Aleksander Józef Sułkowski (15 March 1695 – 21 May 1762) was a Polish general and the progenitor of the Sułkowski noble line. He was politically active in Poland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and in the Electorate of Saxony.
Alexander Joseph Sulkowski | |
|---|---|
Aleksander Józef Sułkowski | |
 | |
| Born | 15 March 1695 Kraków, Poland |
| Died | 21 May 1762 (aged 67) Leszno, Poland |
Born in Kraków, Sulkowski was a favourite protégé of king Augustus III of Poland and acted as his Minister of State in Saxony from 1733 to 1738. He was created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire in 1733, and elevated to the rank of Prince of Bielsko by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1754.[1] According to some sources, Alexander Joseph was an illegitimate son born to Elżbieta Szalewska and king Augustus II the Strong, making him Augustus III's half-brother.[1] Elżbieta's husband, Stanisław Sułkowski, gave Alexander Joseph his last name.
On 31 October 1728, Sulkowski married Baroness Marie Franciszka von Stain zu Jettingen (2 February 1712 – 16 November 1741). They had eight children. In 1743, he married Countess Anna Przebendowska (25 July 1721 – 1795), with whom he had four children. Sulkowski died 21 May 1762, aged 67, in Leszno, Poland.[citation needed]
Notable purchases edit
In 1738, Sulkowski purchased the Leszczyński estates of Rydzyna and neighboring areas, not far from Leszno. In 1752,[1][2] he purchased the Sułkowski Castle in Bielsko-Biała (in Cieszyn Silesia) and its surroundings together with goods for 600,000 florins[1] from Jan Sunnegh.
Sulkowski commissioned a large and exquisite Meissen porcelain service, made between 1735 and 1738 by famed sculptor Johann Joachim Kändler.[3] Many of the porcelain pieces featured his personal monograph and coat of arms.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Zamek Sułkowskich" [The Sułkowski Castle] (in Polish). Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved Oct 10, 2018.
- ^ "Zamek Książąt Sułkowskich – historia" [Castle of the Sułkowski Princes – history] (in Polish). Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved Oct 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "plate | British Museum". The British Museum. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.