Gosiewski (plural form: Gosiewscy; feminine form: Gosiewska) is the surname of a

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 ...

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 ...

family whose members gained prominence in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

History

The Gosiewskis had roots in

Łomża Land Łomża Land (Polish: ziemia łomżyńska), named after the town of Łomża, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of Masovian Voivodeship, and existed from the 14th c ...

, and in the 15th–16th centuries owned properties in

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centuri ...

and

Podlachia Podlachia, or Podlasie, ( pl, Podlasie, , be, Падляшша, translit=Padliašša, uk, Підляшшя, translit=Pidliashshia) is a historical region in the north-eastern part of Poland. Between 1513 and 1795 it was a voivodeship with the c ...

. It seems the Gosiewski family (or ''Gąsiewski'' in old times), originates from a Knight from the Ślepowron heraldic clan, Lord of Gosie or Gosiewo, near

Różan Różan is a town in Mazovian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, on the river Narew. National roads 60 and 61 intersect in the town. History In the late Middle Ages, Różan emerged as an important trade center of northeastern Mazovia. Enjoyi ...

. Their estate had an area of about 9 km², and contained villages: Modzele, Ogony, part of Młynarze (Mlynarze) village between the road and

Narew River The Narew (; be, Нараў, translit=Naraŭ; or ; Sudovian: ''Naura''; Old German: ''Nare''; uk, Нарва, translit=Narva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland, which is also a tributary of the river Vis ...

, part of Kruszewo village (south part of village and terrains up to Chełsty or Chelsty). Generally the estate contained quite big terrain from Chełsty to Różan. After they became also owner of a part of a village Mroczki-Kawki Many Gosiewskis still live in Chełsty and the surrounding area. Two of the most representative members of the family were Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski, Palatine-Governor of

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) 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 ...

, Speaker of the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

and commander of the Polish garrison of the

Moscow Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...

. His son Lithuanian Field Commander Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski was a supporter of a strong and centralized royal power, limiting Liberum veto and a variation about how the King should be elect call Vivente rege. They were two of the most powerful and influential officers in the

of the 17th century. The family features on the list of legitimized nobility of

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It ...

Coat of arms

This Gosiewski family used the

Ślepowron coat of arms Ślepowron ("night heron") may refer to: * Ślepowron coat of arms * Ślepowron, Masovian Voivodeship Ślepowron is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wolanów, within Radom County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. ...

. There are three other Gosiewski families entitled to use Korwin, Jastrzębiec coats of arms and a ''derivative arms'' named ''Gosiewski'', according t
Tadeusz Gajl's armorial

Notable members

* Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski (died in 1639), Palatine-Governor of

, Speaker of the

and commander of the Polish garrison of the

* Zuzanna Korwin Gosiewska (died in 1660), properly Princess Sapieha, wife of Prince

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