The Kurnatowski family (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

plural: ''Kurnatowscy'') is a Polish aristocratic family. The family has been highly prominent for centuries, first in the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, later in 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 ...

, and presently in the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Since the 16th century, members of the Kurnatowski family have been active in politics, the arts, and military affairs. The family has maintained extensive wealth and land holdings, including palaces in Biezdrowo, Dusina, Gościeszyn, Kotowo, and Żołędowo. The family was first described in 1336 by Nicolaus Starogrodzki in

Kreis Birnbaum Kreis Birnbaum () was a district in Prussia (''Kreis'') in the west of the Grand Duchy of Posen and the succeeding Province of Posen, as part of ''Regierungsbezirk'' Posen between 1815 and 1920. Today the area belongs to the Polish voivodeships ...

. In 1902, a line was given the title of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

by edict of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. In 1916, another line received the title of Count from

Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

History

The Kurnatowski family was first described in 1336 by Nicolaus Starogrodzki in

Międzychód Międzychód (, ) is a town in Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, the administrative seat of Międzychód County. It is located on the southern shore of the Warta river, about west of Poznań. Population is 10,844 (2010). History The town w ...

. The name comes from the

Kurnatowice Kurnatowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kwilcz, within Międzychód County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Kwilcz, east of Międzychód, and west of the regional capit ...

, which was owned by the family since 1448. Originally the name was therefore Kurnatowski. During the 16th Century the family was consolidated under the name Kurnatowski. The family is part of the Łodzia clan and have been participants in politics, arts, and military endeavors. As

magnates The term magnate, 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 ...

and members of the

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

, the Kurnatowski family has maintained extensive land holdings, including palaces in Biezdrowo, Dusina, Gościeszyn, Kotowo, and Żołędowo. The family's Golden Age was the 17th century, when its members accumulated much wealth and influence, held numerous important posts within the

. The title of

(

Hrabia The hierarchy of noble titles in Poland was relatively uncommon throughout most of its history. Polish nobility ''szlachta'' enjoyed the principle of political equality of all its members. For this reason the idea of introducing the noble / aristoc ...

in Polish) was bestowed by Papal edict in 1902 to one of the branches of the family. Another line received the title of

in 1916 from

. Some members of the Kurnatowski family were ardent members of the

Polish Reformed Church The Polish Reformed Church, officially called the Evangelical Reformed Church in the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Kościół Ewangelicko-Reformowany w RP'') is a historic Calvinistic Protestant church in Poland established in the 16th century ...

, or

Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

, producing a number of clergymen, although the Duisina and other family lines have remained Roman Catholic since at least the 13th century. The Prussian line would go on to produce several Prussian major generals and a member of the German Reichstag.

Coat of arms and motto

The Kurnatowski family uses the '' Łodzia'' arms and the motto, ''My pływamy w krwi naszych wrogów'' ("We swim in the blood of our enemies"). Having first appeared in 1303, the arms are one of the oldest in Poland.

Notable members

Zygmunt Kurnatowski: 1778–1858, Count, Polish general, aide-de-camp to Napoleon Bonaparte, involved in the November Uprising and in the Polish-Russian War of 1831. *

Eryk Kurnatowski Hrabia Eryk Kurnatowski (8 October 1883 – 23 February 1975) was a Polish nobleman and politician who served a Member of the Senate from 1922 to 1927. Brought up in an old Calvinist noble family, he converted to Catholicism The Cath ...

: 1883–1975, Count (since 1916), Polish Senator, established Poland's premier horse-breeding facility on his estate at

Łochów Łochów is a town in the Węgrów County, Masovian Voivodeship, the seat of the urban-rural Gmina Łochów, eastern Poland. According to data from 31 December 2005, the city had 6,654 inhabitants. Łochów is located on the banks of the Liwiec ...

Konstanty Kurnatowski The Kurnatowski family (Polish language, Polish plural: ''Kurnatowscy'') is a Szlachta, Polish aristocratic family. The family has been highly prominent for centuries, first in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland, later in the P ...

: 1878–1968, pastor in Kielmy, and later the General Superintendent (bishop) of the Lithuanian Brethren, and from 1938 till 1940 of the Polish Reformed Church. *

Zygmunt Kurnatowski: born 1858, obtained the hereditary papal title of Count from Pope Leo XIII in 1902; see Counts of Galicia and Poland * Maria Kurnatowska: 1945–2009, Polish politician who served as a Member of Sejm from 1993 to 1997 and as a Member of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regional Assembly from 1999 to 2009. * : 1927–2020, Polish physician. * Helena Kurnatowska: 1929, Polish politician who served as a Member of Sejm from 1976 to 1985. * Theo Von: born 1980, full name Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, American comedian.

Bibliography

* Wolf-Dietrich v. Kurnatowski: ''Genealogie des Geschlechts Kurnatowski'', Braunschweig 1964 (Manuscript) * August Wilhelm Bernhard v. Uechtritz: ''Diplomatische Nachrichten adeliger Familien'' 7, Leipzig 1795. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurnatowski family Polish noble families Clan of Łodzia Lithuanian noble families Surnames