Koniecpolski
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
(nobility) family. Because Polish adjectives have different forms for the genders, Koniecpolska is the form for a female family member.
History
The Koniecpolski was a magnateMagnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
family. The family appears in the historical annals beginning in the 15th century. The family originated from the village Stary Koniecpol
Stary Koniecpol
Stary Koniecpol is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Koniecpol, within Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately west of Koniecpol, east of Częstochowa, and north-east of the regional capital Katowice.The village has a population of...
40 km east of Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
in the Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
. Their family name derives from that place's name. One of its first representatives was voivode of Sieradz
Sieradz
Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
Jakub Koniecpolski who participated in the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
in 1410, considered the biggest battle in medieval history. In 1443 the Koniecpolski family founded the city-fortress Koniecpol
Koniecpol
Koniecpol is a town in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,366 inhabitants . In the times of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was the seat of the Koniecpolski magnate family....
, which became the seat of the family.
In the 16th century the family lineage split into two branches the "Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
branch" and the "Castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
branch". In the 17th century the family acquired great political authority, and became owners of huge landed estates.
The most representative of the "Hetman branch" was Field and Grand Crown Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
Stanisław Koniecpolski one of the greatest commanders of the 17th century. Stanislaw begun in 1643 the present-day construction of the Presidential Palace
Presidential Palace, Warsaw
The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He also ordered the reconstructing and strengthening of the Bar
Bar, Ukraine
Bar is a city located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Barskyi Raion , and is part of the historic region of Podolia. The current estimated population is 17,200 .-History:The city was a small trade outpost named Row...
castle. Stanisław was owner of numerous latifundia
Latifundia
Latifundia are pieces of property covering very large land areas. The latifundia of Roman history were great landed estates, specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine...
situated in Poland's eastern borderlands. It was said that he owned so much landed property that he could cross the breadth of the Republic
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
while spending every night in one of his own manors.
At the beginning of the 18th century the family began to decline.
Members
- Przedbór z Koniecpola, founder of the city Koniecpol
- Jan Taszka z Koniecpola, (?-1455) Grand Chancellor of the Crown
- Jakub z Koniecpola, participated in the Battle of Grunwald
- Aleksander KoniecpolskiAleksander Koniecpolski (1555-1609)Aleksander Koniecpolski was a voivode of Sieradz, a staunch supporter of king Sigismund III Vasa of the House of Vasa....
(1555-1609), voivode of Sieradz, Rotmistrz - Stanisław Koniecpolski (1590/1594–1646), Great and Field Hetman of the Crown
- Aleksander KoniecpolskiAleksander Koniecpolski (1620-1659)Prince Aleksander Koniecpolski was a Polish nobleman. He became the Grand Standard-Bearer of the Crown in 1641, the Palatine of Sandomierz Voivodeship in 1656, and the Starost of Perejasław, Korsun, Płoskirow and Dolina. He was the son of the famous hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski....
(1620-1659), ChorążyChorążyChorąży or Khorunzhyi is a military rank in Poland, Ukraine and some neighboring countries. A chorąży was once a knight who bore a standard — the emblem of an armed troop, a province , a land , a duchy, or the kingdom...
and voivode - Jan Aleksander Koniecpolski (?-1719), colonel, Great Koniuszy
- Stanisław Koniecpolski (?-1682), Camp Leader of the Crown, voivode