At the crossroads of politics: Janusz Radziwiłł and the union of Kėdainiai vs Sweden of 1655

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34680/Caurus-2025-4(1)-37-45

Keywords:

the Swedish Deluge, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Russian state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the union of Kėdainiai, war, diplomacy

Abstract

In this article we bring in focus the position and actions of one of the most controversial politicians of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania Janusz Radziwiłł, during the signing of the Union of Kaidai between Sweden and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1655. Based on the analysis of events, the author comes to the conclusion that internal and external factors had a practically equal impact on the behavior of magnates and gentry in the part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania captured by the Swede. Janusz Radziwiłł acted in accordance with the traditional aspirations of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s elite for equality with the Polish nobility and the preservation of their privileges. Confronted with a challenging international situation marked by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s military conflicts with Sweden and Muscovy, he faced a difficult dilemma in choosing a political course. This talented politician and leader defended his political and religious values, but his unbridled ambitions and explosive character pushed him to controversial actions Had the Kėdainiai Union actually come into force, it would have annulled one of the greatest state formations and achievements in international law in early modern European history – the Polish-Lithuanian Union. This act was illegal from the standpoint of the legal norms in force in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as it was concluded without the knowledge or consent of the Polish Sejm. This was understood by those Lithuanian magnates and subjects who opposed the Union of Kaidai. Amid the crisis in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the upheaval of the Swedish Deluge, the Lithuanian elite’s long-standing aspiration for equal rights with the Polish Crown became more pronounced. This aspiration was reflected in their political maneuvering between the Swedish and Russian sides, shaped by the region’s confessional and economic circumstances.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

L. I. Ivonina , Smolensk State University, Smolensk, Russia

Dr. Sci. in History, Professor of the Department of Universal History
e-mail: ivonins@rambler.ru

 

References

Bobyatyn'skii, K. (2011). Letters of Janusz Radziwiłł to King John II Casimir about the Battles with Russian Troops in Lithuania (February-April 1655). Edinorog: Materials on the Military History of Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. Issue 2 (pp. 260–290). Moscow: Kvadriga Publ. (In Russian).

Florya, B. N. (2010). The Russian State and Its Western Neighbors (1655–1661). Moscow: Indrik Publ. (In Russian).

Frost, R. (2000). The Northern Wars. War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe 1558–1721. Harlow: Longman Publ.

Konopczyński, W., & Lepszy, K. (Eds.). (1935). Akta ugody kiejdańskiej 1655 roku. Wilno Publ. (In Polish).

Kotljarchuk, A. (2006). In the Shadows of Poland and Russia. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Sweden in the European Crisis of the mid-17th Century. Södertörns högskola Publ.

Kubala, L. (1913). Wojnaszwecka w roku 1655 i 1656. Lwów, Warszawa, Poznań: H. Altenberg, G. Seyfarth,
E. Wende i Spółka Publ.

Rachuba, A. (1997). Sprawa dóbr Radziwiááów BirĪaĔskich w latach 1655–1662. Miscellanea Historico-Archivistica, 7, 51–70. (In Polish).

Radziwill, B. (1979). Autobiografia (1620–1667). Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy Publ. (In Polish).

Rudawski, L. J. (1754). Historiarum Poloniae ab excess Vladislai IV ad pacem oliviensem usque, libri novem. Varsovia. (In Latin).

Senkevich, H. (2018). The Deluge: in 2 vols. St. Petersburg: Azbuka Publ. (In Russian).

Zaborovskii, L. V. (1981). Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Sweden in the Mid-17th Century: From the History of International Relations in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Moscow: Nauka Publ. (In Russian).

Downloads


##article.numberofviews## 0

Published

2025-03-28

How to Cite

Ivonina , L. I. (2025). At the crossroads of politics: Janusz Radziwiłł and the union of Kėdainiai vs Sweden of 1655. Caurus, 4(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.34680/Caurus-2025-4(1)-37-45

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Caurus

Section

Articles