Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł

Who was Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł?

Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł was a Polish-Lithuanian szlachcic, a Reichfürst and a politician from Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He served as the Lesser Lithuanian Chancellor from 1619, the Grand Chancellor of Lithuania and Starosta of Vilnius from 1623, was a member of the powerful Radziwiłł family, last of the Ołyka line, fourth to bear the name of Albert. During his life he was the influential politician. He was Catholic and staunch supporter of Counter-Reformation and enemy of Protestants.

He was born on July 1, 1595, in his family manor in Ołyka to Stanisław Pius Radziwiłł and Marianna née Myszka. During his life he held several important posts in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, some of them hereditary. Apart from directing his family estate in Ołyka at Wołyń, he was in charge of foreign policies and internal affairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as he held the posts Lesser Lithuanian Chancellor of Lithuania, Grand Chancellor of Lithuania and Starosta of Vilnius, as well as starosta of Kowel, Tuchola, Gniew, Pińsk, Wieluń, Dyneburg, Kobryń and Šiauliai.