The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent

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 of

gentry 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 ...

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 the ...

). The first information about the family dates back to the end of the 15th century, when they appeared in

Poniatowa Poniatowa is a town in southeastern Poland, in Opole Lubelskie County, in Lublin Voivodship, with 10,500 inhabitants (2006). It belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland. During the existence of the 17th-century Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

, 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 t ...

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. Michel Poniatowski In Tunisia mars1976

According to the family's history, the family had ties with the Italian nobility: Giuseppe Salinguerra, a member of the Italian family of

Torelli Torelli may refer to: People *Achille Torelli (1841–1922), Italian playwright *Alec Torelli (born 1987), American professional poker player *Bernard Torelli (1955–2016), French guitarist and audio engineer *Cesare Torelli (died 1615), Italian ...

, settled in Poland about the middle of the 17th century, and there assumed the name of Poniatowski from the estate of Poniatow, belonging to his wife, who was the daughter of

Albert Poniatowski Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

and Anna Leszczyńska. On 7 September 1764, at

Wola Wola (, ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into an office (co ...

, the most famous member of the family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. In the same year, the

Coronation Sejm Royal elections in Poland (Polish: ''wolna elekcja'', lit. ''free election'') were the elections of individual kings, rather than dynasties, to the Polish throne. Based on traditions dating to the very beginning of the Polish statehood, strengthe ...

awarded the Poniatowski family the title of Prince of Poland. Taurus Poniatovii

Nowadays, there are still Poniatowscy living in Poland, France, Mexico, Italy, Russia, the United States, Germany, and many other countries in the world.

Members

Among most known members are: * Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762),

Podstoli Deputy pantler (Polish: podstoli) was a court office in Poland and Lithuania. They were the deputy of a pantler, and was responsible for the King's pantry. From the 14th century, this was an honorary court title and a district office in Crown of P ...

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

, General,

Regimentarz A Regimentarz (from Latin: ''regimentum'') was a military commander in Poland, since the 16th century, of an army group or a substitute of a Hetman. He was nominated by the King of Poland or the Sejm. In the 17th century a Regimentarz was also t ...

Kazimierz Poniatowski Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski (15 September 1721 – 13 April 1800) was a Polish Szlachcic, ''podkomorzy wielki koronny'' (1742–1773), Lieutenant general of the Royal Polish forces, ''generał wojsk koronnych''. Knight of the Order of the W ...

(1721–1800), General, Great Podkomorzy *

Ludwika Maria Poniatowska Countess Ludwika "Luds" Maria Poniatowska (30 November 1728 – 2 October 1804) was a Polish noblewoman, known as the sister of the King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Life She was the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konst ...

(1728–1781), was married to

Jan Jakub Zamoyski Jan Jakub Graf Zamoyski (22 July 1716 – 10 February 1790) was a Polish nobleman ( szlachcic). He was the brother-in-law of king Stanisław August Poniatowski. Jan became the 9th Ordynat (''IX ordynat'') of Zamość estate in or until 1780 ...

Izabella Poniatowska Countess Izabella Poniatowska (1 July 1730 – 14 February 1808) was a Polish noblewoman, sister of king Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski. Life She was the daughter of Stanisław Poniatowski and Konstancja Czartoryska. She was reportedly clo ...

(1730–1801), was married to

Jan Klemens Branicki Count Jan Klemens Branicki (also known as Jan Kazimierz Branicki; 21 September 1689 – 9 October 1771) was a Polish nobleman, magnate and Hetman, Field Crown Hetman of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1735 and 1752, and Great Crown ...

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, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...

(1732–1798), King of Poland, reigned as Stanisław II August *

Andrzej Poniatowski Prince Andrzej Poniatowski (16 July 1734/5 – Vienna, 3/5 March 1773) was a Polish nobleman (Szlachcic), General and Field Marshal. Andrzej was a son of Count Stanisław Poniatowski, Castellan of Kraków, and Princess Konstancja Czartoryska, t ...

