoryiski (Ukrainian: Чарторийський; 1375–1416), was granted an estate in Volhynia in 1393, and his three sons John, Alexander and Michael (c. 1400–1489) are considered the progenitors of the family. The founding members were culturally Ruthenian and Eastern Orthodox; they converted to Roman Catholicism and were Polonized during the 16th century. Michael's descendant Prince Kazimierz Czartoryski (1674–1741), Duke of Klewan and Zukow ( Klevan and Zhukiv), Castellan of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, reawakened Czartoryski royal ambitions at the end of the 17th century. He married Isabella Morsztyn, daughter of the Grand Treasurer of Poland, and built "The Familia" with their four children, Michał, August, Teodor and Konstancja. The family became known and powerful under the lead of brothers Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski and August Aleksander Czartoryski in the late

of the 18th century, during the reigns

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...

(King of Poland, 1697–1706 and 1709–1733) and Stanisław I Leszczyński (King of Poland 1704–1709 and 1733–1736). The Czartoryski had risen to power under August Aleksander Czartoryski (1697–1782) of the Klewa line, who married Zofia Denhoffowa, the only heir to the Sieniawski family. The family attained the height of its influence from the mid-18th century in the court of King Augustus III (). The Czartoryski brothers gained a very powerful ally in their brother-in-law, Stanisław Poniatowski, whose son became the last king of the independent Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...

(). The Czartoryski's Familia saw the decline of the Commonwealth and the rise of

anarchy Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...

and joined the camp which was determined to press ahead with reforms; thus they sought the enactment of such constitutional reforms as the abolition of the ''

liberum veto The ''liberum veto'' (Latin for "free veto") was a parliamentary device in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was a form of unanimity voting rule that allowed any member of the Sejm (legislature) to force an immediate end to the current s ...

''. Although the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

confiscated the family estate at

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka River, Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was Cen ...

in 1794, during the

third partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

, the Familia continued to wield significant cultural and political influence for decades after, notably through the princes Adam Kazimierz (1734–1823), Adam Jerzy (1770–1861) and Konstanty Adam (1777–1866). The Czartoryski family is renowned for the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków and the Hôtel Lambert in Paris. Today, the only descendants of Prince

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski Adam Jerzy Czartoryski (14 January 1770 – 15 July 1861), also known as Adam George Czartoryski, was a Polish szlachta, nobleman, statesman, diplomat and author who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian SFSR, Chairman of ...

are Prince Adam Karol Czartoryski (1940- ) and his daughter Tamara Czartoryska (1978- ), who live in the United Kingdom. The descendants of Prince

Konstanty Adam Czartoryski Prince Konstanty Adam Czartoryski (28 October 1777 – 24 April 1866) was a Polish szlachcic, nobleman who became colonel in 1809 in the Duchy of Warsaw and brigadier general in 1815 in Congress Poland. He commanded the 2nd battalion of grena ...

live to this day in Poland and have their representatives in the Confederation of the Polish Nobility.

Coat of arms and motto

The Czartoryski family used the

and the motto ''Bądź co bądź'' ("Come what may", literally 'let be, that which will be'). The family's arms were a modification of the

Pogoń Litewska The coat of arms of Lithuania features an armoured knight on horseback, wielding a sword and carrying a shield with a Jagiellonian cross. This emblem is known as ''Vytis'' (). Since the early 15th century, it has served as the official coat of ...

arms. image:POL COA Czartoryski duży.svg, Czartoryski coat of arms used in 1785

Notable members

Notable members include:

