The
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (properly, the "Commonwealth of Both Nations": in
Polish, ''Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów''; in
Belarusian, ''Рэч Паспалі́тая'') was a federal monarchic republic comprising the
Kingdom of Poland and
Grand Duchy of Lithuania,
1569 –
1795. It was governed by an
elected monarch. The Commonwealth's dominant
social class was the
nobility. This article chiefly lists the
nobility's ''
magnate'' segment (the wealthier nobility), as they were the most prominent, famous and notable. These families would receive non-hereditary 'central' and Land dignities and titles under the
Commonwealth law that forbade (with minor exceptions) any hereditary legal distinctions within the peerage. They would later be 'approximated' to honorary hereditary titles in the
Partition period with little real-power privileges but would still be venerated among the Polish upper class and the rest of the society as 'senatorial', 'palatinal', 'castellanial' or "dignitarial' families.
By family
Below is a list of important
noble families. See each family's article for a list of its notable members. All names are given first in the singular, then (parenthetically) in the plural.
Famous
magnates: families that had accumulated great wealth and political power and had few equals; they were the top magnates, who generally preserved their power across several centuries. Also included are some famous middle and lesser
noble families.
By year of birth
Listed below are important members of the
szlachta of
Poland and the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, by century and year of birth.
In many cases, birth year is uncertain or unknown. During the Commonwealth, most people — including szlachta — paid little attention to their birthdates.
"''
Szlachta''" is the proper term for Polish
nobility beginning about the
15th century. A Polish nobleman who lived earlier is referred to as a "''
rycerz''" ("
knight"); the class of all such individuals is the "''
rycerstwo''."
15th century
★
Jan "Scibor" Taczanowski, 15th century, voivode of
Leczyca c. 1437
★
Jan Tarnowski, 1488-1561,
hetman
★
Jan Lubrański, 1456-1520,
bishop
★
Jan Łaski, 1456-1531, primate, archbishop
★
Mikołaj Kamieniecki, 1460-1515, hetman
★
Konstanty Ostrogski, 1460-1530, hetman
★
Krzysztof Szydłowiecki, 1467-1532, chancellor
★
Michał Gliński, 1470-1534, prince
★
Jan Feliks "Szram" Tarnowski, 1471-1507, castellan, voivode
★
Jan "Ciężki" Tarnowski, 1479-1527, castellan, starost
★
Tiedemann Giese, 1480-1560, bishop
★
Barbara Kola, 1480-1560
★
Jerzy Radziwiłł, 1480-1541, hetman,
voivode,
castellan,
marshal
★
Jan Tęczyński, 1485-1553, Court Marshall
★
Piotr Gamrat, 1487-1545, bishop
★
Stanisław Kostka, 1487-1555, castellan, podskarbi
★
Jan Łaski, 1499-1560, philosopher
★
Tomasz Łaźniński, 15th century (or earlier)-?
★
Maciej Zamoyski, 15th century-?
★
Jan Zamoyski, 15th century-16th century
★
Florian Zamoyski, 15th century-1510
★
Barbara Kiszka, 15th century-1513
★
Mikołaj Firlej, 15th century-1526, voivode, hetman
★
Andrzej Tarło, 15th century-1531,
chorąży
★
Feliks Zamoyski, 15th century-1535, voivode
★
Jan Tarło, 15th century-1550, krajczy, podczaszy, cześnik
★
Piotr Firlej, 15th century-1553, voivode
★
Mikołaj Mielecki, 15th century-1585, hetman, voivode
16th century
★
Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski (ca. 1503-1572) scholar, humanist and theologian
★
Mikołaj Rej, 1505-1568, writer
★
Stanisław Odrowąż, 1509-1545, castellan, voivode
★
Jerzy Jazłowiecki, 1510-1575,
hetman
★
Marcin Kromer, 1512-1589,
Prince-Bishop
★
Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł, 1512-1584, hetman,
kanclerz (chancellor)
★
Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, 1515-1565,
marshal, chancellor,
palatine
★
Hieronim Jarosz Sieniawski, 1516-1579, voivode
★
Stanisław Zamoyski, 1519-1572, castellan
★
Barbara Radziwiłł, 1520-1550,
queen
★
Jan Firlej, 1521-1574, marshall, starost
★
Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski, 1526-1608, voivode
★
Jan Tarło, 1527-1587, castellan, voivode
★
Michał Wiśniowiecki, 1529-1584, castellan
★
Jan Kostka, 1529-1581, voivode
★
Grzegorz Branicki, c.1534-1595, łowczy of Kraków, starost of Niepołomice
★
Zofia Tarnowska, 1534-1570
★
