Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł

Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł

Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł (called Sierotka [dt. The orphan]; lit. Mikalojus Kristupas Radvila , dt. Nikolaus Christoph Radziwill; born August 2, 1549 in Ćmielów ; † February 28, 1616 in Neswisch ) was a high-ranking official in Poland-Lithuania . As a convert to Catholicism, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and published a report on it. He was one of the leading representatives of the Counter Reformation in Poland-Lithuania.

Life

Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł (engraving by an unknown master)

Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł was a son of Mikołaj Radziwiłł Czarny and Elżbieta nee. Szydłowiecka. He owed his nickname Sierotka to the early death of his mother († 1562) and father († 1565). In 1584 he married Elżbieta Eufemia Wiśniowiecka (1569–1596), daughter of Duke Andrzej Wiśniowiecki.

After a home education he studied in Strasbourg and Tübingen from 1563 . Then he visited various aristocratic residences and courts until 1567. He is said to have been present at the Reichstag in Augsburg and to have served Maximilian II there. In 1566 he was welcomed by Pope Pius V in Rome . He converted to Catholicism. His brothers followed suit.

He became court marshal of Lithuania in 1569. In 1575 he fell seriously ill and vowed a pilgrimage to Jerusalem . After his health improved, he took part in the war against the Russians. He was wounded during the siege of Polatsk and was later on during the siege of Pleskow . Between 1579 and 1586 he was Grand Marshal of Lithuania.

In 1582 he went on the vowed pilgrimage. From Venice he traveled by ship via Dalmatia , Crete and Cyprus to the Lebanese coast. He visited Damascus , the Sea of ​​Galilee and Jerusalem . He donated an inheritance to the monastery of the Holy Savior in Jerusalem. He then traveled to Egypt, visiting Cairo , the Pyramids and Alexandria . On the way back he was attacked by robbers and returned to Poland in 1584. Perhaps in this context he was inducted into the Order of the Holy Sepulcher by the Pope and received the title of Procurator of the Holy Land.

He was castellan of Traken from 1586 to 1590 . In 1587 he was present in the election of King Sigismund . This appointed him first to the Voivode of Traken (1590-1604) and later of Wilna (from 1604). In contrast to his cousin Janusz , who was instrumental in a dispute with the king, he remained loyal.

He wrote a report about his experiences on his pilgrimage, which later appeared in print - translated into Latin. This was printed many times. Radziwiłł also made a contribution to the cartographic representation of Lithuania. He also emerged as a client for buildings. He had his palace in Neswisch redesigned in the Renaissance style by the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni .

He pursued the Counter Reformation since 1574 with emphasis on his possessions and in his official areas. Numerous churches were withdrawn from the Protestants and given to the Catholics. He also donated various new churches. After becoming voivode in Vilnius, he closed the palace's Protestant church. The reformed printing works were also closed. He even had the Calvinist Bible published by his father collected and burned. He founded a Jesuit college in Neswisch . The associated church became the family burial place. He also supported other religious orders.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Damian J. Schwider: Mikołaj Toreński a Polish composer at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries . Munich 2006, p. 31.
2. ^ Alfons Brüning: Unio non est unitas: Poland-Lithuania path in the denominational age: (1569–1648). Wiesbaden 2008, p. 358.

Works

• Hierosolymitana peregrinatio Illustrissimi Domini Nicolai Christophori Radzivill. Digitized

literature

• Janusz A. Szteinke:  Radziwiłł, Mikołaj Krzysztof. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 1237-1239.

Web links

• Short biography