Ledóchowski is the name of a Ruthenian, Polish and Austrian noble family of Ruthenian origin from Volhynia. Members of the family have over the centuries distinguished themselves through services to the Catholic Church, the Austrian Crown as well as the Polish Crown.
History
The Ledóchowski family lineage begins in 1457 in the Volhynian Voivodeship of the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom, where the boyar knight Nestor Halka took the name of his estate, Ledochow, as his own. It is said that the boyar dynastic family Halka family draw their origins to the times of the Kievan Rus in 971 As direct descendants of these boyar knights, members of the Ledóchowski family bear the same Coat of Arms with the name Szalawa. Their descendance from the Halka Family was further reflected by the official Austrian title of Halka von Ledóchow Count Ledóchowski. The family was Orthodox until the 17th century. After the partition of Poland in the late 18th century, the country was carved up between Austria, Germany and Russia. Antoni Halka von Ledóchow Count Ledóchowski, also known simply as Count Antoni Halka-Ledóchowski, obtained the hereditary title of Count in Austria from Emperor Francis II on 8 May 1800. The title was confirmed in the Kingdom of Poland in 1824, and in Russia on 18 May 1845. Members of this family have distinguished themselves with their services to the:
The Historical Museum of Warsaw sponsored a temporary exhibition of the Ledóchowski family in October 2008. The Patrons of the Exhibition include Austrian President Heinz Fischer and President of PolandLech Kaczyński. Historical Documents and Portraits were lent on a temporary basis to the museum by family members living in Europe.
Present day
Members of the noble family Ledochowski currently live and flourish in Austria, Poland and the United Kingdom. There are however other thriving families carrying this name or variations thereof who are not related to this noble family. It's worth noting that peasant families who were somehow associated with the townships of Ledochow or Leduchowka may have ended up with this surname.
In Pyotr Krasnov's historical semi-biographical trilogy "From Double Eagle To the Red Flag", its hero General Sablin is a Guest at the Manor House of Count Ledokhovski. The difference in spelling can be attributed to a mis-translation of the Cyrillic spelling of the name Ledóchowski.
In Joseph Roth's historical novels dealing with the dying days of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire "The Emperor's Tomb" and "The Radetzky March". two members of the Ledóchowski family have walk on parts.
In John Gallahue's fictional account of an ill-fated clandestine operation in Soviet Russia the reader is introduced to the Jesuit General Wladimir Ledóchowski.
