Wołodkowicz
| Ethnicity | Polish |
|---|---|
| Current region | Poland, Lithuania |
| Members |
Henry Wołodkowicz Felicjan Wołodkowicz Wincenty Wołodkowicz |
| Estate | Radoszkowice, Iwansk |
Wołodkowicz is the name of a noble family originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The Wołodkowicz (Wolodkowicz) family is an ancient noble family originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Scolars argue whether the family name derives from Wolodko (born 1420), grandson of Gedymin Grand Duke of Lithuania (1275-1341) or from his descendant Grand Duke Wolodko.
Marcin Wołodkowicz (1510-1595), the son of Wolodko and his wife Racza, is the common ancestor of all members of the Wołodkowicz family. He was ambassador of the Great Duchy of Lithuania in Moscow from 1573 and Governor of Minsk from 1588. He was married with Rajna princess Drucka-Horska. Marcin Wołodkowicz had eight children, most of which had high positions in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. As a result thereof the family became far more numerous in the 17th century; its members mainly residing in the districts of Nowogródek and Minsk.
During the 17th and 18th centuries members of the Wołodkowicz family played an important role in public life. Apart from political and governmental positions, members of the Wołodkowicz family held positions in the army and in the Roman Catholic church.
Stanislaw Wołodkowicz played an important role in the defense of Vitebsk during the war between the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and Moscow. He was taken prisoner and sent into exile to Kazan in 1655. The founder of the French line of the Wołodkowicz family, Henry (1765-1825), took part in the 1794 uprising of Tadeusz Kościuszko and emigrated to France. He was aide-de-camp of Napoleon, served as a general in the French army and from 1806 he was appointed commander of the Polish Legion of the Grande Armée. During the Napoleonic war against Russia, he was exiled to Siberia and after having received amnesty, he moved to St. Petersburg where he died. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur and his name 'Henry' is immortalized in the Triumphal Arc in Paris. Alexander Wołodkowicz (1806-1861) headed the rebels in the Vileika district during the uprising against Russia of 1830-1831. After the defeat he emigrated to France. He was buried in Paris, but his heart was brought home and placed in the church of Radoszkowice, the ancestral tomb of the Wołodkowicz family.
...
Wikipedia