Józef Michał Poniatowski (

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, 24 July 1814 –

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 4 July 1873) was a Polish ''

szlachcic The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social class, a ...

'', a composer and an operatic tenor. He was the nephew of the Polish general Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski.

Early life

Jozef Michal Poniatowski (Joseph Michael Xavier Francis John) was born Giuseppe Michele Saverio Francesco Giovanni Luci in Rome, the son of

Stanisław Poniatowski Stanisław Poniatowski was the name of several Polish nobles: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762), castellan of Kraków * Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 Februa ...

and Cassandra Luci.Encyclopædia Britannica, 1970, p. 221 He was legitimated as a son of Stanisław Poniatowski in 1847, and he became a naturalized Tuscan.

Career

He studied music under Ceccherini in Florence. He wrote numerous operas for Italian and French theatres. Poniatowski was sent to Paris as

plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...

by Grand Duke Leopold II. He was created the 1st ''Conte di Monte Rotondo'' on 20 November 1847, and the first ''Principe di Monte Rotondo'' on 19 November 1850 by

Grand Duke of Tuscany Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), se ...

Leopold II.W. L. Hubbard, The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, p. 168
/ref> In 1854,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

made him a senator and a naturalized French citizen.

Personal life

In 1834, he married Matilda Perotti (1814–1875) at Florence. Together, they had one son who was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

: * Stanisław Stanislaus August Friedrich Józef Telemach Poniatowski (1835–1908), who married Louise Le Hon, biological daughter of

Charles de Morny, Duke of Morny Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1st Duc de Morny (; 15/16 September 181110 March 1865) was a French statesman. Biography Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the wife of Louis Bonapart ...

and Fanny Mosselman, Countess Le Hon. Poniatowski died and was buried in

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in 1873.

References

External links

*
Works by Józef Michał Poniatowski
in digital library

Polona Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006. Colle ...

1814 births 1873 deaths Musicians from Rome Polish opera composers Jozef Michal French senators of the Second Empire Polish composers 19th-century Polish male opera singers Polish operatic tenors Italian people of Polish descent 19th-century Polish classical composers Polish male classical composers 19th-century Italian male opera singers Chamberlains of the Gran Duke of Tuscany People from the Papal States {{Poland-noble-stub