Potocki family

Potocki
Country	Poland
Founded	15th century (officially)
Founder	Jakub Potocki (c. 1481-1551)
Titles	Hetmans Primates of Poland Magnates Nobles
Estate(s)	Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Croatia, Belarus

HetmanStanisław "Rewera" Potocki

HetmanStanisław Szczęsny Potocki

Field HetmanAndrzej Potocki

HetmanFeliks Kazimierz Potocki

Stanisław Kostka Potocki

Alfred Potocki

Jan Potocki

TheHouse of Potocki(Polish pronunciation:[pɔˈtɔt͡skʲi];plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominentPolish noble familyin theKingdom of Polandandmagnatesof thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.The Potocki family is one of the wealthiest and most powerful aristocratic families in Poland.

History

The Potocki family originated from the small village ofPotok Wielki;their family name derives from that place name. The family contributed to the cultural development and history of Poland'sEastern Borderlands(today Western Ukraine). The family is renowned for numerous Polish statesmen, military leaders, and cultural activists.

The first known Potocki was Żyrosław z Potoka (born about 1136). The children of his son Aleksander (~1167)castelanofSandomierz,were progenitors of new noble families such as the Moskorzewski, Stanisławski, Tworowski, Borowski, and Stosłowski.

Jakub Potocki(c. 1481–1551) was the protoplast of themagnateline of the Potocki family. The magnate line split into three primary lineages, called:

• Hetman Line or Silver Pilawa, many members of which held the position ofHetman,the protoplast wasStanisław "Rewera" Potocki.The line divided into a number of branches, including Łańcut, Krzeszów, Tulczyn and Wilanów branches.
• Primate Line or Golden Pilawa, named after the most prominent memberTeodor Andrzej Potocki,Primate of Poland.
• Iron Pilawa line

The "Złota Pilawa" line received the title ofcountfrom the Emperor of theHoly Roman Empirein 1606. The entire family began using the Count title after thepartitions of Poland.The title was recognized 1777 and 1784 in theKingdom of Galicia and Lodomeriaand 1838, 1843, 1859, 1890 1903 inRussiaand 1889 by the Pope and in the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland).

In 1631Stefan Potocki,who started the "Złota Pilawa" lineage, died and was buried inZolotyi Potik(pl.Złoty Potok,Golden Potok,a village owned by this lineage), his descendants started to use thePilawa coat of armsin golden colour. Because of that the lineage is called the "Złota Pilawa" (Golden Piława).

There are also four branches called:

• "Gałąź łańcucka" (Branch ofŁańcut)
• "Gałąź krzeszowicka" (Branch ofKrzeszowice)
• "Gałąź tulczyńska" (Branch ofTulczyn)
• "Gałąź wilanowska" (branch ofWilanów)

Named after the hubs of their respective constellations of properties.

The family became prominent in the 16th and 17th centuries as a result of the patronage ofChancellorJan Zamoyskiand KingSigismund III Vasa.

Notable family members

• Aleksander Stanisław Potocki(1778–1845), landowner, politician
• Alfred Józef Potocki(1817–1889),Sejm Marshal,Minister-President of Austria
• Alfred Wojciech Potocki(1785–1862), landowner, politician
• Andrzej Potocki(1630–1692),Field Crown Hetman
• Andrzej Potocki(1618–1663),Oboznyandvoivode
• Antoni Protazy Potocki(1761–1801), banker and voivode
• Artur Potocki(1787–1832), landowner, officer
• Ewa Józefina Julia Potocka(1818–1895), married toPrince Franz de Paula of Liechtenstein
• Feliks Kazimierz Potocki(1630–1702), Field and Great Hetman of the Crown
• Franciszek Salezy Potocki(1700–1772),Krajczy,Field Clerk of the Crown
• Ignacy Potocki(1750–1809), politician, writer and office holder.
• Jan Potocki(1761–1815), writer (The Manuscript Found in Saragossa)
• Jerzy Józef Potocki(1889–1961), diplomat, officer
• Józef Potocki(1673–1751), Great Hetman of the Crown
• Józef Potocki(?-1723),Great Guard of the Crown
• Józef Mikołaj Kazimierz Marian Alfred Jakub Potocki(1862–1922)
• Katarzyna Potocka(?–1642), was married toJanusz Radziwiłł
• Konstancja Potocka(1781–1852), was married to Jan Potocki andEdward Raczyński
• Mikołaj Potocki(1595–1651), Field and Great Crown Hetman
• Mikołaj Bazyli Potocki(1712–1782), Starost ofKaniv,benefactor of thePochayiv Lavra
• Natalia Potocka(1810–1830), was married toRoman Sanguszko
• Roman Ignacy Potocki(1750–1809), co-author of thePolish Constitution of May 3, 1791
• Roman Potocki(1852–1915), landowner
• Seweryn Potocki (1762–1829), curator ofKharkoveducational district inRussian Empire
• Stanisław Kostka Potocki(1755–1821), writer, publicist, collector and patron of art
• Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki(1579–1667), Field and Great Hetman of the Crown
• Stanisław Potocki(1659–1683),starostofHaliczandKołomyja,rotmistrzandpułkownikof cavalry
• Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki(1753–1805), Marshal of theTargowica Confederation.
• Stefan Potocki, voivode of Bratslav (1568-1631),starostaofFellin
• Stefan Potocki(1624–1648),starostaofNizhyn
• Stefan Aleksander Potocki(? — 1726/1727), the founder of theBasilianBuchach basilian monastery
• Teodor Potocki(1664–1738), Primate of Poland andinterrexin 1733
• Wiktoria Elżbieta Potocka(died c. 1670), was married toAdam Hieronim Sieniawskiand Andrzej Potocki

Other relatives

• CountGeoffrey Potocki de Montalk(1902–1997), an accomplished New Zealand poet, has been erroneously described as a "feigned member" of the Pilawa Potocki family. In fact, he is a direct descendant of the Bocki Potocki line, until recently believed to have died out with the death of Count Jozef Franciszek Jan Potocki, his great-grandfather, in Paris.

Purported members

• Avraham ben Avraham,birth name Valentin Potocki. Purportedly converted toJudaism,moved toVilnato hide his identity but was executed for heresy on May 23, 1749 (the second day of the Jewish holiday ofShavuot). His remains are believed to have been secretly buried next to theVilna Gaon,with a monument to that effect first erected in 1927. Though his existence is generally accepted among Orthodox Jews, many secular scholars contest his existence due to a lack of primary sources. He was first mentioned in writing by RabbiYaakov Emdenin 1755, six years after he would have died.
• Maria Patocka: said to be the mother of Crimean khanAdil Giray.

Coat of arms and motto

The Potocki family used thePiława coat of arms,and their motto wasScutum opponebat scuto(Latin for "Shield opposing shield"; literally "He opposed shield to shield" ).

• 
  Silver Pilawa
• 
  Golden Pilawa
• 
  Arms of the Counts Potocki
• 
  Pilawa at the Potocki mausoleum atWilanów Park
• 
  Pilawa atLeżajskmonastery

See also

• Potocki Palace,several palaces associated with the Potocki family
• Pochayiv Lavra
• Piława Coat of Arms

Further reading

• Potocka-Wąsowiczowa, Anna z Tyszkiewiczów.Wspomnienia naocznego świadka.Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1965.

External links

• Family album from about 1860-1875(Public Domain)