Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Janusz Radziwiłł

Vilnius, 12 Jul 1579 – Czarlin, 6 Dec 1620

13 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born12 Jul 1579, Vilniusor 31 Jul 1579Records disagree1 source
  • TitleDeputy to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthor Great Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania, 1599–1619 · Castellan of Vilnius, 1618–1620not verified1 source
  • TitleGreat Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania, 1599–1619or Castellan of Vilnius, 1618–1620 · Deputy to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthnot verified1 source
  • TitleCastellan of Vilnius, 1618–1620or Great Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania, 1599–1619 · Deputy to the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealthnot verified1 source
  • Died6 Dec 1620, Czarlinor 3 Dec 1620Records disagree1 source
  • FatherKrzysztof Mikołaj Radziwiłłnot verified1 source
  • MotherKatarzyna Ostrogskanot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 12 Jul 1579

    Born in Vilnius

  2. 1599–1619

    Great Royal Deputy Cup-bearer of Lithuania

  3. 1618–1620

    Castellan of Vilnius

  4. 3 May 1620

    A son is born

  5. 6 Dec 1620

    Dies in Czarlin, aged 41

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partners

Children · 1

During his lifetime

He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vilnius.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1570s · Janusz is born in Vilnius

In the news1572

Plague Epidemic Disrupts Political Meetings

A severe plague epidemic forced officials to hold the Dietine of Rūdninkai in 1572 outside of major towns to avoid infection.

Getting around

Slow travel for common people

Commoners traveled on foot at about 20-25 km per day, while carts pulled by horses or oxen moved at a similarly slow pace.

In the news1569–1574

Famine and price crisis of 1569-1574

Between 1569 and 1574, a severe famine and price crisis struck the region, causing mass death among the poorest residents, while wealthy nobles remained largely unaffected. During 1573 and 1574, a 2.2-kilogram loaf of rye bread cost an unskilled worker in Krakow between 32% and 40% of their daily wage.

Daily life

Limited schooling for peasant children

Peasant children were mostly illiterate and rarely attended parish schools, as parents prioritized their agricultural labor and schools were sparse due to a lack of funding.

What people wore

The everyday jermiak overcoat

Ordinary city dwellers wore the jermiak, a light, collarless, and unlined overcoat that was typically made of grey or black home-made kersey fabric.

Music

Sutartinės and folk instruments

Traditional sutartinės songs were performed by women, while men played instrumental versions on the kanklės psaltery, skudučiai pan-pipes, and horns.

At the table

Everyday beer and holiday mead

Beer was the most common everyday beverage for people of various social statuses, often brewed at home or in taverns. Mead was also produced and enjoyed, though it was generally less abundant and more associated with holidays or special gatherings than everyday beer consumption.