Jan Krzysztof Tarnowski, 1537-1567, castellan
★
Sebastian Lubomirski, 1539-1613, castellan
★
Zofia Odrowąż, 1540-1580
★
Jan Zamoyski, 1542-1605, hetman and chancellor
★
Jan Opaliński, 1546-1598
★
Mikołaj VII Radziwiłł, 1546-1589, chambelain
★
Krzysztof Mikołaj "the Lightning" Radziwiłł, 1547-1603, hetman
★
Stanisław Żółkiewski, 1547-1620, hetman, catellan, chancellor
★
Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, 1549-1616, voivode
★
Marek Sobieski, 1549-1605, voivode
★
Stanisław Kostka, 1550-1568, saint
★
Jan Tarnowski, 1550-1605, archbishop
★
Stanisław Stadnicki, 1551–1610
★
Jan Kiszka, 1552-1592
★
Andrzej Leszczyński, 1553-1606, starost of Nakło, voivode of Brześć Kujawski
★
Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, 1553-1620, voivode
★
Janusz Ostrogski, 1554-1620, castellan, voivode
★
Adam Sędziwój Czarnkowski, 1555-1628, voivode
★
Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński, 1555-1628, Kings secretary
★
Aleksander Koniecpolski, 1555-1609, voivode
★
Jerzy Radziwiłł, 1556-1600, bishop
★
Lew Sapieha, 1557-1633, hetman, voivode
★
Stanisław Krasiński, 1558-1617, voivode
★
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, 1560-1621, hetman
★
Katarzyna Ostrogska, 1560-157
★
Krystyna Radziwiłł, 1560-1580
★
Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza, 1562-1637, castellan
★
Zygmunt Tarło, 1562-1628, castellan
★
Marcin Kazanowski, 1563/1566-1636, hetman, chancellor,
voivode
★
Zygmunt Kazanowski, 1563-1634, starost, courth marshall and chamberlain
★
Konstanty Wiśniowiecki, 1564-1641, voivode
★
Barbara Tarnowska, 1566-1610
★
Adam Wiśniowiecki, 1566-1622
★
Jan Szczęsny Herburt, 1567–1616, starost
★
Jan Piotr Sapieha, 1569-1611, starosta uświacki, pułkownik królewski
★
Janusz Skumin Tyszkiewicz, 1570-1642, voivode, writer
★
Aleksander Ostrogski, 1571-1603, voivode
★
Daniel Naborowski, 1573-1640, poet
★
Jerzy Zbaraski, 1573-1631, castellan
★
Anna Kostka, 1575-1635
★
Katarzyna Kostka, 1575-1648
★
Adam Hieronim Sieniawski, 1576-1616, starost, podczaszy
★
Grzegorz IV Radziwiłł, 1578-1613, castellan
★
Rafał Leszczyński, 1579-1636, voivode
★
Janusz Radziwiłł, 1579-1620, castellan
★
Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki, 1579-1667, hetman
★
Aleksander Józef Lisowski, 1580-1616, mercenary commander
★
Szymon Okolski, 1580-1653, historian, priest
★
Jakub Sobieski, 1580/88-1646, voivode
★
Krzysztof Zbaraski, 1580-1628, koniuszy, ambassador
★
Hieronim Morsztyn, 1581-1623, poet
★
Jan Opaliński, 1581-1637, voivode of Poznań
★
Łukasz Opaliński, 1581-1654, voivode
★
Jan Tęczyński, 1581-1637, voivode of Kraków
★
Jakub Zadzik, 1582-1642,
bishop and chancellor
★
Stanisław Lubomirski, 1583-1649
★
Zofia Czeska, 1584-1650, nun
★
Piotr Gembicki, 1585-1657, chancellor
★
Zofia Lubomirska, 1585-1612
★
Krzysztof II Radziwiłł, 1585-1640, hetman
★
Szymon Starowolski, 1585-1650, priest, writer
★
Samuel Korecki, 1586-1622
★
Piotr Opaliński, 1586-1624
★
Kasper Doenhoff, 1587-1645, voivode
★
Krzysztof Ossoliński, 1587-1645, voivode
★
Stefan Pac, 1587-1640, chancellor
★
Mikołaj Firlej, 1588-1635, wojewoda sandomierski
★
Marina Mniszech, 1588-1614
★
Samuel Łaszcz, 1588-1649, starosta, (warchoł means brawler, barrator)
★
Albrycht Władysław Radziwiłł, 1589-1636, castellan
★
Jan Stanisław Sapieha, 1589-1635, Chancellor of Lithuania from 1621-1635, childless
★
Stanisław Koniecpolski, 1590/1594-1646, hetman
★
Jakub Sobieski, 1590-1646, voivode
★
Janusz Tyszkiewicz Łohojski, 1590-1649, voivode
★
Andrzej Bobola, 1591-1657, jesuit, martyr, saint
★
Zygmunt Karol Radziwiłł, 1591-1642, voivode
★
Zdzisław Jan Zamoyski, 1591-1670, castellan
★
Krzysztof Arciszewski, 1592-1656, General of Artillery
★
Mikołaj Ostroróg, 1593-1651, sejm marshal
★
Jan Karol Tarło, 1593-1645, castellan
★
Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł, 1594-1654, voivode
★
Tomasz Zamoyski, 1594-1638, voivode, chancellor,
★
Bogdan Chmielnicki, 1595–1657, hetman
★
Jerzy Ossoliński, 1595-1650, voivode and chancellor
★
Mikołaj Potocki, 1595-1651, castellan, hetman
★
Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł, 1595-1656, chancellor
★
Stanisław Lanckoroński, 1597-1657, voivode
★
Janusz Wiśniowiecki, 1598-1636, starost, koniuszy
★
Adam Kazanowski, 1599-1649
★
Stefan Czarniecki, 1599-1665, hetman
★
Jan Zamoyski, 16th century-?
