Sapieha (Belarusian: Сапега; Lithuanian Sapiega) is a Polish princely (magnate) family of Lithuanian and Ruthenian origin, descending from the medieval boyars of Smolensk. The family acquired great influence and wealth in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 16th century.
Regarding the ancestry of the Sapieha family, the first confirmed records date back to the 15th century, when Semen Sopiha (Belarusian: Сямён Сапега) was mentioned as a writer (scribe) of the then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Casimir IV Jagiellon (Polish: Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk) for the period of 1441–49. Semen had two sons, Bohdan and Iwan.
The creator of the fortune and power of the Sapieha family was the Court and Great Chancellor and Great Hetman of Lithuania, Lew Sapieha.
On 14 September 1700, Michał Franciszek Sapieha obtained the title of Prince from Emperor Leopold I. The title became extinct upon his death on 19 November 1700. That year, the family lost its dominant position in the Grand Duchy as a result of its defeat in the Lithuanian Civil War. In 1768, members of the Sapieha family obtained recognition of the princely title from the Polish Sejm. After the partitions of Poland, the family appeared in the list of persons authorised to bear the title of Prince of the Kingdom of Poland in 1824. The title was recognised in Austria in 1836 and 1840, and in Russia in 1874 and 1901. In 1905, the family obtained the qualification of Serene Highness in Austria.
The maternal grandmother of Queen Mathilde of Belgium was a member of the house of Sapieha.
The Sapieha family used the Polish coat of arms named "Lis".
Andrzej Sapieha (1539–1621), Great Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania, castellan of Minsk, and Voivode of Polotsk and SmolenskLew Sapieha (1557–1633), Court Chancellor and Great Hetman of LithuaniaPaweł Stefan Sapieha (1565–1635), Deputy Chancellor of LithuaniaJan Piotr Sapieha (1569–1611), Polish royal officerMikołaj Sapieha (1581–1644), voivode of Minsk and of Brześć Litewski, castellan of VilniusMikołaj Sapieha (1588–1638), voivode of Minsk and of NowogródekJan Stanisław Sapieha (1589–1635), Court Marshal of Lithuania, Great Lithuanian MarshalTomasz Sapieha (1598–1646), voivode of Wenden and of NowogródekFryderyk Sapieha (1599–1650), voivode of Mścisław, podkomorzy of VitebskKazimierz Lew Sapieha (1607–1656), Marshal of the Crown, son of Lew SapiehaPaweł Jan Sapieha (1609–1665), voivode of the Witebsk and Vilnius, Great Hetman of LithuaniaMikołaj Krzysztof Sapieha (1613–1639), voivode of MinskJan Kazimierz Sapieha the Younger, (ca. 1642–1720), Field HetmanMichał Franciszek Sapieha (1670–1700), General, KoniuszyJan Kazimierz Sapieha the Elder (?–1730), Grand Hetman of LithuaniaJan Fryderyk Sapieha (1680–1751), Grand Recorder of LithuaniaTeresa Sapieha (died c.1784), wife of Hieronim Florian Radziwiłł and Joachim Karol PotockiAleksander Michał Sapieha (1730–1793), voivode of Płock, Field Lithuanian Hetman, Grand Lithuanian Chancellor, marshal of the Lithuanian TribunalKazimierz Nestor Sapieha (1757–1798), political activist, generalFranciszek Sapieha (1772–1829), general, he participated in the Kosciuszko uprisingEustachy Kajetan Sapieha (1797–1860), he participated in the November uprising, politically tied with the "Hôtel Lambert"Anna Zofia Sapieha (1799–1864), wife of Adam Jerzy CzartoryskiLeon Sapieha (1803–1878), political and economic activistWładysław Leon Sapieha (1853–1920), landowner, social activistPaweł Sapieha (1860–1934), traveler, first chairman of the Polish Red CrossAdam Stefan Sapieha (1867–1951), cardinal, archbishop of KrakówEustachy Sapieha (1881–1963), politician, Polish Minister of Foreign AffairsLeon Aleksander Sapieha (1883–1944), landlord, member of the Sejm, member of Związek Walki Zbrojnej and the Armia KrajowaJózef Sapieha, he participated in the Polish–Soviet WarAleksander Sapieha (1888–1976), aviatorAdam Zygmunt Sapieha (1892–1970), cavalryman, aviatorAndrzej Józef Sapieha (1894–1945), he participated in the Polish–Soviet War, member of the Armia KrajowaStanisław Sapieha (1896–1919), defender of LwówPaweł Maria Sapieha (1900–1987), he participated in the Polish–Soviet WarJan Andrzej Sapieha (1910–1989), he participated in the Defence War of 1939Maria Sapieha (1910–2009), social activistLew Jerzy Sapieha (1913–1990), poet, writerLeon Roman Sapieha (1915–1940), pilot of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain in World War IIEustachy Seweryn Sapieha (1916–2004), hunter, historian of the Sapieha familyZofia Maria Sapieha (1919–1997), grandmother of HM Queen Mathilde of BelgiumKarol Władysław Sapieha (1920–1941), pilot of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain in World War IIRóża Maria Sapieha (1921–1944), member of the Armia Krajowa, she participated in the Warsaw uprising of 1944Paola Maria de Bourbon-Orléans Braganza and Sapieha (1983), Princess Sapieha-Rozanski and Princess Swiatopolk-CzetwertynskiJan Pavel Sapieha-Rozanski (1935) Prince Sapieha-Rozanski
