Radziwill

Radziwill is the name of one of oldest and the richest lituano-Polish houses.

It starts to appear in the history in the 14th century, and carries since 1518 the title of prince of the Saint Germanic Roman empire.

Nicolas Radziwill , first of the name, accepted the baptism in 1386 with Jagellon, large-duke of Lithuania, which, become king, created it Palatin Vilnius. While being done Christian, it took Saint Nicolas for owner and wanted that in the future all the elder ones of its house bore the name of this saint. Most famous of its descendants are:
Georges 1st , known as the Lithuanian Hercules , (1480-1541), which was victorious in thirty battles delivered to the Muscovites, to Tatares, Teutoniques. II was made in 1527 Castellan of Vilnius and in 1533 large general (Connétable). He is father of beautiful the Barbe Radziwill, which married in 1548 the king Sigismond II of Poland, and which died poisoned.
Nicolas IV , (1515-1565), palatine of Vilnius and governor of Livonie under the king Sigismond II of Poland. It announced in 1557 in a combat against the teutonic Ordre, and in 1565 against the Russians, whom it beat completely and drove out of Lithuania. It left the religion Catholique for the Protestantisme, propagated with zeal the new doctrines, establishes a famous printing works with Breescie, and translated and to print with its expenses a Polish Bible; but his/her children turned over to the catholic faith.
Charles Radziwill (1734-1790), palatine of Vilnius. Named in 1762 governor of Lithuania by the king Auguste III of Poland, it did all that was in his capacity to fight the Russian influence, but it could not prevent Stanislas Poniatowski, protected from the empress Catherine of Russia, to become king. Put out the law, he saw confiscating his immense goods, which went up to more than 5 million income. Elected official have 1767 chief of the Confederation of Bar, he wanted in vain to prevent the dismemberment of his country and expatria. He remained a long time with Paris and made build with his expenses a passage who leads Palais Royal to the Rue of Richelieu. Returned to Poland in its last years, it attended the beginnings of the Diète of Warsaw which in 1791, one year after its death, proclaimed a new constitution.
Dominique Radziwill (1787-1813), made in the capacity as Colonel the Campagne of Moscow in the French Army, was characterized by its courage and its devotion, and was wounded there mortally with the combat of Hanau: he was highly regretted of Napoleon I {{er}}, which had attached it to its person.

Source

See too

Anna Radziwiłł (1476-1522)
Lee Radziwill (1933 -), younger sister by Jacqueline Kennedy which married Radziwill
Rue Radziwill with Paris (Ier district)

Be-X-old: Радзівілы

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