House of Sobieski

The House of Sobieski (plural: Sobiescy, feminine form: Sobieska) was a prominent magnate family of Polish nobility in the 16th and 17th centuries, from which the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jan III Sobieski originated.

According to the family's legend, it traced its lineage to a Polish duke, Leszek II the Black.

Another family legend said that they were the descendants of Duke Sobiesław, the son of Leszko III, a legendary ruler of the Popielids dynasty.

The family reached the height of its power and importance in the late 16th and 17th centuries, when one of its members was elected King of Poland: John III Sobieski (Jan III Sobieski).

According to an alternative version provided by the 18th century chronicle writer Samiilo Velychko, Sobieskis originated from local boyar Sobko from Galicia (Halych region) who converted into the Roman Catholicism.

Apotheosis of John III Sobieski surrounded by his family.
John III Sobieski, the victor of the Battle of Vienna .
John III Sobieski, the victor of the Battle of Chocim .
Scutum Sobiescianum , a constellation created by Jan Heweliusz to commemorate the victory of the Polish forces led by King John III in the Battle of Vienna.