The House of Sapieha (; ; ; ) is a Polish-Lithuanian noble and

magnate 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 ...

family of Ruthenian origin,Энцыклапедыя ВКЛ. Т.2, арт. "Сапегі" descending from the medieval

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

s of

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

and

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

. Vernadsky, George. ''A History of Russia''. New Haven. Connecticut: Yale University Press. 1961
online
/ref> The family acquired great influence and wealth 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 ...

during the 16th century.

History

The first confirmed records of the Sapieha family date back to the 15th century, when Semen Sopiha () was mentioned as a writer (scribe) of the then

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 ...

and

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 ...

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

() for the period of 1441–49. Semen had two sons, and . Possibly, the family of Semen Sopiha owned the village of

Sopieszyno Sopieszyno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wejherowo, within Wejherowo County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately south of Wejherowo and north-west of the regional capital Gdańsk. For det ...

near Gdansk, which they left because of the Teutonic invasion.

is one of the oldest

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n villages. The records have it that already in the 11th-12th centuries it was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ly estate. It was then mentioned in 1399 as a village owned in

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

dom by knights subject to the

Polish Crown The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the pa ...

. Their family could be involved in the Baltic-Volga trade, as many Pomeranian families. The family descended from

boyars subject to Lithuania. The creator of the fortune and power of the Sapieha family was the Court and Great

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

and Great

Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

of Lithuania,

Lew Sapieha Lew Sapieha (; ; 4 April 1557 – 7 July 1633) was a nobleman and statesman of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He became Great Secretary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1580, Great Clerk of the Grand Duchy in 1581, Crown Chancellor in 1 ...

. The

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

ly title of the Sapieha-Kodenski branch was recognized in Poland in 1572 and in Austria-Hungary in 1845, while that of the Sapieha-Rozanski line was officially acknowledged in Russia in 1880.Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg''. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 72, 80-81. (French). On 14 September 1700, Michał Franciszek Sapieha had obtained the title of prince from Emperor Leopold I, but the title became extinct upon his death on 19 November 1700. That year, the family lost its dominant position in the Grand Duchy as a result of its defeat in the Lithuanian Civil War. In 1768, members of the Sapieha family obtained recognition of the princely title from the Polish

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

. After the

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, the family appeared in the list of persons authorised to bear the title of Prince of 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 ...

in 1824. The title was recognised in Austria in 1836 and 1840, and in Russia in 1874 and 1901. In 1905, the family obtained the qualification of Serene Highness in Austria. The maternal grandmother of

Queen Mathilde of Belgium Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d'Udekem d'Acoz (; born 20 January 1973) is Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Philippe. She is the first native-born Belgian queen, and has four children. She formerly worked as a speech therapist. ...

was a Princess of the house of Sapieha.

Coat of arms

The Sapieha family used the Polish coat of arms named "

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 ...

". image:POL COA Lis.svg,

Lis coat of arms Lis (Polish language, Polish for "Fox") is a Polish heraldry, Polish coat of arms. It was used by many szlachta, noble families of Clan Lis. The legend of the coat of arms In 1058 Duke Casimir I the Restorer while chasing the pagan Old Prussian ...

image:Herb Sapiehów.PNG, Original arms of the Princes Sapieha image:Sapieha, Pahonia. Сапега, Пагоня (1786).jpg, Coat of arms of Sapieha, 1786 image:POL COA Sapieha alt.svg, Later arms of the Princes Sapieha (1858–1859)

Notable members

Adam Stefan Sapieha Prince Adam Stefan Stanisław Bonifacy Józef Sapieha (; 14 May 1867 – 23 July 1951) was a Polish Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Kraków from 1911 to 1951. A member of the Polish nobility, between 1922 and 1923 he was a senator ...

(1867–1951), cardinal, archbishop of

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 ...

* Adam Zygmunt Sapieha (1892–1970), cavalryman, aviator * Aleksander Michał Sapieha (1730–1793), voivode of Płock, Field Lithuanian Hetman, Grand Lithuanian Chancellor, marshal of the Lithuanian Tribunal *

Aleksander Paweł Sapieha Aleksander Paweł Sapieha (8 September 1672 - Vilnius, 4 January 1734), was a Polish-Lithuanian Prince of the Sapieha family, Marshal of the Court of Lithuania (1692) and Grand Marshal of Lithuania (1699). Biography Aleksander Paweł Sapieha was ...

