Michał Radziwiłł Rudy
| Michał Radziwiłł Rudy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michał Władysław Karol Jan Alojzy Wilhelm Edmund Robert Michał Radziwiłł 8 February 1870 Berlin |
| Died | 6 October 1955 (aged 85) Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Nikołajewna de Bernardaky Maria Henrietta Martinez de Medinilla de Santa-Susana Harriet Dawson |
| Children | Antoni Radziwiłł Leontyna Radziwiłł zam. hr. Skórzewska |
| Parent(s) |
Ferdynand Radziwiłł Pelagia Sapieha |
Michał Radziwiłł Rudy (8 February 1870 – 6 October 1955 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife) was a nobleman and diplomat.
He was born to Ferdynand Radziwiłł and Pelagia Sapieha on 8 February 1870 in Berlin. His great-grandfather was Prince Anton Radziwill and his great-grandmother was Princess Louise of Prussia (1770–1836). He was a member of the Prussian branch of the Radziwiłł family. The nickname "Rudy", or "Red", was a reference to the color of his hair. His friends also called him "Munio", while his relatives often referred to him as just "the Renegade" or "the Degenerate". As a count (Hrabia) whose property was based around the village of Antonin he was also known, especially locally, as the "Maharaja of Antonin (the Olyka ordynacja), ", due to his luxurious and excessive lifestyle.
He attained degrees in law and philosophy and worked as a diplomat in the embassy of the Russian Empire in Paris. He also served as a lieutenant colonel in the German and as a major in the British armies. He was involved in several major scandals which led to him being disowned by some members of his family.
He served as a diplomat in Russian service until the Russian Revolution in 1917, reputedly speaking eight languages. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the German army and as a major in the British army. He returned to the Second Polish Republic in 1926, assuming Polish citizenship that year.
His activities were a constant source of gossip for the interwar Polish and international press. After he was disinherited by his father, he tried to get back several properties through the Russian government (at that time, those properties were part of the Russian partition). Increasingly distanced from his family, at one point he sued his own father. He retained the Przygodzice ordynacja, which he brought to the brink of bankruptcy. He closed a family chapel in Antonin, causing a scandal when he attempted to remove some of his ancestors from their burial places in the chapel. Involved in numerous extramarital affairs, once he punched his first wife, throwing her out of a speeding car. One of his cousins, Krzysztof Radziwiłł, in his memoirs described him as a psychopath; many members of the family referred to him as "degenerate".
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