- The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł.
Duke Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (1775-1833) was a Polish noble, musician, politician and the Governor of Grand Duchy of Poznań.
Biography
Antoni Radziwiłł was born on June 13, 1775 in Berlin to Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł and Helena nee Przeździecka. In 1796 he married Louise von Hohenzollern, the sister-in-law of king of Prussia Frederick the Great. His new family convinced him that he should be a mediator between the Poles under Partitions and the Prussian authorities in Berlin. During the Napoleon's campaign in Poland in 1806 he tried to incite a Polish uprising against the French army and tried to convince Prince Józef Poniatowski to abandon his French allies and join the cause of Russia and Prussia. He failed on both occasions.
In 1815 he was sent to Poznań as the Governor of Grand Duchy of Poznań. Struggling between his Polish subjects and the Prussian authorities, Radziwiłł found himself with little power. He unsuccessfully tried to oppose the Germanisation campaign started by the Prussians. Shortly after the outbreak of the November Uprising he was deprived of all the powers and the Grand Duchy was abolished and its autonomy was cancelled. It was directly incorporated into Prussia and renamed to Province of Posen. Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł returned to his palace in Berlin, where he died on April 7, 1833. His children with Louise were germanised and never returned to Poznań.
Antoni Radziwiłł is better known for his art patronage than for his ill-fated political career. His palaces in Berlin, Poznań and Antonin near Ostrów Wielkopolski were known for great concerts performed by one of the most notable musicians of his times. Apart from the guitar, cello and opera concertos performed by Radziwiłł himself, among his guests were Nicolo Paganini (concert in Poznań on May 19, 1829), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Fryderyk Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven. Chopin wrote his Introduction and Polonaise Op. 3 for chello and piano especially for Radziwiłł. He also performed a concert in his palace in Poznań on October 2, 1828. Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his Ouverture Op. 115 (Zur Namensfeier) to him, while von Goethe participated in his efforts to write the music for his Faust. He was also a notable sponsor of Polish theatres and his wife opened the first public school for girls in Poznań in 1830.
Awarded on September 6, 1793 and on December 1, 1815 with the White Eagle Order.
See also:
References
- Witold Jakóbczyk, Przetrwać na Wartą 1815-1914, Dzieje narodu i państwa polskiego, vol. III-55, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Warszawa 1989
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