(1672-1734), Marshal of the Court of Lithuania and Grand Marshal of Lithuania * Aleksander Sapieha (1888–1976), aviator * Andrzej Józef Sapieha (1894–1945), he participated in the Polish–Soviet War, member of the

Armia Krajowa The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

* Andrzej Sapieha (1539–1621), Great Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania, castellan of

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, and

Voivode of Polotsk Polotsk or Połock Voivodeship (; ; , ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Grand Duchy of Lithuania) since the 15th century until the partitions of Poland in 1793. History The voi ...

and

Anna Zofia Sapieha Princess Anna Zofia Sapieha (17 October 1799 – 24 November 1864) was a Polish noblewoman, notable as a philanthropist. In France she was active in the Polish emigree community (Hôtel Lambert). She was particularly known for her charity activi ...

(1799–1864), wife 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 ...

* Arabella Theresa Sapieha (1960), Princess Sapieha-Rozanski * Bohdan Sapieha, several people * Eustachy Kajetan Sapieha (1797–1860), he participated in the

November uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

, politically tied with the "

Hôtel Lambert The Hôtel Lambert () is an ''hôtel particulier,'' a grand mansion townhouse, built between 1640 and 1644 on the Quai Anjou on the eastern tip of the Île Saint-Louis, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. In the 19th century, the name ''Hôtel La ...

" *

Eustachy Sapieha Eustachy Kajetan Sapieha (2 August 1881 – 20 February 1963) was a Polish nobleman, prince of the Sapieha family, politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and deputy to the Polish parliament (Sejm). Politics In 1900–04, he studied ...

(1881–1963), politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs 1920-1921 * Eustachy Seweryn Sapieha (1916–2004), hunter, historian of the Sapieha family * Franciszek Sapieha (1772–1829), general, he participated in the

Kościuszko uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

Fryderyk Sapieha Fryderyk Sapieha (before 1599 - 1650) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble from Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Voivode of Mścisław (1647-1650), podkomorzy of Vitebsk (from 1620), starost of Ostryń (from 1611). Studied in Vilnius and Ingolstadt ...

(1599–1650), voivode of Mścisław, podkomorzy of Vitebsk * Kazimierz Lew Sapieha (1607–1656), Marshal of the Crown, son of Lew Sapieha * Jan Andrzej Sapieha (1910–1989), head of House Sapieha, he participated in the

Defence War of 1939 The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet ...

Jan Fryderyk Sapieha Jan Fryderyk Sapieha () (18 October 1680 in Dobratycze – 6 July 1751 in Łysowodach) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, Grand Recorder of Lithuania between 1706 and 1709, since 1716 – the castellan of Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names an ...

(1680–1751), Grand Recorder of Lithuania * Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Elder (?–1730), Grand Hetman of Lithuania * Jan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger, (–1720), Field Hetman * Jan Pavel Sapieha-Rozanski (1935) head of House Sapieha, sometime Belgian ambassador to Brazil *

Jan Piotr Sapieha Jan Piotr Sapieha (English: ''John Peter Sapieha'', 1569–1611) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, general, politician, diplomat, governor of Uświat county, member of the Parliament and a skilled commander of the Polish troops stationing in th ...

(1569–1611), Polish royal officer *

Jan Stanisław Sapieha Jan Stanisław Sapieha (; 25 October 1589 in Maladziečna – 10 April 1635 in Lyakhavichy) was a Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish–Lithuanian szlachta, noble, starost of Słonim, Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1617, Great Lithuanian M ...

(1589–1635), Court Marshal of Lithuania, Great Lithuanian Marshal * Józef Sapieha, he participated in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

* Karol Władysław Sapieha (1920–1941), pilot of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain in World War II *

Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha Prince Kazimierz Nestor Sapieha (1757–1798) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble (szlachcic) and one of the creators of the 3 May Constitution. Biography Early life and career Kazimierz Sapieha was educated at the Knight School in Warsaw from 176 ...

(1757–1798), political activist, general * Leon Aleksander Sapieha (1883–1944), landlord, member of the

, member of Związek Walki Zbrojnej and the Armia Krajowa * Leon Roman Sapieha (1915–1940), pilot of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain in World War II *

Leon Sapieha Leon Sapieha (18 September 1803–1 September 1878), sometimes written as Leon Sapiega, was a Galician noble (''szlachcic'') and statesman. Biography Leon was born and educated in Warsaw, and studied law and economics in Paris and Edinburgh fr ...

(1803–1878), political and economic activist * Lew Jerzy Sapieha (1913–1990), poet, writer *

(1557–1633), Court Chancellor and Great Hetman of Lithuania * Maria Sapieha (1910–2009), social activist, wife of Prince Jan Andrzej Sapieha-Rozanski * Michał Franciszek Sapieha (1670–1700), General, Koniuszy *

Mikołaj Krzysztof Sapieha Mikołaj Krzysztof Sapieha (; 1613–1639) of Lis coat of arms, was the Voivode of Nowogródek (1618–38), Voivode of Mińsk (1638–39), Notary of Lithuania since 1637