Adam Jerzy Czartoryski

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
Czartoryski photographed by Nadar, 1861
Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire
In office
1804–1806
MonarchAlexander I of Russia
Preceded byAlexander Vorontsov
Succeeded byAndrei Budberg
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire (de facto)
In office
1804–1806
MonarchAlexander I of Russia
Preceded byAlexander Vorontsov
Succeeded byAndrei Budberg
1st President of the Polish National Government
In office
3 December 1830 – 15 August 1831
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byJan Krukowiecki
Personal details
Born14 January 1770
Warsaw, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Died15 July 1861(1861-07-15) (aged 91)
Montfermeil, France
NationalityPolish
SpouseAnna Zofia Sapieha
ChildrenWitold Czartoryski
Władysław Czartoryski
Izabella Elżbieta Czartoryska
Parent(s)Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski
Izabela Flemming
ProfessionPolitician, diplomat, author

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski[a] (14 January 1770 – 15 July 1861), in English known as Adam George Czartoryski, was a Polish nobleman, statesman, diplomat and author.

The son of a wealthy prince, he began his political career as a foreign minister to the Russian Tsar Alexander I after Poland was partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria. He later became a leader of the Polish government in exile during and after the failed 1830-31 November Uprising and a bitter opponent of Alexander's successor, Tsar Nicholas I. In exile, he advocated for the reestablishment of a sovereign Polish state, which also stimulated early Balkan and Belgian nationalism, and intensified their desire for independence.

Czartoryski was a dedicated patron of arts and greatly contributed to the Czartoryski Collection. In 1798, he purchased one of Poland's most important national treasures – Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, which he brought as a gift for his mother from Italy.
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