Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł

Prince Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł

Coat of arms of the Radziwiłł house, Trąby coat of arms

Prince Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł (Lithuanian: Karolis Stanislovas Radvila; born February 27, 1734 in Nieśwież ; † November 21, 1790 in Biała Podlaska ) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, voivode of Vilna and Starost of Lemberg . It is also referred to by many as " Panie Kochanku " (German: "My dear Lord") to distinguish it from its former namesake.

Life

Radziwiłł held many posts in Poland-Lithuania . From 1752 he was sword bearer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Polish: Miecznik litewski ). On August 3, 1757, he was one of the first people ever to be awarded the Order of the White Eagle . He ruled the Vilnius Voivodeship as a voivode from 1762.

In 1767 he became Marshal General of the Radom Confederation and Marshal of the Bar Confederation the following year. After their defeat he emigrated in 1772, but returned to Poland in 1777 to take up all the posts he had already held before his emigration, after he swore his allegiance to King Stanisław August Poniatowski .

During the “ Four Years Sejm ” (1788 to 1792) he was the leading opponent against reforms, King Stanisław August and the so-called Familia . Radziwiłł was probably the richest magnate in Poland in the second half of the 18th century and one of the richest men in Europe. His possessions included 16 cities, 683 villages and 25 counties . Many legends spread about him and even appeared in novels and poems. In some he was portrayed as a drunkard and depraved person, in others as a flamboyant personality, an outstanding representative of Sarmatism and a great patriot. It was very popular with the Szlachta and remains a symbol of its era to this day.

literature

• Józef Grajnert, Książę Karol Radziwiłł 'Panie Kochanku'. Opowiadanie na tle dziejów naszych ubiegłego stulecia przez Józefa Grajnerta , Poznań: Leitgeber, 1914
• Dionizy Sidorski, "Panie kochanku". Karol Radziwiłł , Katowice 1987

Individual evidence

• Radziwiłł, Karol Stanisław 'Panie Kochanku' ( Karol Stanisław 'My dear Lord' Radziwiłł ), Encyklopedia Polski (Encyclopedia of Poland), Cracow, Ryszard Kluszczyński Publishing House, 1996, ISBN 83-86328-60-6 , p. 564.