The House of Czartoryski is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian-Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dynasty, by the mid-17th century had split into two branches, based in the Klevan Castle and the Korets Castle, respectively. They used the Czartoryski coat of arms and were a noble family of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.
Czartoryski family vault in Sieniawa
Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski; portrait by Józef Peszka
Adam Jerzy Czartoryski; portrait by Józef Oleszkiewicz
Gołuchów Castle
Princely houses of Poland and Lithuania
The princely houses of Poland and Lithuania differed from other princely houses in Europe. Most importantly, Polish nobility (szlachta) could not be granted nobility titles by the Polish kings in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Therefore, the title of prince either dated to the times before the Union of Lublin, which created the Commonwealth in 1569, or was granted to some nobles by foreign kings. Due to the longstanding history of common statehood, some noble families often described as "Polish" actually originated in Grand Duchy of Lithuania and are of Lithuanian or Ruthenian descent. Some houses are more correctly described as being of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
King of Poland in tournament attire, ca. 1433-1435
Image: POL COA Lubomirski (RGB color)
Image: Hohenzollern herb rodowy
Image: Herb Korybut