The conflict between Zygmunt III and Krzysztof Radziwiłł and a military activity in Livonia (Inflanty)

Abstract

Krzysztof Radziwiłł (1547–1603), called „Piorun” (Eng. „Th underbolt”) was one of the key magnates of the second half of XVI and the beginning of XVII century. He started his policital career as the voivod of Vilnus (the highest secular senator office in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) and the great general (hetman) of Lithuania. In 1587, while the prince of Sweden, Zygmut Waza was ascending to the throne, everything pointed to the fact that Krzysztof Radziwiłł will be one of his closest collaborators in Lithuania. Yet, the politics of Zygmunt III lead to various conflicts between the king, the nobility and the aristocracy. The conflict between Zygmunt III and Krzysztof Radziwiłł was one of the essential personal feuds, since it lasted for over 16 years of this king’s reign. The very start of this feud can be found few months after the coronation of Zygmunt III, and it was the death of Lithuanian magnate in 1603 that put end to it. The time of war over Livonia (Infl anty) in 1600-1602 is the crowning moment of the abovementioned conflict. Their feud took dangerous character, when the Republic of Poland was in danger and it turned out that the king and the hetman could not work together. As the outcomes of this conflict, Swedish army took over nearly all Inflanty and became a threat to Lithuania. According to the king and the nobility, Krzysztof Radziwiłł was the main person to blame. Yet, many facts suggest that, in fact, the hetman of Lithuania was the victim of both senators and royal court’s propaganda. The aim of the article is the attempt to assess the military activity of the voivod of Vilnus in Inflanty and to confront it with the opinions and the relations between Radziwiłł and the king at that particular times.