Michał Radziwiłł Rudy
Encyclopedia
Michał Radziwiłł Rudy was a nobleman and diplomat.
He attained degrees in law and philosophy and worked as a diplomat in the embassy of the Russian Empire
in Paris. He also served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the German and as a Major in the British armies. He was involved in several major scandals which led to him being dispossessed of property and disowned by his family.
He was also a Knight of Malta.
origin from the szlachta
Radziwiłł family, he was also a relative of the House of Hohenzollern
.
He served as a diplomat in Russian service until the Russian Revolution
in 1917, reputedly speaking eight languages. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the German army and as a Major in the British army. He returned to the newly independent Second Polish Republic
in 1926, assuming Polish citizenship that year.
The nickname "Rudy", or "Red", was a reference to the color of his hair. His friends also called him "Munio", while his relatives often referred to him as just "the Renegade" or "the Degenerate". As a Count (Hrabia
) whose property was based around the village of Antonin
he was also known, especially locally, as the "Maharaja
of Antonin ", due to his luxurious and excessive lifestyle.
His activities were a constant source of gossip for the interwar Polish press. After he was dispossessed of some of his property (the Olyka
ordynacja), he tried to get it back through the Russian government (at that time, those territories were part of the Russian partition
). Increasingly distanced from his family, at one point he sued his own father. He retained the Przygodzice
ordynacja, which he brought to the brink of bankruptcy
. He closed a family chapel in Antonin
, causing a scandal when he attempted to remove some of his ancestors from their burial places in the chapel. Involved in numerous extramarital affairs, once he punched his first wife, throwing her out of a speeding car. One of his cousins, Krzysztof Radziwiłł, in his memoirs described him as a psychopath; many members of the family referred to him as "degenerate".
He married three times. He had two children from his first marriage to Maria Nikołajewna de Bernardaky (in 1898). That marriage caused controversy because Maria, a Greek aristocrat, was Eastern Orthodox, and the couple agreed to raise their children in that faith. He divorced her in 1915. In 1916 he married his second wife, Maria Henrietta Martinez de Medinilla de Santa-Susana. He attempted to divorce her in 1929, but it was never finalized due to technical difficulties; the couple however separated. For that reason, his third marriage in 1938 to Harriet Dawson was seen as possibly illegal, and caused him a new wave of legal problems and scandals.
In 1939, on the outbreak of World War II, he tried to appease the Nazi Germany
occupiers by giving the palace in Antonin to Adolf Hitler
. At that time, he also declared himself a German, and welcomed the invaders as "liberators". This failed to generate him enough good will with the new authorities, and he was put under house arrest
. In 1940 he was allowed to emigrate to France, where he spent several months in the French Riviera
. A new wave of scandals there only confirmed his bad reputation. He spent the remainder of World War II with relatives near Berlin and in Switzerland
.
After the war, he settled in his second wife's estate in Tenerife
, where he lived alone in increasing poverty until his death on 6 October 1955.
He attained degrees in law and philosophy and worked as a diplomat in the embassy of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in Paris. He also served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the German and as a Major in the British armies. He was involved in several major scandals which led to him being dispossessed of property and disowned by his family.
He was also a Knight of Malta.
Biography
He was born to Ferdynand Radziwiłł and Pelagia Sapieha on 8 February 1870 in Berlin. While of Lithuanian-PolishPolish-Lithuanian (adjective)
Polish-Lithuanian individuals and groups are those with histories in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This federation, formally established by the 1569 Union of Lublin between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, created a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state founded on the...
origin from the szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
Radziwiłł family, he was also a relative of the House of Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
.
He served as a diplomat in Russian service until the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution can refer to:* Russian Revolution , a series of strikes and uprisings against Nicholas II, resulting in the creation of State Duma.* Russian Revolution...
in 1917, reputedly speaking eight languages. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the German army and as a Major in the British army. He returned to the newly independent Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
in 1926, assuming Polish citizenship that year.
The nickname "Rudy", or "Red", was a reference to the color of his hair. His friends also called him "Munio", while his relatives often referred to him as just "the Renegade" or "the Degenerate". As a Count (Hrabia
Hrabia
Hrabia is the title used for a rank of Polish nobility roughly corresponding to that of a Count. An earlier counterpart, komes, was used for a non-hereditary office in Piast Poland and faded from use before the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.The wife of a hrabia is a hrabina,...
) whose property was based around the village of Antonin
Antonin, Ostrów Wielkopolski County
Antonin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Przygodzice, within Ostrów Wielkopolski County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Ostrów Wielkopolski and south-east of the regional capital Poznań.The village has an approximate...
he was also known, especially locally, as the "Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Antonin ", due to his luxurious and excessive lifestyle.
His activities were a constant source of gossip for the interwar Polish press. After he was dispossessed of some of his property (the Olyka
Olyka
Olyka is a town in Ukraine in the region of Volhynia. It is located east of Lutsk on the Putilovka river and has approximately 3,800 inhabitants .- History :...
ordynacja), he tried to get it back through the Russian government (at that time, those territories were part of the Russian partition
Russian partition
The Russian partition was the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that were acquired by the Russian Empire in the late-18th-century Partitions of Poland.-Terminology:...
). Increasingly distanced from his family, at one point he sued his own father. He retained the Przygodzice
Przygodzice
Przygodzice is a village in Ostrów Wielkopolski County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Przygodzice. It lies approximately south of the town of Ostrów Wielkopolski....
ordynacja, which he brought to the brink of bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. He closed a family chapel in Antonin
Antonin, Ostrów Wielkopolski County
Antonin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Przygodzice, within Ostrów Wielkopolski County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Ostrów Wielkopolski and south-east of the regional capital Poznań.The village has an approximate...
, causing a scandal when he attempted to remove some of his ancestors from their burial places in the chapel. Involved in numerous extramarital affairs, once he punched his first wife, throwing her out of a speeding car. One of his cousins, Krzysztof Radziwiłł, in his memoirs described him as a psychopath; many members of the family referred to him as "degenerate".
He married three times. He had two children from his first marriage to Maria Nikołajewna de Bernardaky (in 1898). That marriage caused controversy because Maria, a Greek aristocrat, was Eastern Orthodox, and the couple agreed to raise their children in that faith. He divorced her in 1915. In 1916 he married his second wife, Maria Henrietta Martinez de Medinilla de Santa-Susana. He attempted to divorce her in 1929, but it was never finalized due to technical difficulties; the couple however separated. For that reason, his third marriage in 1938 to Harriet Dawson was seen as possibly illegal, and caused him a new wave of legal problems and scandals.
In 1939, on the outbreak of World War II, he tried to appease the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupiers by giving the palace in Antonin to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. At that time, he also declared himself a German, and welcomed the invaders as "liberators". This failed to generate him enough good will with the new authorities, and he was put under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. In 1940 he was allowed to emigrate to France, where he spent several months in the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. A new wave of scandals there only confirmed his bad reputation. He spent the remainder of World War II with relatives near Berlin and in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
After the war, he settled in his second wife's estate in Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, where he lived alone in increasing poverty until his death on 6 October 1955.