The Czartoryski family is of Lithuanian descent from
Ruthenia. Their ancestor, a grandson of
Gediminas, the
Grand Duke of Lithuania, became known with his baptismal name Constantine ( 1330−1390) - he became a Prince of
Chortoryisk in
Volhynia. One of his sons, Vasyli Chortoryiski (Ukrainian: Чарторийський; 1375–1416), was granted an estate in
Volhynia in 1393, and his three sons John, Alexander and Michael (c. 1400–1489) are considered the
progenitors of the family. The founding members were culturally
Ruthenian and
Eastern Orthodox; they converted to
Roman Catholicism and were
Polonized during the 16th century. Michael's descendant Prince
Kazimierz Czartoryski (1674–1741), Duke of Klewan and Zukow (
Klevan and
Zhukiv),
Castellan of Vilnius, reawakened Czartoryski royal ambitions at the end of the 17th century. He married
Isabella Morsztyn, daughter of the
Grand Treasurer of Poland, and built the
Familia with their four children, Michał, August, Teodor and Konstancja. The family became known and powerful under the lead of brothers
Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski and
August Aleksander Czartoryski in the late
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of the 18th century, during the reigns
Augustus II the Strong (King of Poland, 1697–1706 and 1709–1733) and
Stanisław I Leszczyński (King of Poland 1704–1709 and 1733–1736). The Czartoryski had risen to power under
August Aleksander Czartoryski (1697–1782) of the Klewa line, who married
Zofia Denhoffowa, the only heir to the
Sieniawski family. The family attained the height of its influence from the mid-18th century in the court of King
Augustus III (). The Czartoryski brothers gained a very powerful ally in their brother-in-law,
Stanisław Poniatowski, whose son became the last king of the independent Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,
Stanisław August Poniatowski (). The Czartoryski's Familia saw the decline of the Commonwealth and the rise of
anarchy and joined the camp which was determined to press ahead with reforms; thus they sought the enactment of such constitutional reforms as the abolition of the
liberum veto. Although the
Russian Empire confiscated the family estate at
Puławy in 1794, during the
third partition of Poland, the Familia continued to wield significant cultural and political influence for decades after, notably through the princes
Adam Kazimierz (1734–1823),
Adam Jerzy (1770–1861) and
Konstanty Adam (1777–1866). The Czartoryski family is renowned for the
Czartoryski Museum in Kraków and the
Hôtel Lambert in Paris. Today, the only descendants of Prince
Adam Jerzy Czartoryski are Prince
Adam Karol Czartoryski (1940- ) and his daughter Tamara Czartoryska (1978- ), who live in the United Kingdom. The descendants of Prince
Konstanty Adam Czartoryski live to this day in Poland and have their representatives in the
Confederation of the Polish Nobility. ==Coat of arms and motto==