The House of Radziwiłł (; ; ; ) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian origin, and one of the most powerful magnate families originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. Part of the representatives of the Radziwiłł family were known for their persistent and consistent struggle for the independence of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and for their crucial role in preserving the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a separate state in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The family was founded by Radvila Astikas, but over time it split into many branches, such as the Biržai-Dubingiai and Goniądz-Meteliai lines. However, most of the branches became extinct by the 18th century, with only the Nesvizh-Kleck-Ołyka line surviving to this day. Their descendants were highly prominent for centuries, first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Prussia. The family produced many individuals notable in Lithuanian, Polish, Belarusian, German as well as general European history and culture.Short history of the Radziwill Family Many members of the Radziwiłł family served in high-ranking officers positions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (e.g. 13 were Voivodes of Vilnius, the capital city, 10 were Castellans of Vilnius, seven were Grand Chancellors of Lithuania, nine were Grand Marshals of Lithuania, seven were Grand Hetmans of Lithuania, etc.). The Radziwiłł family received the title of Reichsfürst (prince) from the Holy Roman Emperor in the early 16th-century and were the first nobles in Lithuania and Poland who received this title.
The last patrilineal member of the Radziwiłł family who lived in Lithuania was Konstantinas Radvila, an owner of the Taujėnai Manor, however after the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940 he was arrested by the NKVD and deported from Lithuania to the Uzbek SSR in 1941 where he died in ~1945.
The Nesvizh Castle complex, maintained by the family between the 16th century and 1939, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Name and origin
The Radziwiłł family is a directly descended branch of the extinct Lithuanian noble Astikai family line. Its first notable member, Kristinas Astikas (born 1363), a close associate of the Lithuanian ruler Vytautas, became Castellan of Vilnius. The patronym Radvila arose following its use by his son Radvila Astikas and grandson Mikalojus Radvila the Old. A legendary version of the patronym's etymology associates it with a child found by krivis Lizdeika in a wolf's den (rado vilko... = "found wolf's...", implying "rado vilko vaikas" = "found wolf's child"). The Polish forms Radziwiłł or Radźwił (patronymics Radziwiłłowic(z), Radźwiłowic(z)) may come from the originally Belarusian Radzivil, i.e. a derivative of il from the base Radziv-, derived from a shortened form of the name Radzivón (with a v removing the hiatus from the church Rodi.ón, similarly to Larivón from Lari.ón (Ilarión) or Ljavónt from (Le.ón), and similarly to Stanil from Stanislav. They would have been adopted into Lithuanian as Radzivìlas, Radzvilà.Wojciech Smoczyński, Nazwy osobowe „litewskie”, [w:] Aleksandra Cieślikowa (red.), Słownik etymologiczno-motywacyjny staropolskich nazw osobowych. Część 7: Suplement. Rozwiązanie licznych zagadek staropolskiej antroponimii, Kraków 2002, s. 25.
The family descends from Lithuanian bajorai-ducal courtiers who advanced considerably in the 15th-century politics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Along with possessions of land near Kernavė, the family's traced place of origin, the Radziwiłł family also inherited the Trąby coat of arms.
Three of the sons of Mikalojus Radvila the Old, Mikołaj, Jan, and Jerzy, went on to become the progenitors of the three known Radziwiłł family lines. His daughter Anna was the great-grandmother of Elizabeth Báthory.
The Radziwiłł family divided by branch: the Goniądz - Meteliai line the Biržai - Dubingiai line the Nieśwież (Nesvizh) – Kleck (Kletsk) – Ołyka line
The Goniądz-Meteliai line became extinct by the next generation as Mikołaj's descendants consisted of one male heir, Mikołaj III, who entered the priesthood and became the Bishop of Samogitia, thus bearing no known offspring to extend the line.
The Biržai-Dubingiai line was moderately more successful and produced some very notable state officials and politicians, but it also became extinct after Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł's death in 1695.
The Nesvizh-Kletsk-Olyka line was the most successful and was further divided into smaller family lines to maintain clarity and specificity of descent and the passing of titles. Since the 18th century, all Radziwiłł family members have been descendants of this line. Three sons of Mikołaj "the Black", Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan", Albrycht, and Stanisław "the Pious", are said to be the progenitors of the three smaller branches. The branches are as follows:
the Nesvizh line the older Kletsk line the Olyka line
Possibly both the Olyka and older Kletsk lines became extinct, the former in 1656 and the latter in 1690. The direct descendant of the Nesvizh line, Dominik Hieronim's son, Aleksander Dominik, was born before his parents' marriage and formed the so-called Galician branch, which went extinct in 1938.
The younger Kletsk line descends from Michał Hieronim, continued through his son Ludwik Mikolaj. The descendants of his other son, Antoni Henryk, formed the beginning of the so-called Ordynant branch. Other than the Ordynant branch, from the younger Kletsk line also descends the lesser titled branches of Szydłowiec and Połoneczka, as well as Dziatłava, Berdychiv, and Żyrmunów. The younger Kletsk line has continued into the present day.
the Nesvizh line the Galician line the younger Kletsk line the Ordynant line the Szydłowiec-Połoneczka line the Dziatłava-Berdychiv-Żyrmunów line
Coat of arms and motto
Kristinas Astikas, ancestor of the Radziwiłł family, was among these who were granted and adopted the emblem known as Trąby after the Union of Horodło in 1413. This emblem later became the hereditary coat of arms of the Radziwiłłs.
