Radvila Astikas or Astikaitis (

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

Nicholas; ; died in 1477) was a magnate, a member of the Astikai and founder of the

Radziwiłł family 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. Pa ...

. He was a member of the Lithuanian Council of Lords and one of the most influential people in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

during his lifetime. Astikas was one of the sons of Kristinas Astikas. He was first mentioned in written sources in the 1411

Treaty of Melno The Treaty of Melno (; ) or Treaty of Lake Melno () was a peace treaty ending the Gollub War. It was signed on 27 September 1422, between the State_of_the_Teutonic_Order, Teutonic Knights and an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Kin ...

. He was Grand Duke's marshal in 1420–29 and 1440–52. Radvila Astikas was Voivode of Trakai (1466–77) and

Castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(1475–77), as well as

Grand Marshal of Lithuania Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation) ...

(1433–34, 1463–74). He was sent to several diplomatic missions: to

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

in 1466, 1447, and 1448, to

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

in 1452. He also participated in negotiating the 1473 Treaty of Kurcums which defined the Lithuanian–

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

n border. There were rumors that in 1440 Astikas was considered as a candidate to the Grand Duke's throne instead of Casimir Jagiellon, but they should be taken with a grain of salt. Astikas' patrimonial lands were around

Kernavė Kernavė was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and today is a tourist attraction and an archeological site (population 238, 2021). It is located in the Širvintos district municipality located in southeast Lithuania. A Lithuanian ...

Anykščiai Anykščiai (; see #Name, other names) is a ski resort city in Lithuania, west of Utena, Lithuania, Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring in height. Anykščia ...

, Užpaliai. His most important patrimonial possession was Musninkai where he funded a Catholic church. In 1447, Grand Duke Casimir Jagiellon gifted

Kėdainiai Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest List of cities in Lithuania, cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Lithuania's second largest city Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. Kėdainiai were first mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle ...

to Astikas and he was instrumental in turning the village into a growing trade center that traded with the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. Additionally, he had landholdings in

Upninkai Upninkai is the largest village in Jonava district, Lithuania. It is situated southwest of Vepriai on the left bank of the Šventoji River. According to the 2011 census, it had population of 786. History Upninkai was first mentioned in 1442 in ...

Širvintos Širvintos () is a city in Vilnius County in eastern Lithuania. It is the administrative center of the Širvintos district municipality. Etymology The town's name is a place name derived from the river Širvinta, which flows through it. Širvi ...

Biržai Biržai (, also known by several alternative names) is a city in northern Lithuania. Famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Name The exact origin of th ...

, Vyžuona, and others. Astikas also donated for the construction of St. George Church, Kaunas. His wife's name or origin is unknown. His son Mikalojus Radvila nicknamed "the Old" was the first to carry "Radvila" as a family name. His daughter Anna married Petka Jogailavičius (Petko Jagojłowicz). Astikas and his wife Eudoxia were the great-great-great grandparents of

Elizabeth Báthory Countess Elizabeth Báthory of Ecsed (, ; ; 7 August 1560 – 21 August 1614) was a Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer from the powerful House of Báthory, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia). Báthory and fo ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Astikas, Radvila Year of birth unknown 1477 deaths Radvila Radziwiłł family Grand Marshals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Voivodes of Trakai