★
Barbara Lubomirska, 16th century-?
★
Paweł Tarło, 16th century-1565, bishop
★
Jan Tarło, 16th century-1571
★
Samuel Zborowski, 16th century-1584
★
Stanisław Lubomirski, 16th century-1585
★
Mikołaj Firlej, 16th century-1588
★
Krzysztof Kosiński, 16th century-1593
★
Jan Tęczyński, 16th century-1583, castellan, podkomorzy
★
Stanisław Tarło 16th century-1600, starost
★
Mikołaj Firlej, , 16th century-1601, wojewoda krakowski
★
Fiodor Trubecki, 16th century-1608, prince
★
Joachim Lubomirski, 16th century-1610, starost
★
Katarzyna Lubomirska, 16th century-1611
★
Jerzy Mniszech. 16th century-1613, voivode
★
Michał Wiśniowiecki, 16th century-1616, castellan
★
Jan Zamoyski, 16th century-1619, castellan
★
Wigund-Jeronym Trubecki, 16th century-1634, prince
★
Henryk Firlej, 16th century-1626, bishop
★
Krzysztof Wiesiołowski, 16th century-1637, marshal
★
Anna Branicka, 16th century-1639
★
Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski, 16th century-1639
★
Zofia Krasińska, 16th century-1642
★
Katarzyna Potocka, 16th century-1642
★
Piotr Trubecki, 16th century-1644, podkomorzy, chamberlain
★
Krystyna Lubomirska, 16th century-1645
★
Stanisław Kazanowski, 16th century-1648
★
Konstancja Ligęza, 16th century-1648
★
Krzysztof Chodkiewicz, 16th century-1652, castellan, voivode
★
Jan Kazimierz Umiastowski, 16th century - 1659, sejm marshal
★
Samuel Twardowski, 16th century (1590s) - 1661, writer
17th century
★
Anna Eufrozyna Chodkiewicz, 1600-1631
★
Adam Kisiel, 1600-1653, voivode
★
Janusz Kiszka, 1600-1653
★
Kazimierz Siemienowicz, 1600-1651,
general,
scientist
★
Katarzyna Ostrogska, 1602-1642
★
Prokop Sieniawski, 1602-1626, chorąży
★
Marcin Kalinowski, ca. 1605-1652, field crown hetman, voivode
★
Dominik Aleksander Kazanowski, 1605-1648, voivode
★
Andrzej Leszczyński, 1606-1651, voivode
★
Jan Kazimierz Krasiński, 1607-1669, voivode
★
Andrzej Trebicki, 1607-1679, bishop
★
Andrzej Leszczyński, 1608-1658, chancellor and primate
★
Jan Paweł Sapieha, 1609-1665, voivode
★
Krzysztof Opaliński, 1611-1655, voivode
★
Bogusław Leszczyński, 1612-1659, starost
★
Łukasz Opaliński, 1612-1666
★
Hieronim Radziejowski, 1612-1667, chancellor
★
Janusz Radziwiłł 1612-1655, hetman, voivode
★
Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, 1612-1651, voivode
★
Kazimierz Franciszek Czarnkowski, 1613-1656
★
Mikołaj Krzysztof Sapieha, 1613-1639, voivode
★
Bogusław Leszczyński, 1614-1659
★
Aleksander Michał Lubomirski, 1614-1677
★
Jan Kazimierz Chodkiewicz, 1616-1660, castellan of
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