Leszczyński

Leszczyński, plural: Leszczyńscy is the surname of a Polish noble family. Some Polish surnames have different forms for the genders, Leszczyńska is the form for a female family member.

History

The Leszczyński family was a magnate family. In 1473 (and not in 1476), Rafal Leszczyński obtained from Emperor Frederick III the title of count. This title was conferred on "the entire family". The last representative of the family, Stanisław Leszczyński, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and later Duke of Lorraine, died in 1766. The family name derives from Leszczyna, now a suburb of Leszno, Greater Poland. The family had its greatest importance in the 17th century when they were ardent supporters of Calvinism and turned their estates Leszno and Baranów Sandomierski into major centres of the Polish Reformed Church.

Coat of arms and motto

The Leszczyński family used the Clan Wieniawa arms (as they indeed descended from the clan's founding bloodline) and their motto was: ?

Notable family members

*Andrzej Leszczyński (1606-1651), Palatine of Dorpat
*Bogusław Leszczyński (1614–1659), Grand Treasurer and Deputy Chancellor of the Crown
*Rafał Leszczyński (1650–1703), Grand Treasurer of the Crown
*Rafał Leszczyński (1579–1636), Palatine of Belz leader of Polish Calvinists
*Stanisław Leszczyński, (1677–1766), King of Poland and later Duke of Lorraine
*Maria Leszczyńska, (1703–1768), Queen of France, married to Louis XV of France