The House of Ossoliński (plural: Ossolińscy) is the name of a Polish

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

(nobility) family. Because Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, Ossolińska is the form for a female family member.

History

The Ossolińskis were a

magnate The magnate term, 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. They appeared in the historical annals at the beginning of the 14th century. The family originated from Ossolin in Lesser Poland. The progenitor of the family was Jan of Ossolin, son of Great

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

of the Crown and

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Kraków Nawoj of Tęczyn. Jan was the main heir of the property that Nawoj left after his death. Due to the tradition in medieval Poland, he started to use the surname derived from the main family seat.

Grand Chancellor of the Crown Chancellor of Poland ( pl, Kanclerz - , from la, cancellarius) was one of the highest officials in the historic Poland. This office functioned from the early Polish kingdom of the 12th century until the end of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwea ...

Jerzy Ossoliński was granted a hereditary princely title by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

in 1633. He also received a similar title, ''Reichsfürst'', from the Emperor Ferdinand II in 1634. Another title was granted to Jerzy's cousin

Franciszek Maksymilian Ossoliński Count Franciszek Maksymilian Ossoliński (2 April 1676 – 1 July 1756) was a Polish nobleman, politician, diplomat and a patron of arts. Biography Son of Łowczy and Chorąży Maksymilian Ossoliński and Teodora Krassowska. He was married in ...

by Louis XV, King of France, in 1736. Both titles became extinct in 1790. Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński's famous library assembled in Vienna was transferred to

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, where he had located the Ossoliński Institute in 1817.

Coat of arms and motto

The Ossoliński family used the " Topór" arms. The Ossolinski's castle was reputedly the biggest in Europe prior to the building of Versailles (see James Michener's book ''Poland''). Its name was 'Krzyżtopór' ("The Battle Axe of The Cross"). The descendants are represented in North Western England through Count Boris Ossolinski, whose Jackson heiress bride is remembered in England as Countess Mary Ossalinsky. File:MaszkowskiJan.PortretJozefaOssolinskiego.jpg, Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński image:POL COA Ossoliński.svg, Princely House of Ossoliński (1633) image:POL COA Ossoliński hrabia.svg, Counts Ossoliński (1785) image:Ossoliński family Coat of Arms.PNG, Coat of Arms of the Ossoliński family on the St.

Antoni Padewski Antoni is a Catalan, Polish, and Slovene given name and a surname used in the eastern part of Spain, Poland and Slovenia. As a Catalan given name it is a variant of the male names Anton and Antonio. As a Polish given name it is a variant of the fe ...

Church in Warsaw

Members

Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński (1555–1623) was a Polish–Lithuanian commonwealth, Polish–Lithuanian nobleman, or ''Szlachta, szlachcic''. He held the following offices: *Secretary to the King from 1578 *Chamberlain (office), Chamberlain or ' ...

(1555–1628), Podkomorzy, voivode * Krzysztof Ossoliński (1587–1645) Podkomorzy, Podstoli, voivode * Jerzy Ossoliński (1595–1650), Great Crown

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Helena Tekla Ossolińska Princess Helena Tekla Lubomirska ''née'' Ossolińska (died 1687) was a Polish szlachcianka, noblewoman, wife of Aleksander Michał Lubomirski (d. 1677), Aleksander Michał Lubomirski since 1637. Callot Helena Tekla Lubomirska

(?-1687), was married to Aleksander Michał Lubomirski *

(1676–1756) Grand Chancellor * Anna Teresa Ossolińska (?-1810), was married to Stanisław Potocki * Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński (1748–1826), founder of the Ossoliński Institute *

Józef Kajetan Ossoliński Count Józef Kajetan Ossoliński (1758–1834) was a Polish Szlachta, szlachcic. Castellan of Podlaskie Voivodeship (1513–1795), Podlaskie Voivodeship since 1790, Senator Castellan of Congress Poland, Polish Kingdom in 1822–1824 and ...

(1758–1834),

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Palaces

Image:Instytut Ossolinskich Lwow22.jpg, The Ossoliński Institute in

image:Lviv - Ossolineum.JPG, The Ossoliński Institute in Lwów image:Zamek w Ossolinie by Vogel.jpg, Castle in Ossolin, 1794 image:Zamek Krzyżtopór.jpg, Castle in Krzyżtopór image:Ossolinski Kazanowski Palace.jpg, Palace of Jerzy Ossoliński in Warsaw (on the left) image:Rudka palac Ossolinskich.jpg, Ossoliński Palace in w Rudka image:Poland Sterdyn.jpg, Palace in

Sterdyń Sterdyń is a village in Sokołów County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Sterdyń. It lies approximately north of Sokołów Podlaski and north-east of Warsaw ...

image:Rejowiec - Pałac.JPG, Palace in Rejowiec image:Kamienica Hetmańska i Amadejowska Krakow.jpg, The Hetman Tenement House in Kraków File:Ossolineum, Breslavia, Polonia, 2017-12-20, DD 20.jpg, Relocated since 1947, the Ossolineum in Wrocław

Bibliography

* Andrzej Przybyszewski, Ossolińscy herbu Topór, Radomyśl Wielki, 2009,

External links