Teczynski family - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Tęczyński family was a powerful family of nobility (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...

) in the Kingdom of Poland

Kingdom of Poland (disambiguation)

Kingdom of Poland was the name of Poland from 1000/1025 to 1795:* Kingdom of Poland from the early Piast dynasty* Kingdom of Poland under the Jagiellon dynasty...

, during the times of the late Piast dynasty

Piast dynasty

The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...

, the Jagiellon dynasty

Jagiellon dynasty

The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...

and in the early decades of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

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...

(from 14th century to early 17th century). They were an important family from Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland

Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...

(Małopolska), active in Polish politics of their time.

Family's history and importance

According to a legend, the family traced its origins to the 12th century magnate, Sieciech

Sieciech

- Biography :All information about Sieciech has come down from the chronicler Gallus Anonymus. He was a count palatine at the court of duke Władysław I Herman of Poland. Though the exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, he is said by Gallus Anonymus to have lived in the second half of the...

, or even to some older individuals, rumored to be powerful "princes" before Mieszko I created the Polish state. According to historians, the first verifiable member of the Tęczyński family was Nawój z Morawicy (d. 1331), 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:...

of Kraków, who laid the foundations of his family greatness. They used the Topór coat of arms. His son Andrzej Tęczyński (d. 1369), voivode of Kraków, begun the construction of the family's castle

Tenczyn Castle

The Tenczyn Castle, otherwise known as the Tęczyn Castle, is a medieval castle in the village of Rudno, Poland. It was built as a seat of the powerful Tęczyński family. The castle fell into ruin during the Deluge in mid-17th century, after being pillaged and burned by Swedish-Brandenburgian forces...

, continued by his descendants. Jan Tęczyński (d. 1405), starost and castellan of Kraków, was also one of the most important advisers to the first King of Poland of the Jagiellon dynasty

Jagiellon dynasty

The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...

, Władysław Jagiełło. Jan Tęczyński (d. 1470), castellan of Kraków, voivode of Kraków and Lublin

Lublin

Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...

, was recognized as one of the two most important Polish magnates of his time (the other one was cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki. Andrzej Tęczyński (d. 1536), castellan of Kraków, voivode of Kraków, Lublin and Sandomierz, in 1527 received a hereditary title of a count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

from the Holy Roman Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor

The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...

.

The family had numerous possessions, most of them in the Lesser Poland, Kraków Voivodeship

Kraków Voivodeship (14th century-1795)

Kraków Voivodeship 1300–1795 - a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795...

(including a large 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...

near Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

). Its members often held the posts of 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:...

of Kraków

Kraków

and voivode of Kraków. The family, recognized during the 14th to mid-17th centuries as one of the most important in Lesser Poland, lost influence after the death of its last male member, Jan Magnus Tęczyński in 1637.

The family seat was the Tenczyn Castle

Tenczyn Castle

(also known as Tęczyn Castle), now a ruin in the village of Rudno

Rudno, Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Rudno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krzeszowice, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Krzeszowice and west of the regional capital Kraków.-History:...

. The castle would fall in ruin after being pillaged by the Swedes, looking for rumored treasures of the Tęczyński family, during The Deluge in the mid-17th century. Subsequently rebuilt, after a fire in mid-18th century it was never rebuilt again.

Polish poet Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski was a Polish writer, historian and journalist who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews He is best known for his epic series on the history of Poland, comprising twenty-nine novels in seventy-nine parts.As a novelist writing about...

dedicated one of his works to the family: Tęczyńscy: dramat historyczny w pięciu aktach prozą [Tęczyńscy: a historical drama in five acts in prose] (1844). Another Polish poet, Jan Kochanowski

Jan Kochanowski

Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language.He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet, prior to the 19th century.-Life:Kochanowski was born at...

, wrote a poem Pamiątka Tęczyńskiemu [A memory for Tęczyński].

Notable members

Nawój z Morawicy (d. 1331), castellan of Kraków
Andrzej Tęczyński (d. 1369), voivode of Kraków
Jan Tęczyński (d. 1405), starost and castellan of Kraków, close advisor of Władysław II Jagiełło
Jan Tęczyński (d. 1470), castellan of Kraków, voivode of Kraków and Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
Sędziwój Tęczyński (d. 1479), rector of the Cracow Academy
Zbigniew Tęczyński (d. 1498), (d. 1470), adviser of Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk
Andrzej Tęczyński (d. 1536), castellan of Kraków, voivode of Kraków, Lublin and Sandomierz, HRE count
Andrzej Tęczyński (d. 1561), voivode of Kraków and Lublin
Jan Magnus Tęczyński (d. 1637), voivode of Kraków and Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...

Family's history and importance

Notable members

Further reading