The Gasztolds were a Polish-Lithuanian noble family, one of the most influential magnate families that achieved prominence in the 15th and 16th century. The clan owned lands east and southeast of Vilnius. According to military register from 1528, the Gasztold family controlled around 7500 villages and was able to summon 466 knights serving under it command. The name of the clan appears from the Latin original of Gastoldus, which is a variation of castaldius, suggesting that they had been close to the Grand Dukes and their function was to oversee ducal demesne. The family gained most of its power during the reign of Casimir Jagiellon. Jan Gasztold was Voivode of Vilnius and Trakai, leading also the Council of Lords which elected 13-year-old Casimir IV Jagiellon King of Poland in 1447. Marcin Gasztold was Voivode of Kiev and Voivode of Trakai. Olbracht Gasztold was Voivode of Vilnius and chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After the death of the last scion of the main family line, Stanisław Gasztold, the Polish King and Grand Duke of Lithuania Zygmunt II August inherited his possessions. The other members of Gasztold clan remained in Lithuania but lost political influence. Many members of the family took part in the November Uprising (1830–31), they bravely fought against the Russian Empire and thus were repressed by deprivation of the nobility. After the II World War most of the Gasztold family members were forced to leave their Lithuanian homeland and settled among others in Poland, Great Britain, and Canada.
Trakai Castle (2008)
Contact: przemyslaw@gasztold.com