Micha³ Hieronim Radziwi³³, of Tr±by coat of arms (1744-1831)
Marshal of the extraordinary delegation Seym in Warsaw
under the staff of the General Confederation 19 IV 1773-11 IV 1775
Swordbearer of Lithuania from 1771, Castellan of Vilna from 1775, Palatine of Vilna from 1790.
A Knight of the Order of the White Eagle(1773). A deputy
of Brest to the Seym of 1773 where the First Partition of Poland
was signed.A protégé of the Russian ambassador, O.Stackelberg,
he became the Marshal of the Chamber of Deputies (beside Adam Poninski)
holding that discreditable office till the end of the Seym.
Afterwards, he left the country avoiding a court trial.
Having returned home he did not take up any political
activity. In August 1792 he declared access to the Confederation of
Targowica and in April 1793, on its behalf, became the President
of the National Education Commission. An opportunist, miser
(he sued his son for family fortune) and a pettifogger, he was not
very popular. At Nieborów, his principal residence, he ran a model farm.
A well-known in Europe collector and connoisseur of art, the owner
of a magnificent library including a private collection of
Louis XIV. His wife, Helena of the Prze¼dzieckis, founded
of Arkadia, the most famous romantic park in Poland.
Portrait of Micha³ Hieronim Radziwi³³, XVIIIth c.
- by Anton Graff
- oil canvas; 65cm x 49cm
- The National Museum in Warsaw, Nieborów Branch (cat. no A.346)