The House of Radziwiłł is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian origin, and one of the most powerful magnate families originating from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later also prominent in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland.
Trąby coat of arms, granted to Kristinas Astikas' family in 1413
Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł (1515–1565), perhaps the most influential member of the family. He rallied opposition to the Lublin Union between Lithuania and Poland.
The coat of arms as granted in 1547 by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Mikołaj "the Brown" Radziwiłł (1512–1584)
Princely houses of Poland and Lithuania
The princely houses of Poland and Lithuania differed from other princely houses in Europe. Most importantly, Polish nobility (szlachta) could not be granted nobility titles by the Polish kings in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Therefore, the title of prince either dated to the times before the Union of Lublin, which created the Commonwealth in 1569, or was granted to some nobles by foreign kings. Due to the longstanding history of common statehood, some noble families often described as "Polish" actually originated in Grand Duchy of Lithuania and are of Lithuanian or Ruthenian descent. Some houses are more correctly described as being of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
King of Poland in tournament attire, ca. 1433-1435
Image: POL COA Lubomirski (RGB color)
Image: Hohenzollern herb rodowy
Image: Herb Korybut
