NOBLEMEN from Poland

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Polish Noblemen of all time. This list of famous Polish Noblemen is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Polish Noblemen.

1. Catherine the Great (1729 - 1796)

With an HPI of 83.04, Catherine the Great is the most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 119 different languages on wikipedia.

Catherine II (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe. In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin. Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev, and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov, she governed at a time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—ruled by Catherine's former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski—was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America. Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol. An admirer of Peter the Great, Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks, nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility, issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. The construction of many mansions of the nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the empress, changed the face of the country. She is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots. As a patron of the arts, she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment, including the establishment of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe.

2. Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (1761 - 1818)

With an HPI of 68.11, Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly is the 2nd most famous Polish Nobleman.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (baptised 27 December [O.S. 16 December] 1761 – 26 May [O.S. 14 May] 1818) was a Russian field marshal who figured prominently in the Napoleonic Wars. Barclay was born into a Baltic German family from Livland. His father was the first of his family to be accepted into the Russian nobility. Barclay joined the Imperial Russian Army at a young age in 1776. He served with distinction in the Russo-Turkish War (1787–92), the Russo-Swedish War (1788–90), and the Kościuszko Uprising (1794). In 1806, Barclay began commanding in the Napoleonic Wars, distinguishing himself at the Battle of Pułtusk that same year. He was wounded at the Battle of Eylau in 1807 while his troops were covering the retreat of the Russian army. Because of his wounds, he was forced to leave command. The following year, he carried out successful operations in the Finnish War against Sweden. Barclay led a large number of Russian troops approximately 100 km across the frozen Gulf of Bothnia in winter during a snowstorm. For his accomplishments, Barclay de Tolly was appointed Governor-General of the Grand Duchy of Finland. From 20 January 1810 to September 1812 he was the Minister of War of the Russian Empire. When the French invasion of Russia began in 1812, Barclay de Tolly was commander of the 1st Army of the West, the largest Army to face Napoleon. Barclay initiated a scorched earth policy from the beginning of the campaign, though this made him unpopular among Russians. After the Battle of Smolensk failed to halt the French and discontent among Russians continued to grow, Alexander I appointed Mikhail Kutuzov as Commander-in-Chief, though Barclay remained in charge of the 1st Army. However, Kutuzov continued the same scorched earth retreat up to Moscow where the Battle of Borodino took place nearby. Barclay commanded the right wing and center of the Russian army for the battle. After Napoleon's retreat, the eventual success of Barclay's tactics made him a hero among Russians. He became Commander-in-Chief in 1813 after the battle of Bautzen, replacing Wittgenstein (who had been appointed after Kutuzov's death early in 1813) and led the taking of Paris, for which he was made a Field Marshal. His health later declined and he died on a visit to Germany in 1818.

3. Cymburgis of Masovia (1394 - 1429)

With an HPI of 62.18, Cymburgis of Masovia is the 3rd most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Cymburgis of Masovia (Polish: Cymbarka mazowiecka; German: Cimburgis von Masowien; 1394 or 1397 – 28 September 1429), also spelled Zimburgis or Cimburga, was a Princess of Masovia of the Polish Piast dynasty and a Duchess of Austria from 1412 until 1424, by her marriage with the Habsburg duke Ernest the Iron. As the mother of later Emperor Frederick III, Cymburgis, after Gertrude of Hohenberg, became the second female ancestor of all later Habsburgs, as only her husband's Ernestine branch of the family survived in the male line.

4. Julia, Princess of Battenberg (1825 - 1895)

With an HPI of 60.88, Julia, Princess of Battenberg is the 4th most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Julia, Princess of Battenberg, previously Countess Julia von Hauke and Countess of Battenberg (born Julia Therese Salomea Hauke; 24 November [O.S. 12 November] 1825 – 19 September 1895), was the wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, the third son of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse. The daughter of a Polish general of German descent, Julia was not of royal origin. She became a lady-in-waiting to Marie of Hesse, wife of the future Russian Emperor Alexander II and a sister of Alexander, whom Julia married after meeting him in the course of her duties. Although the marriage of social unequals like Julia and Alexander was deemed morganatic, the Duke of Hesse made her Princess of Battenberg. Julia was the mother of Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria, and she is an ancestor of the current British and Spanish royal families.

5. Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg (1797 - 1855)

With an HPI of 58.97, Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg is the 5th most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Dorothea Luise Wilhelmine Caroline; 1 November 1797 in Carlsruhe (now Pokój), Silesia – 30 March 1855 in Pest, Hungary) was the daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg (1756–1817) and Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg (1780–1857).

6. Anna Catherine Constance Vasa (1619 - 1651)

With an HPI of 58.03, Anna Catherine Constance Vasa is the 6th most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Anna Catherine Constance Vasa (Polish: Anna Katarzyna Konstancja Waza; 7 August 1619 in Warsaw – 8 October 1651 in Cologne) was a Polish princess, daughter of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland and Sweden and his second wife Constance of Austria.

7. Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile (1140 - 1185)

With an HPI of 57.55, Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile is the 7th most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Richeza of Poland (also known as Richeza of Silesia; Polish: Ryksa śląska; c. 1140 – 16 June 1185) was a Polish noblewoman of the House of Piast in the Silesian branch. By her marriages she was Queen consort of Galicia, León and Castile, Countess of Provence, and Countess of Eberstein. Richeza was the third child and only daughter of Władysław II the Exile, the High Duke of Poland and ruler of Silesia, by his wife Agnes of Babenberg, daughter of Margrave Leopold III of Austria and half-sister of King Conrad III of Germany.

8. Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1755 - 1829)

With an HPI of 57.17, Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg is the 8th most famous Polish Nobleman.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Peter I or Peter Frederick Louis of Holstein-Gottorp (German: Peter Friedrich Ludwig von Holstein-Gottorp) (17 January 1755 – 21 May 1829) was the Regent of the Duchy of Oldenburg for his incapacitated cousin William I from 1785 to 1823, and then served himself as Duke from 1823 to 1829. He also served from 1785 to 1803 as the last Lutheran Prince-Bishop of Lübeck, until that Prince-Bishopric was secularized and joined to Oldenburg. His son, Augustus, was the first Duke of Oldenburg to use the style of Grand Duke that was granted in 1815.

9. Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste Sofie of Neuburg (1693 - 1728)

With an HPI of 56.54, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste Sofie of Neuburg is the 9th most famous Polish Nobleman.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Elisabeth Auguste of Neuburg (Elisabeth Auguste Sofie; 1693–1728) was the only surviving child of Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine. The Palatinate-Neuburg line became extinct with her father and was succeeded by the Palatinate-Sulzbach line. Her sons with Count Palatine Joseph Charles of Sulzbach would have been the indisputable heirs to the Electorate of the Palatinate, but they all died in infancy. She was the Hereditary Princess of Sulzbach by marriage.

10. Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania (1454 - 1523)

With an HPI of 55.44, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania is the 10th most famous Polish Nobleman.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Bogislaw X of Pomerania, the Great, (3 June 1454 – 5 October 1523) was Duke of Pomerania from 1474 until his death in 1523.