Janusz Radziwiłł, czyli o odpowiedzialności polityka

Abstract

Prince Janusz Radziwiłł – the responsibility of a politician

In 1654, Moscow broke the peace treaty with the Kingdom of Poland and started military operations. Sweden followed suit in 1655. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (which had been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth since 1569), deprived of Polish aid, was unable to resist the combined forces of Moscow and the Cossacks. What’s more, the military operations were accompanied with the extermination and abduction of the population into the Muscovite state. In this situation, Lithuania decided to choose the lesser of two evils and subject itself to Sweden. The idea originated from the bishop of Vilnius, Jerzy Tyszkiewicz, but the major role in the negotiations was played by Janusz Radziwiłł (1612-1655), voivode of Vilnius and the Grand Hetman of Lithuania. As a result, he is considered a traitor in Poland. In Lithuania, he was proclaimed a hero who severed the much-criticized relationship with Poland. According to the author, the Prince did not make a choice between Poland and Sweden, but between Sweden and complete annihilation. The question to be asked is not whether the Prince’s decision was an act of betrayal (this also needs to be further specified: who did he betray? Poland? The Crown? Or also Lithuania?). One needs to ask: how should a person who feels responsible for their country have behaved when faced with such insurmountable odds?