Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł

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For other people with the name of Mikolaj Radziwiłł, see Mikołaj Radziwiłł.

Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł
Noble Family	Radziwiłł
Coat of Arms	Trąby
Parents	Mikołaj 'Czarny' Radziwiłł Elżbieta Szydłowiecka
Consorts	Halaszka Eufemia Wiśniowiecka
Children	with Halaszka Eufemia Wiśniowiecka Jan Jerzy Radziwiłł Albrycht Władysław Radziwiłł Zygmunt Karol Radziwiłł Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł Elżbieta Radziwiłł
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).

Ordynat of Nieśwież since 1586. Court Marshal of Lithuania since 1569, Grand Marshal of Lithuania since 1579, castellan of Trakai since 1586, voivode of Troki Voivodship since 1590, voivode of Wilno Voivodship since 1604 and Starost of Šiauliai. Since the treaty at Vienna in 1515 all Radziwills were Imperial Princes and as Nicolaus Christopher Radziwill he held a position as Imperial Prince of the Holy Roman Empire as shown on his portrait.

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 loayl 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

1. 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.

Grand Marshals of Lithuania of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Stanisław Czupuruna | Rumbold Wolimuntowicz | Radziwiłł Ościkowicz | Piotr Montygerdowicz | Marcin Gesztołd | Bohdan Andrzej Sakowicz | Piotr Jan Montygerdowicz | Jan Jurjewicz Zabrzeziński | Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł | Mikołaj Jan Kiezgajło | Stanislaw Piotr Kiszka | Jan Mikolaj Radziwill | Jan Zabrzezinski | Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł | Jan Hieronim Chodkiewicz | Mikołaj "the Orphan" Radziwiłł | Albrycht Radziwiłł | Stanisław Radziwiłł | Krzysztof Monwind Drohostajski | Piotr Wiesiołowski | Jan Stanisław Sapieha | Krzysztof Wiesiołowski | Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł | Krzysztof Zawisza | Aleksander Hilary Polubinski | Stanislaw Kazimierz Radziwill | Jan Karol Dolski | Janusz Antoni Wisniowiecki | Aleksander Pawel Sapieha | Kazimierz Antoni Sanguszko | Marcjan Dominik Wollowicz | Aleksander Pawel Sapieha | Pawel Karol Sanguszko | Ignacy Oginski | Jozef Paulin Sanguszko | Wladyslaw Roch Gurowski | Roman Ignacy Potocki | Ludwik Skumin Tyszkiewicz

Court Marshals of Lithuania of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Michał Gliński | Jerzy Iwan Ilinicz | Jerzy Mikołaj Radziwiłł | Iwan Hornostaj | Ostafi Wołłowicz | Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł | Albrycht Radziwiłł | Mikołaj Talwosz | Krzysztof Monwind Drohostajski | Piotr Wiesiołowski | Jan Stanisław Sapieha | Krzysztof Wiesiołowski | Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł | Kazimierz Leon Sapieha | Antoni Jan Tyszkiewicz | Krzysztof Zawisza | Teodor Aleksander Lacki | Józef Bogusław Słuszka | Jan Karol Dolski | Aleksander Paweł Sapieha | Kazimierz Michał Pac | Janusz Antoni Wiśniowiecki | Józef Wandalin Mniszek | Kazimierz Michał Pac | Paweł Karol Sapieha | Michał "Rybeńko" Radziwiłł | Ignacy Anicenta Kieżgajło Zawisza | Ferdynand Fabian Plater | Józef Scipo del Campio | Ignacy Ogiński | Janusz Aleksander Sanguszko | Józef Paulin Sanguszko | Władysław Roch Gurowski | Michał Jerzy Mniszech | Roman Ignacy Potocki | Stanisław Pereświet Sołtan | Michał Gielgud