In 1518, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I created Mikalojus Radvila's son, Mikołaj, Reichsfürst ("Imperial Prince") of Goniądz and Meteliai after the Jagiellonian-Habsburg congress at Vienna. Mikołaj Radziwiłł also received an expanded, more solemn coat of arms: as princes of the Holy Roman Empire, the Radziwiłłs bore a black eagle, on whose breast is a shield with Trąby and other emblems. The family motto is "God advises us"National History and Culture Museum-Reserve "Nyasvizh". The history of the Radzivills’ family. Retrieved on 5 April 2015 (Polish: Bóg nam radzi, Belarusian: Бог нам раіць, Boh nam rajić).
In 1547, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, created Mikołaj "the Black" and his brother, Jan, hereditary Reichsfürsten of Nesvizh and Olyka; their cousin Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł was created Reichsfürst of Biržai and Dubingiai. The same year King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland married Barbara Radziwiłł and confirmed these titles in 1549. So high a title was rare among the szlachta (the Polish nobility): just five Polish families, including the Radziwiłłs, received the title of imperial prince from the Holy Roman emperor.Polish Genealogical Society of America. The Titled Families of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Retrieved on 15 October 2007
Religion
The Radziwiłł family also divided on religious grounds. Following the Protestant and Polish Reformation, two branches converted to Calvinism. Some members of the Nesvizh–Kletsk-Olyka branch of family remained as Calvinists for two generations until the children of Mikołaj "the Black" converted to Roman Catholicism before the end of the century. The Biržai-Dubingiai line remained in the Protestant faith until the extinction of their line one century later.
Queen Barbara Radziwiłł, sister of Mikołaj "the Red" and first cousin of Mikołaj "the Black", was a practicing Catholic and hence, despite controversy surrounding her secret wedding with the King, she was recognized by popes Paul III and Julius III as the legitimate royal wife and Queen of Poland. Nevertheless, Barbara apparently was tolerant towards different nominations, as she is not known to be conflicted with her brother or non-catholic members of her royal court because of their religious nomination.Kuchowicz, Zbigniew (1989). Barbara Radziwiłłówna (in Polish) (4th ed.). Wydawnictwo Łódzkie. p. 49. .
Both Mikołaj "the Black" and Mikołaj "the Red" were zealous promoters and active participants of the Protestant religion within the GDL. Mikołaj "the Black" funded the printing of a second version, and first completed, Polish translation of a Protestant Bible, titled the "Radziwiłł Bible" (also known as "Biblia Brzeska"), which was published in the town of Brest in 1564. His death in 1565 was seen as a severe loss to the Protestant cause in Lithuania. However, Mikołaj "the Red" continued his cousin's work by founding and endowing land to several churches and schools.
Politics
Several prominent family members have been involved in the domestic and foreign political arenas. They took an active part in the political life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its importance is manifested by family relations with such famous nobility dynasties in Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, the Great Duchy of Lithuania, Samogitia, and Rus like Zaslawski, Rohatinski, Lukomski, and Olshanski-Dobrowicki. The Radziwiłł family joined the rest of the nobility as the state's elite after the signing of the Union of Krewo in 1385.
The significance of the Radziwiłł family is proved by the marriage of Anna to Konrad III Rudy, duke of Masovia, who owned the largest Polish principality.
In 1547 Barbara Radziwiłł was married in secret to Sigismund II Augustus, thus legally becoming royal consort; she was officially proclaimed Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania the next year.Besala, Jerzy (2015). Zygmunt August i jego żony. Studium historyczno-obyczajowe (in Polish) (1st ed.). Zysk i S-ka. p. 230. . Although the marriage caused scandal within the country as it was performed without informing Polish nobles, the royal couple was supported by the Papal Curia,Januszek-Sieradzka, Agnieszka (2017). Królowa Barbara Radziwiłłówna w dworskim mikroświecie (in Polish). KUL. pp. 154–156. . as well by the Radziwiłł family's ally and the King's former father-in-law, Ferdinand Habsburg.Kuchowicz, Zbigniew (1989). Barbara Radziwiłłówna (in Polish) (4th ed.). Wydawnictwo Łódzkie. p. 160. . Barbara was crowned in 1550.Kuchowicz, Zbigniew (1989). Barbara Radziwiłłówna (in Polish) (4th ed.). Wydawnictwo Łódzkie. p. 166. . Some Polish nobles opposed the idea of Sigismund and Barbara's child inheriting the Polish throne in the future, because of disdain towards the Radziwiłł's family further elevation,Besala, Jerzy (2015). Zygmunt August i jego żony. Studium historyczno-obyczajowe (in Polish) (1st ed.). Zysk i S-ka. p. 278. . however Barbara presumably miscarried twice during her marriage with the King, and died in 1551 without having surviving children.
Later the Radziwiłłs established family relations not only with the most important families of the Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian magnate families like Sanguszko, Sapieha or Chodkiewicz, but also with members of royal families like Wiśniowiecki, Sobieski, and Leszczyński.
The political position of the Radziwiłłs was enhanced in the 16th century. In 1515, Mikołaj, as a member of a delegation, headed by King Sigismund I the Old took part in the First Congress of Vienna in Pressburg and Vienna where Emperor Maximilian I met the kings of Poland, Hungary and Bohemia. Additionally, Mikolaj "the Black" was the deputy to the Grand Prince when the latter was abroad. From that time on, the Radziwiłłs were also granted the privilege of keeping legal acts and other state documents in Nesvizh.