Leon Sapieha

Leon prince Sapieha (1803-1878) was a Polish noble (szlachcic), political and economic activist.

Leon was born and educated in Warsaw, and studied law and economic in Paris and Edinburgh from 1820 to 1824. He began to work in the administration in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom. After the outbreak of the November Uprising in 1830, he left Poland and took part in diplomatic missions of the Polish "National Government" in France and Great Britain. After that, he returned and participated in the Uprising in the rank of an Artillery Captain, among others in the defend of Warsaw on September 6/7. He was awarded for that the Virtuti Militari Order. After the collapse of the Uprising he settled in the Austrian occupied part of Poland. In 1835 Russian authorities confisticated his estates in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom for his participation in the Uprising.

He was member of "National movement" circles and hold contacts with the "Hotel Lambert". He became member of the National Sejm in Galicia, member of the Austrian Council of the State and member of the Herrenhaus in 1861. In 1863 he didn't participate in the January Uprising but spent money for it. From 1861 until 1875 he served as Sejm Marshal. In 1875 he retired from political life.