In Poland

* Wasyl Czartoryski (died after 1416), married Hanna ** Michał Czartoryski (died before 1486), married Maria Niemir *** Teodor Czartoryski (died 1542), married Princes Zofia Sanguszko h. Pogoń Litewska **** Iwan Czartoryski (died 1566), married Princess Anna Zasławska h. Korybut ***** Jerzy Czartoryski (1550−1626), married Princess Aleksandra Wiśniowiecka h. Korybut, Halszka Hołowińska h. Hołowiński and Princess Zofia Lubomirska h. Szreniawa ****** Michał Jerzy Czartoryski (1585−1661), married Princess Izabella Korecka h. Pogoń Litewska ******* Michał Jerzy Czartoryski (1621−1692), married Rosine Margarethe von Eckenberg, Eufrozyna Stanisławska h. Szeliga and Joanna Weronika Olędzka h. Rawa ******** Kazimierz Czartoryski (1674−1741), married Countess Izabela Elżbieta Morsztyn h. Leliwa ********* Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski (1696–1775), married Countess Elenora Monika Waldstein ********* August Aleksander Czartoryski (1697−1782) married Countess Maria Zofia Sieniawska h. Leliwa **********

Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski (1 December 1734 – 19 March 1823) was an influential Polish aristocrat, writer, literary and theater critic, linguist, traveller and statesman. He was a great patron of arts and a candidate for the Polish cro ...

(1734–1823), married Izabela Czartoryska h. Fleming *********** Maria Anna Czartoryska (1768−1854), married Louis, Duke of Württemberg ***********

(1770–1861), married Princess Anna Zofia Sapieha h.

Lis LIS or LiS may refer to: Computing * LIS (programming language) * Lis (linear algebra library), library of iterative solvers for linear systems * Laboratory information system, databases oriented towards medical laboratories * Land information sys ...

************ Izabella Elżbieta Czartoryska (1832–1899), married Count Jan Kanty Działyński h. Ogończyk ************ Witold Czartoryski (1824–1865), married Maria Cycylia Grocholska h. Syrokomla ************

Władysław Czartoryski Prince Władysław (Ladislaus) Czartoryski (3 July 1828 – 23 June 1894) was a Polish noble, political activist in exile, collector of art, and founder of the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków. Early life Czartoryski was born in Warsaw, Congres ...

(1828–1894), married María Amparo Muñoz, 1st Countess of Vista Alegre and Princess Marguerite Adélaïde of Orléans ************* Beatified August Franciszek Czartoryski (1858–1893) ************* Adam Ludwik Czartoryski (1872–1937), married Countess Maria Ludwika Krasińska h. Ślepowron ************** Elżbieta Czartoryska (1905–1989) married Count Stefan Adam Zamoyski h. Jelita ************** Augustyn Józef Czartoryski (1907–1946), married Princess Maria de los Dolores of Bourbon-Two Sicilies *************** Adam Karol Czartoryski (b. 1940), married Nora Picciotto and Josette Calil **************** Tamara Czartoryska (b. 1978) ***********

(1773–1860), married Princess Aniela Radziwiłł h. Trąby and Maria Dzierżanowska h. Gozdawa ************ Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski (1828–1912), married Maria Joanna Czermak ************* Witold Leon Czartoryski (1864–1945), married Countess Jadwiga Dzieduszycka h. Sas ************** Włodzimierz Alfons Czartoryski (1895–1975), married Countess Zofia Tyszkiewicz h. Leliwa *************** Professor Paweł Czartoryski (1924–1999) ************** Beatified Jan Franciszek Czartoryski (1897–1944) ************** Roman Jacek Czartoryski (1898–1958), married Countess Teresa Janina Zamoyska h. Jelita **************

Piotr Michał Czartoryski Prince Piotr Michał Czartoryski (1 September 1909 – 17 December 1993) was a Polish noble (szlachcic). Piotr became Master Engineer, Doctor Honoris Causa of the Jagiellonian University and was Capitan (reserve) of the Armia Krajowa The ...

(1908–1993), married Countess

Anna Zamoyska The House of Zamoyski (plural: Zamoyscy) is an important Polish noble (''szlachta'') family belonging to the category of Polish magnates. They used the Jelita coat of arms. The surname "Zamoyski" literally means "of/from Zamość" and reflec ...

h. Jelita *********** Zofia Czartoryska (1780−1873), married Count Stanisław Kostka Zamoyski h. Jelita ********** Elżbieta Czartoryska (1736–1816), married Stanisław Lubomirski h. Szreniawa ********* Konstancja Czartoryska (1700–1759), married Stanisław Poniatowski h. Ciołek, mother of the last

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

In Hungary

* Piotr Czartoryski ( wife: Lázár Mária) * Mária Lázár (b. Mária Czartoriska) (1895–1983), actress ( mother: Lázár Mária) * Serbán Ivánné (b. Magdolna Irén Czartoryska (mother: Lázár Mária) * sons of Magdolna Iren Czartoryska * Wachtel Elemér * Wachtel Domonkos * Dr Czartoryski Jenö (mother: Lázár Maria) * sons of Jenö Czartoryski * Adam Czartoryski born Budapest, Uppsala, Sweden * Ivan Czartoryski born Budapest, Uppsala, Sweden, architect

Palaces

file:2008 08050029 - Gołuchów - zespół zamkowy - zamek.JPG, Gołuchów Castle file:Puławy, Pałac Czartoryskich (02).jpg, Czartoryski Palace in

file:Pałac Czartoryskich w Lublinie (2008-11-22).JPG, Czartoryski Palace in

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

file:Czartoryski Palace, 17-19 świętego Jana street, Old Town, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Czartoryski Museum in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

file:Pałac w Sieniawie.JPG, Czartoryski Palace in Sieniawa file:Pałac w Konarzewie-front.jpg, file:Rokosowo pałac 1847 01.JPG, Palace in Rokosowo file:Palac w Baszkowie.JPG, Palace in Baszków, Łódź Voivodeship file:Pelkinie palac.jpg, Palace in Pełkinie file:Palac oginskich.JPG, Siedlce Palace file:Międzyrzec podlaski pałac czartoryskich.jpg, Palace in

Międzyrzec Podlaski Międzyrzec Podlaski () is a town in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 17,102 inhabitants . The total area of the town is . Międzyrzec is located in the historic region of Podlachia, near the Krzna river, n ...

file:Warszawa pałac Potockich 2009.jpg,

Potocki Palace, Warsaw The Potocki Palace (, ) is a large baroque palace in Warsaw, located at Krakowskie Przedmieście 15, directly opposite the Presidential Palace, Warsaw, Presidential Palace. It was originally built for the Denhoff family and in the late 18th centur ...

file:Wawa Blekitny1DSC 0853.JPG, The Blue Palace, Warsaw file:Wilanów Palace.jpg,

Wilanów Palace Wilanów Palace (, ) is a former royal palace located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw, Poland. It was built between 1677 and 1696 for the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania John III Sobieski according to a design by architect Augustyn ...

file:Palac Potockich w Natolinie 01.jpg, Natolin Palace file:Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Kalwarii Zebrzydowskiej.JPG, Former Czartoryski Palace in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (rebuild) File:Pulawy swiatynia sybilli.jpg, Temple of the Sibyl, 18th century museum in

image:Руїни замку Чорторийських. Чорторийськ. Rujiny zamku Čortoryjśkyx. Čortoryjśk.png, Ruins of the Castle of Czartorysk image:Корецький замок(2009).jpg, Ruins of the Castle of Korets file:Voŭčyn, Čartaryjski. Воўчын, Чартарыйскі (I. Ryškievič, 1898).jpg, Ruins of the Czartoryski Palace in

Wołczyn Wołczyn () is a town in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, south-western Poland, with 5,907 inhabitants . According to 2011 data, it covers , and is the seat of Gmina Wołczyn. It is located within the historic region of Lower Silesia. His ...

(1898) file:Medzhybizh Castle (Меджибіж).JPG, Castle of

Medzhybizh Medzhybizh (; ; ; ), formerly Mezhybozhe, is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in Khmelnytskyi Raion, 25 kilometres from Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi o ...

file:Berezhany zamok.jpg, Ruins of the Castle of

Berezhany Berezhany ( ; ; ; , ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administr ...

file:Клеванський замок.jpg, Ruins of the Castle of Klevan

References

External links

*
Czartoryski
at the

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...

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