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[[Category:Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences]] |
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[[Category:1680 births]] |
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Revision as of 18:58, 14 December 2025
Polish physicist
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]
