Mikolaj Radziwill (the Black) was a political figure, a military commander, an enlightener, a leader of the Reformation movement, one of the most important representatives of the Radziwill family.
Background
M.Radziwill was born on February 4, 1515, in Nyasvizh (Minsk region, Belarus) as the son of the Troki castellan Jan Radziwill. He lost his father rather early in his life and upon the decision of the King of Poland and the Grand Prince of Lithuania Sigismund I the Old was brought up at the king’s court in Krakow.
Education
He got a home education in Krakow. He knew Belarusian and Polish as well as Latin, an international language at that time.
Career
In his youth, he took part in battles during the war between the Principality of Muscovy and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1534–1537. However, he did not make a military career, choosing political, diplomatic activities and public service instead. His abilities, good education combined with family relations and friendship with the young son of the King and the Grand Prince of Lithuania Sigismund Augustus secured M. Radziwill a brilliant career. In 1544 he headed the Council of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a supreme governing body of the state, and the Seym, a supreme legislative body. From that time on he participated in the determination of domestic and foreign policies.
He became closer to the king Sigismund II Augustus and contributed to the intrigue of Sigismund’s marriage to his cousin Barbara Radziwill. For that reason, he went to Krakow as a member of a diplomatic mission to find out the attitude of the king’s court to the love affair. In 1547, M.Radziwill carried negotiations in Vienna and Augsburg with the Habsburgs on state and private issues. The Emperor of the Holy Empire Charles V made him a prince of the Holy Roman Empire on Olyka and Nyasvizh. That strengthened further the authority of the Radziwills in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and abroad. The love affair ended up with a marriage, and the cousins Mikolaj the Black and Mikolaj the Red (the nicknames were given to them because of colors of their beards) got high positions in the state.
In M.Radziwill got in the 1550s the post of Chancellor of GDL (1550) and Governor of Vilna province (1551). Thus, Mikolaj Radziwill concentrated great power in his hands. Taking into account the fact that his cousin Mikolaj the Red was the Grand Hetman and Governor of Troki province (the second most important governor’s post in the state) one can come to a conclusion that for a certain period of time the Radziwills ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In the sphere of foreign policy, Mikolaj Radziwill followed a firm course of consolidating the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For the sake of the state’s security, he arranged to reach a union of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. At the same time, Mikolaj Radziwill developed relations with the Principality of Muscovy. In 1555, a six-year treaty of peace effective until 1562 was concluded with Ivan IV.
M.Radziwill busied himself seriously with the Baltic issue. The policy of the GDL was aimed at incorporating Livland (Livonia). In 1557, on the initiative of Mikolaj Radziwill, a treaty of mutual assistance was signed with V. Furstenberg, the grandmaster of Livonian Order. At the beginning of the Livonian War, M. Radziwill declined an offer of Ivan IV to enter into an alliance against the Crimean khanate, as he realized that the tsar wanted to distract the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from Livonia in order to conquer it. With the participation of M.Radziwill a decision was taken in Vilna to reach a closer state alliance with Livonia.
On August 31, 1559, the Vilna treaty placing the Livonian Order under the protection of Sigismund Augustus was signed and on November 28, 1561, an act on dominance by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland over Livonia was concluded, and GDL entered into the war against Russia for the control over Livonia. M. Radziwill was appointed an administrator of Livonia. In 1561, before a departure of Sigismund II Augustus for Poland Mikolaj Radziwill was appointed a representative of the Grand Prince. The contemporaries called him «the uncrowned king» of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In order to maintain public unity during the war with Ivan the Terrible, the Grand Chancellor supported the judicial and administrative reform in the GDL. It was due to his efforts that seimiks (local elected bodies) with szlahta self-government and courts, also formed of the representatives of szlahta, were established in districts. The reforms contributed to the consolidation of the feudal class and helped the state to withstand the severe years of war. The Chancellor headed the state commission on the agrarian reform in the estates, which paved the way for the «Statute for valokas» in 1557. From 1551 M.Radziwill supervised the work of the Statute Commission which elaborated the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1566.
The Chancellor supported the political alliance of the GDL with Poland, but opposed resolutely establishing federation with it and restrained the attempts to incorporate Belarus and Lithuania into Poland; he defended the independence of the GDL in difficult circumstances. That was because of his consistent stand that a new (Lublin) union was delayed for a few years.
Mikolaj Radziwill the Black died in his estate Lukishki near Vilna.
Religion
He was known for his religious beliefs, as he was one of the most prominent converts and advocates of the Reformed churches faith in Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He provided financial support for the printing of the first complete Polish translation of the Bible in 1563 in Brest-Litovsk, distributed works were written in defense of the Reformed faith, financed a church and college in Vilnius, supported educated Protestants, and in various other ways fostered the Calvinist faith. He is known to have exchanged letters with John Calvin and protected religious exiles from Italy. Because Protestants supported usage of local languages, he is also believed to have funded Lithuanian churches and schools.
With the exception of his daughter Anna, all his children converted to Roman Catholicism and became ardent supporters of the Counter-Reformation.