Giedroyć


Giedroyć is a Polish surname, originating from the Giedroyć princely family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Overview

The Second and Third Editions of the Lithuanian Chronicle relate that Giedrius, a brother of Grand Duke Traidenis of Lithuania, 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 descend from Prince Aleksander and Prince Bartłomiej.
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 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.

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 to the arms Hippocentaurus "as used by his illustrious grandfather" Ginwill.
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 continued to use the rose alone. But the centaur predominates in all the 19th century Russian records, even for the descendants of Mikołaj.
At the English College of Arms, the arms of Michal Giedroyc include both the rose and the centaur 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.

Notable people

Early bearers of the Giedroyć name included:
Other distinguished members of the two main lines of the family included:
Current members of the family include:
Bearers of the name Guedroitz include: