Mikołaj "Czarny" Radziwiłł
| Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Mikołaj 'Czarny' Radziwiłł
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| Born |
February 4, 1515 Nesvizh (now in Belarus) |
| Died | May 28, 1565 (aged 50) Vilnius |
| Resting place | Dubingiai, Lithuania |
| Spouse(s) | Elżbieta Szydłowiecka |
| Children |
with Elżbieta Szydłowiecka: Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł Elżbieta Radziwiłł Zofia Agnieszka Radziwiłł Anna Magdalena Radziwiłł Jerzy Radziwiłł Albrycht Radziwiłł Stanisław Pius Radziwiłł Krystyna Radziwiłł |
| Parent(s) | Jan Radziwiłł Anna Kiszka |
Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł (4 February 1515 – 28 May 1565), nicknamed The Black, was a Polish-Lithuanian noble who held several administrative positions within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Voivode of Vilnius, Grand Lithuanian Chancellor, and Grand Hetman of Lithuania.
Alternate renditions of his name include Lithuanian: Mikalojus Radvila Juodasis, Belarusian: Мікалай Радзівіл Чорны, and Latin: Nicolaus Radvil. His first name is sometimes given in English as Nicholas.
Mikołaj was able to gain much political influence thanks to the romance between his cousin Barbara Radziwiłł and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Zygmunt II August. This made him one of the most powerful royal advisers. Mikolaj became Marshal of Lithuania, Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, as well as Palatine of Vilnius, gained immense wealth and became the most powerful magnate in the Commonwealth of that time.
The growing influence of the Radziwiłł family was further bolstered when, during a diplomatic mission to Charles V and Ferdinand I, he and his cousin Mikołaj the Red received a hereditary title of Prince (Reichsfürst (SRI)).
He formed an alliance with his cousin Mikołaj "the Red" Radziwiłł against other notable Lithuanian families in the rivalry for the dominant status in the Great Duchy of Lithuania. This alliance marked the formation of a dynastic-like cooperation between Radziwiłłs and showed how family interests could affect magnates' relations with the state. Both Radziwiłłs backed the cause of Lithuania's sovereignty and opposed the growing Polish-Lithuanian union.
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Wikipedia