Jan Stefan Ligenza Kurdwanowski

Jan Stefan Ligenza Kurdwanowski (also Jan Szczepan Kurdwanowski; 1680–1780) was a Polish physicist, member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences and military officer. A contributor to Encyclopédie, he served as a courtier to king Stanisław Leszczyński and his wife.

Biography

Kurdwanowski was born 26 December 1680 in his family's manor in Radzanów, to a Polish gentry family.[1] His father held the title of łowczy at the Polish court.[1] Kurdwanowski himself was also attached to the King of Poland Stanislas Leszczyński, and held the title of gentleman of the bedchamber.[2][3][4]

He was also an elected member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences since 28 June 1753.[1][2][3] While not a member of the Société des gens de lettres, Kurdwanowski contributed an article on Piles (heaps of objects) to the Encyclopédie.[2][3] His article explained a simple method of counting round, piled objects such as cannonballs.[1] His article was then further expanded by Louis de Jaucourt and Guillaume Le Blond.[5] He was one of two Polish contributors to that encyclopaedia, the other being prince Michał Kazimierz Ogiński who wrote the article on Lyre.[2]

When king Stanislas assumed the throne of Lorraine and Bar, Kurdwanowski followed him to France and remained his courtier there and later of his wife, queen Catherine Opalińska.[1][6] His wife was Zofia Salomea née Miłkowska.[6]

Later in his life he joined the French Royal Army in the rank of captain and commander of a battalion of infantry.[1] With time he rose through the ranks and was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] He died 21 June 1780 in Lunéville, aged 99.[1]

References
  1. Kafker, Frank A. "Notices sur les auteurs des dix-sept volumes de " discours " de l'Encyclopédie". Recherches sur Diderot et sur l'Encyclopédie (in French). 7 (1): 44.
  2. Lough, John (1989). The Encyclopédie (reprinted ed.). Geneve: Slatkine. p. 53. ISBN 2-05-101046-3.
  3. Gaber, Stéphane (1981). "Un Polonais de l'entourage de Stanislas, collaborateur à l'Encyclopédie: Jean-Etienne Kurdwanowski (1680-1780)". Le Pays Lorrain (in French). Société d'Archéologie Lorraine. 62 (4): 276–279. ISSN 0031-3394. OCLC 643283430.
  4. Gaber, Stefan (2001). "Dworzanin Stanisława współpracownikiem "Encyklopedii": Jan Kurdwanowski (1680-1780)". Biuletyn Instytutu Filozoficzno-Historycznego WSP w Częstochowie (in Polish). Kraków: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. 2001 (28): 90–98.
  5. Ligęza Kurdwanowski, Jan Stephan (1751). "PILE". L’Encyclopédie (in French). Vol. 12 (I ed.). pp. 618–620. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  6. Durbas, Małgorzata (2010). "Emigracja polska we Francji związana z dworem króla Stanisława Leszczyńskiego w Lunéville". Prace Naukowe Akademii im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie; Zeszyty Historyczne (in Polish). Częstochowa: Wydawnictwo im. Stanisława Podobińskiego Akademii im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie. 11: 243–256. ISBN 978-83-7455-193-9. ISSN 1898-4630. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
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