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The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent
According to the family's history, the family had ties with the Italian nobility: Giuseppe Salinguerra, a member of the Italian family of
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
family that was part of the nobility of Poland. A member of this family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was elected as 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 free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
and reigned from 1764 until his abdication in 1795. Since Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, ''Poniatowska'' is the equivalent name for a female member of this family.
History
The Poniatowski family became most prominent in the late 18th century and 19th century. In three generations, the family rose from the rank ofgentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest c ...
to that of senator and then to royalty (in an elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and t ...
).
The first information about the family dates back to the end of the 15th century, when they appeared in Poniatowa, 40 km west from 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 ...
in about 1446. Their family name derives from that place name. Poniatowa was the residence of several branches of the Poniatowski family: Tłuk, Jarasz and Ciołek.
According to the family's history, the family had ties with the Italian nobility: Giuseppe Salinguerra, a member of the Italian family of