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GIEDROYĆ (Lithuanian GIEDRAITIS, Russian ГЕДРОЙЦ, Belarus’ian ГЕДРОЙЦЪ, French GUÉDROÏTZ)

The Second and Third Editions of the Lithuanian Chronicle relate that Giedrius, a brother of Grand Duke Traidenis of Lithuania (late 13th century), built a castle, named it Giedraičiai, and adopted the title Prince of Giedraičiai.

A document issued by Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania in the period 1399-1429 settled a dispute between the Bishop of Vilnius and the Princes of Giedraičiai. Numerous members of the family were recorded in the 15th and 16th centuries, and thereafter, with the title Prince.

The two lines of the family for which coherent genealogies are available (the family’s “central core”) descend from (i) Prince Aleksander (late 15th century) and (ii) Prince Bartłomiej (died in 1524). For a full genealogy of those two lines see  On-line Gotha.

The 1569 Act of Union inaugurating the Polish-Lithuanian Royal Commonwealth confirmed that, as previously in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lithuanian families of dynastic origin remained entitled to use the title Prince. Many subsequent Giedroyć family members, both of the Line of Aleksander and of the Line of Bartłomiej, were recorded with the title Prince – including several (of both Lines) whose right to the title was individually confirmed under Imperial Russian legislation of 1832. Other members did not seek such specific confirmation under the Russian Empire, but relied on confirmation of their noble status and princely origins under Russian legislation of 1801/3. The Imperial Russian heraldic authority classified these as “of the Princes”.

Under the usage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as confirmed by the 1569 Act of Union, princely origins in themselves establish princely status.

Early bearers of the Giedroyć name include:

• Blessed Michał Giedroyć, pre-dating the lines of Aleksander and Bartłomiej: buried in the church of St Mark in Cracow, where he lived most of his life as a hermit renowned for gifts of prophecy and miracles; died in 1485.

• son of the eponymous Bartłomiej in the Line of Bartłomiej: Mateusz (envoy to Ivan the Terrible 1551, Grand Ducal Governor of Vilnius, Grand Ducal Marshal, died 1562/3).

• grandsons of the eponymous Bartłomiej in the Line of Bartłomiej: Kacper-Dowmont (born c1535, signatory of the Act of Union 1569), Melchior Giedroyć (c1536-1609, Bishop of Samogitia and champion of the Lithuanian language and culture) and Martin-Dowmont Giedroyć (died 1621, Palatine of Mstislaw).

Armorial bearings:

The Second Edition of the Lithuanian Chronicle records that a centaur was the armorial charge of the forebears of Giedrus. A decree issued in 1401 by Władisław Jagiello, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, confirms the right of Prince Michał Giedroyć vel. Ratybor (baptized c.1387) to the arms Hippocentaurus “as used by his illustrious grandfather" Ginwill (2nd Duke of Giedrojcie and candidate to the grand ducal office of Lithuania).

But the earliest surviving illustrated Giedroyć armorial charge is a rose, on seals attached to state documents of 1431-4.

Through the 17th and 18th centuries, the centaur was used predominantly by most members of the family, sometimes in combination with the rose; while the descendants of Mikołaj (died 1657, sixth generation in the Line of Bartłomiej below) continued to use the rose alone. But the centaur (sometimes with the rose, sometimes without) predominates in all the 19th century Russian records, even for the descendants of Mikołaj.

These arms (below) appear on a document recording confirmation in 1800, by the Wilno General Assembly of Deputies for Pedigrees, of the princely descent of several members of the Giedroyć family (descendants of Benedykt Stanisław, five times great-grandson of the eponymous Aleksander in the Line of Aleksander):

These arms (below) appear on the genealogy known as the “Korwie Tree”, which was commissioned before 1862 by descendants of Antoni Stanisław, seven times great-grandson of the eponymous Aleksander in the Line of Aleksander:

In 1880, Russian Czar Alexander II confirmed the right of Kazimir Michaił (eleventh generation in the Line of Bartłomiej) to bear these arms (below):

At the English College of Arms, the arms of Michał Giedroyć (born 1929, 16th generation in the Line of Bartłomiej) include both the rose and the centaur (called a sagittary in English heraldry) blazoned as follows: Per fess Or and Gules in chief a Rose Gules barbed and seeded proper and in base a Sagittary trippant to the dexter the head facing to the sinister his tail a serpent facing to the dexter holding in the hands a Bow with arrow drawn and set towards the head of the serpent all Or:

• Coky Giedroyc
• Jerzy Giedroyc
• Konstantin Gedroits
• Mel Giedroyc
• Vera Gedroitz

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• Surnames