Opaliński (noble family)
The family of the Counts of Opaliński is one of the most important and oldest European noble families from Poland . They belonged to the magnates within the Szlachta . The feminine form of the name is Opalińska .
The coat of arms of the Opalińskis shows a golden ship on a red background. In Polish it is called “Lodz” or “Lodzia”. The related family legend is (as is usual with legends) both incredible and truthful at the same time. It refers to the Greek mythological stories about the robbery of the Golden Fleece by Jason and the Argonauts . It is therefore not surprising that the Opalińskis are said to have originally come from the Mediterranean region ( Ancient Greece or Roman Empire ). In fact, it can in some cases be proven that this family immigrated from the southern European countries via today's Czech Republic and Silesia to the less densely populated areas of Greater Poland and Pomerania . Certainly the increased Christianization of these areas advocated by the Pope was one reason why the Opalińskis settled in this region.
The name Opaliński (from Opalenica) is derived from the city of Opalenica in Greater Poland. The first to use the name Opaliński, which was not an Opaliński, is a representative of a Pomeranian family: Ticz Bar de Opalenicza, who founded the town of Opalenica between 1399 and 1401. The progenitor of the Opalińskis is Peter von Bnin (Piotr Bniński, † around 1467), who was the first of Opalenica Opaliński to call himself and who was the brother of the actual city founder, the Poznan bishop Andreas von Bnin (Andrzej Bniński, † 1479).
Towards the end of the 16th century, several branches of the Opalińskis emerged. In general, two main lines are derived from this aristocratic family: the Opaliński-Bniński (from Opalenica-Bnin) from the city of Bnin and the Opaliński-Sierakowski (from Opalenica-Sieraków) from the city of Sieraków. Both cities are in Greater Poland. These lines are partly extinct due to a lack of male descendants or due to the relocation of the main residence and area of activity to France .
Many secular representatives emerged from the sex, but also church dignitaries, e. B. Bishops, canons and priests. Her Catholic faith and loyalty to the Holy See in Rome characterized the entire family. Nevertheless, they were open to the modern currents of faith, starting from Western Europe.
They allowed different nationalities and religious communities to settle in the estates and lands belonging to them. Protestants , Calvinists and Jews under the Count Opaliński were able to practice their religion without objection. The lands were also a safe haven for the German settler families persecuted by the Reformation . The main seat of the family is Wielkopolska with the town of Sierakow, which was in possession of this line from 1445 to 1775. At that time, numerous churches, monasteries and schools were built under the patronage of this family, as well as libraries and theaters. But economic prosperity also grew steadily. Within a very short time, this gender achieved incredible wealth and influence, not least with the help of a targeted marriage policy.
In general, the Count Opaliński family forms the basis for several aristocratic families from Poland and Lithuania that emerged later. The family was distinguished by its excellent thinkers, scholars and diplomats. That is why some male representatives of this family devoted themselves to training the Polish crown princes. This was also the reason why this noble family also had a residence in the royal capital Krakow in the immediate vicinity of the Polish king and his family.
It is also worth mentioning that well-known and important poets and satirists come from this family, whose literary works (selected parts) are still compulsory reading in Polish schools today.
The female representatives of the Opaliński family were exceptionally educated and modern in thinking for their time. They spoke several foreign languages, had a talent for rhetoric, had a sound general knowledge and were not inferior to the diplomatic skills of their male relatives. The best example of this is probably Countess Katharina Opalińska, who was one of the most respected women of the time because of this. In particular, Countess Katharina Opalińska - who later became the Polish queen and mother of Princess Maria Leszczyńska (who later became the French queen) - is the Eastern European ancestor of all important European royal families to this day.
The descendants of the noble Opaliński family (from branch lines) still live in various European countries.
Personalities
- Countess Katharina Opalińska (1680–1747), Queen of Poland, Grand Duchess of Lithuania, Duchess of Lorraine and Bar, wife of the two-time elected Polish King Stanislaus I. Leszczyński , first between 1704 and 1709 and then between 1733 and 1736; Mother of the French Queen Maria Leszczyńska , the wife of Louis XV , great-grandmother of the French King Louis XVI. , who fell victim to the French Revolution (public decapitation), Eastern European ancestor of all important European royal houses - until today;
- Princess Maria Leszczyńska (1703–1768) She was the younger daughter of the Polish-Lithuanian king and later Duke of Lorraine Stanislaus I. Leszczyński and his wife Countess Katharina Opalińska, daughter of the magnate Jan Karol Opaliński and his wife Zofia Czarnkowska. Married to the King of France Louis XV King of France
- Princess Anna Leszczyńska (1699–1717) She was the eldest daughter of the Polish-Lithuanian King and later Duke of Lorraine Stanislaus I. Leszczyński and his wife Countess Katharina Opalińska, daughter of the magnate Jan Karol Opaliński and his wife Zofia Czarnkowska.
- Count Andrzej Opaliński (1540–1593), nobleman , Grand Marshal of the Polish Crown ("Minister of the Interior" of the Kingdom of Poland);
- Count Andrzej Opaliński (1575–1623), nobleman, bishop of Poznan ;
- Count Jan Opaliński (1581–1637), voivode of Posen and Kalisch ;
- Count Łukasz Opaliński (1581–1654), Court Marshal of the Polish Crown 1622–1634 (Deputy Grand Marshal of the Polish Crown), Grand Marshal of the Polish Crown 1634–1650 and from 1653 Voivode von Rawa ;
- Count Piotr Opaliński (1586–1624), diplomat in Moscow;
- Count Krzysztof Opaliński (1605 / 1609–1655), from 1637 voivode of Posen, royal diplomat and important Polish poet;
- Count Łukasz Opaliński (1612–1666), court marshal of the Polish crown from 1650, marshal of the Warsaw Sejms in 1638, diplomat, moralist, poet and political philosopher;
- Count Jan Leopold Opaliński (1634–1672), castellan of Nakło ;
- Count Jan Karol Opaliński (1642–1701), castellan of Poznan, patron of the arts and sciences, father of Countess Katharina Opalińska;
- Count Wojciech Leon Opaliński (1708–1775), Voivode of Sieradz , scholar at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow