Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł
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- For other people with the name of Mikolaj Radziwiłł, see Mikołaj Radziwiłł.
| Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł | ||
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| Noble Family | Radziwiłł | |
| Coat of Arms | Trąby  |
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| Parents | Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł Elżbieta Szydłowiecka |
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| Consorts | Halaszka Eufemia Wiśniowiecka | |
| Children | with Halaszka Eufemia Wiśniowiecka Jan Jerzy Radziwiłł Albrycht Władysław Radziwiłł Zygmunt Karol Radziwiłł Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł Elżbieta Radziwiłł |
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| Date of Birth | August 2, 1549 | |
| Place of Birth | Czernielów | |
| Date of Death | February 28, 1616 | |
| Place of Death | Nieśwież | |
Prince1 Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł aka "Sierotka" (The Orphan) (1549-1616) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble (szlachcic).
He was Ordynat of Nieśwież from 1586. He was also Court Marshal of Lithuania from 1569, Grand Marshal of Lithuania from 1579, castellan of Trakai from 1586, voivode of Trakai Voivodship from 1590, voivode of Vilnius Voivodship from1604 and Starost of Šiauliai. After the treaty at Vienna in 1515 all Radziwills were Imperial Princes and he held a position as Imperial Prince of the Holy Roman Empire.
He married Halaszka Eufemia Wiśniowiecka on November 24, 1584.
He took part in the campaign against Muscovites. Unlike many other members of Radziwiłł family he tried to stay away from politics, especially from the dynastic clan politics of some of other Radziwiłłs like Janusz Radziwiłł and supported the forces loyal to the king and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Rokosz Zebrzydowskiego, a szlachta's confederatio threatening the king. He is credited with trying to persuade the confederates to surrender their arms.
Like other Radziwiłłs, he looked after the interests of his family. For example, he gained royal pardon for his cousin Janusz, one of the organisers of the Rokosz. However, Mikolaj Krzysztof refused to support Krzysztof 'Piorun' Radziwiłł in the feud with another magnatial family, which threatened to develop into a bloody civil war in Lithuania.
Mikołaj became famous for a vivid account of his eventful pilgrimage to the Holy Land published in 1601. During his voyage he visited not only Palestine, but also Syria, Egypt, Crete and Greece. He converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, as later did his other brothers.
He was also known for his cultural and charity sponsorships. He was a founder of many castles, cloisters, hospitals and churches, of which the most splendid was the Jesuit church in Nieśwież. One of the chapels in this church became the family's mausoleum for the next two hundred and fifty years. For his son, Zygmunt Karol, a Confrere of the Knights Hospitallers, he found a Commanderie in Stwolowicze. In Nieśwież, which became his seat, he built a castle where he established a library and a gallery of the family portraits. Because of these works, he attracted many skillful artisans and tradesmen into his estate.
[edit] Note
- Although titles like prince could not be granted by kings of the Commonwealth to the egalitarian szlachta, Radziwiłł family received the title of a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and the imperial standing from emperor Maximilian I.
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