(1735–1773), General, Marshal of Austria *

Michał Jerzy Poniatowski Prince Michał Jerzy Poniatowski (12 October 1736 – 12 August 1794) was a Polish nobleman. Abbot of Tyniec and Czerwińsk (''opat tyniecki i czerwinski''), Bishop of Płock and Coadjutor Bishop of Kraków (''koadiutor krakowski'') from 17 ...

(1736–1794),

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of Poland *

Konstancja Poniatowska Princess Konstancja Poniatowska (1759–1830) was a Polish noblewoman, niece of king Stanisław August Poniatowski. Konstancja was the daughter of Kazimierz Poniatowski and Apolonia Ustrzycka, and married Ludwik Skumin Tyszkiewicz on April 4, 1 ...

(1759–1830), was married to

Ludwik Tyszkiewicz Ludwik Skumin Tyszkiewicz ( lt, Liudvikas Tiškevičius; 1748 – 26 June 1808) was a Polish–Lithuanian nobleman ('' szlachcic'') and Field Lithuanian Hetman from 1780 to 1791, Great Lithuanian Treasurer from 1791, Great Lithuanian Marshal f ...

Józef Poniatowski Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (; 7 May 1763 – 19 October 1813) was a Polish general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of the French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. A nephew of king Stanislaus Augustus of Poland (), ...

(1763–1813), General, Marshal of France * Stanisław Poniatowski (1754–1833), Duke, Grand Treasurer *

Jozef Michal Poniatowski Jozef or Józef is a Dutch, Breton, Polish and Slovak version of masculine given name Joseph. A selection of people with that name follows. For a comprehensive list see and .. * Józef Beck (1894–1944), Polish foreign minister in the 1930s * J ...

(1814–1873), Tuscan plenipotentiary, French senator, composer and singer * Józef Stanisław Poniatowski (1835–1908), Polish nobleman, son of Jozef Michal *

Michel Poniatowski Michel Poniatowski (16 May 1922 – 15 January 2002) was a French politician, member of a legitimized line of Poland's princely Poniatowski family. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President ...

(1922–2002), French politician *

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska () is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on th ...

(1932-), Mexican journalist and author

Coat of arms

The Poniatowski family used the Ciołek arms. Image:Herb Poniatowskich.PNG, Coat of arms of Princes Poniatowski since 1764 File:Józef ks Poniatowski CoA.png, Coat of arms of Prince

, Marshal of France, with Order of the White Eagle,

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

and

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. image:Coat of Arms of Stanislaus II August of Poland.png, Coat of arms of King

File:Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with colland of Order of White Eagle.PNG, Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with collana of Order of White Eagle file:Herb Rzeczypospolitej za Stanisława Augusta RB1.jpg, Coat of arms of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from times of reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski, Guard House,

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

File:Ceremonial sword Poniatowski.jpg, Ceremonial sword of King Stanisław August Poniatowski with his coat of arms

Palaces

image:Korsuno-002.jpg, Palace in Korsuń Szewczenkowski image:Jabłonna Palace.png,

Jabłonna Palace Jabłonna Palace ( pl, Pałac w Jabłonnie) is a palace, hotel and publicly accessible park-complex in Jabłonna, Legionowo County, Jabłonna near Warsaw in Poland whose uses include conferences and weddings. History During the Middle Ages, Jab� ...

in Jabłonna image:Kozienice.Zespół pałacowy 01.jpg, Palace in

Kozienice Kozienice (; yi, קאזשניץ ''Kozhnits''; german: Koschnitz) is a town in eastern Poland with 21,500 inhabitants (1995). Located four miles from the Vistula, it is the capital of Kozienice County. Even though Kozienice is part of Lesser Pol ...

image:Horadnia, Stanisłavova. Горадня, Станіславова (N. Orda, 28.07.1861-77).jpg, Palace Stanisławówka in

Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...

image:Voŭčyn, Čartaryjski. Воўчын, Чартарыйскі (I. Ryškievič, 1898).jpg, Ruins of the palace in

Wołczyn Wołczyn (german: Konstadt) is a town in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, southern 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 Siles ...

Family tree

Notes

External links

Stanisław August Antoni Poniatowski h. Ciołek
* http://pl.rodovid.org/wk/Specjalna:Tree/46352 * {{Authority control