Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł

Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł
Ludovica Carolina Radivilia, the illustration from Icones familiae ducalis Radivilianae
Born	(1667-02-27)February 27, 1667 Königsberg, Ducal Prussia
Died	March 25, 1695(1695-03-25) (aged 28) Brzeg
Religion	Calvinist
Spouse(s)	Margrave Louis of Brandenburg Charles III Philip
Children	with Charles III Philip: Leopoldyna Eleonora of Neuberg Maria Anna of Neuberg Elizabeth Augusta Sophie of Neuberg
Parents	Bogusław Radziwiłł Anna Maria Radziwiłł

Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł (Lithuanian: Liudvika Karolina Radvilaitė) (27 February 1667 – 25 March 1695) was a magnate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and an active reformer. She carried the title of Princess.

Radziwiłł was born in Königsberg in the Duchy of Prussia. A member of the Radziwiłł family, she was the last agnatic-line member of the most prominent Calvinists of Lithuania, and a descendant of the Gediminids and Jagiellons. Radziwiłł inherited Biržai and Dubingiai from her father Bogusław Radziwiłł as his only successor. Her death in Brieg marks the end of the Biržai-Dubingiai Radziwiłł family line. She was the last Radziwiłł to own Biržai Castle and Dubingiai Castle with their lands.

Radziwiłł spent most of her life in Berlin and Königsberg, but paid much attention to her lands in the grand duchy. Like her father, she funded the issue of books in the Lithuanian language, and supported education and Calvinist parishes. She established scholarships for Lithuanian students of theology in the universities of Königsberg, Frankfurt (Oder), and Berlin. Radziwiłł financed the issue of the catechism and primer in the Lithuanian language, Pradzia pamoksla del mazu Weykialu…, which was printed in Königsberg in 1680. It was the second primer intended for schools following the Catechism by Martynas Mažvydas.

Radziwiłł was sued by King John III Sobieski for the alleged breach of the prenuptial agreement with his son, Jakub Ludwik Sobieski, with the intention to seize her estates. The case was lost, since it was proven that the agreement was falsified; its conclusion date was later than Radziwiłł's actual marriage date.^[1]

A tile with the initials of Ludwika Karolina, from Biržai Castle.

Radziwiłł first married Margrave Louis of Brandenburg, a son of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. After Louis's early death, Radziwiłł married Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine. Her heirs were born of her second marriage. Only her youngest daughter's issue survived. Kings of Bavaria and a number of other royal and princely families descend from her, including Duchess Amalie in Bavaria, who married the would-be King Mindaugas II of Lithuania, and was mother of the latter's children and descendants.

Ancestry

• Pedigree (seize quartiers) of princess Liudvika Karolina Radvilaite, Duchess of Birzhai, Dubingiai, Slutsk and Kedainiai

References

• Bogusław Radziwiłł (1979) Autobiografia. Warsaw. ISBN 83-06-00033-1.