Union of Kedainiai
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Union of Kėdainiai (or Agreement of Kėdainiai, Lithuanian Kėdainių unija or Kėdainių sutartis) was an agreement between several of the Commonwealth magnates and the king of Sweden signed in 1655, during The Deluge. Its purpose was to end the Polish-Lithuanian Union and carve up two separate principalities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to be ruled by the Radziwiłł (Radvila) family, while the rest of the Duchy was to become a Swedish protectorate.
The agreement's power did not last for long and never came into effect, as the Swedish defeat in the Battles of Warka and Prostki as well as a popular uprising in both Poland and Lithuania put an end both to Swedish power and the influences of the Radziwiłłs.
History
The Radziwiłł family, owner of vast areas in both Lithuania and Poland, were increasingly less satisfied with the role of magnates who in Polish-Lithuanian political system had (at least in theory) exactly the same rights as the rest of the Polish and Lithuanian gentry. Eventually, the interests between the wealthy clan (known in Poland as The Family) and the Crown begun to drift apart.
In 1654, during the Swedish and Russian invasion of Poland, known as The Deluge, two notable members of the Radziwiłł clan: Janusz and Bogusław began negotiations with the Swedish king Charles X Gustav, aimed at breaking the Commonwealth and the Polish-Lithuanian Union. At that time the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was attacked from both sides by Russia and Sweden, and the royal control over its area deteriorated. The Lithuanian army capitulated to the Swedes without firing a single shot and the state collapsed. Most of the Crown of Poland along with western parts of Lithuania became occupied by Swedish forces, while most of the Grand Duchy (except Samogitia and parts of Sudovia and Aukstaitija) was under Russian occupation. In addition, the Ukraine was struck by the Chmielnicki's Uprising.
Finally, on October 10, 1655, Janusz and Bogusław Radziwiłł signed the agreement with the Swedes in their castle in Kėdainiai. According to the treaty, signed by the two in the name of all Lithuanian gentry, the Polish-Lithuanian Union was declared null and void. In exchange for military assistance against Russia, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to become a protectorate of Sweden, with personal union joining two states. In addition, The Family was to be given two sovereign principalities carved up of their lands within the Grand Duchy and the Lithuanian gentry was to retain its liberties and privileges.
The agreement never came into life. Its main proponent, Janusz Radziwiłł , died only 2 months after its signing, on December 31, in the castle of Tykocin, besieged by forces loyal to the king Jan Kazimierz. Shortly after his death, the castle was taken by Jan Paweł Sapieha, who immediately succeeded Janusz Radziwiłł on the office of Grand Hetman of Lithuania. The tide of the war soon turned and a popular uprising in Poland managed to break the power of the Swedish army. Also, the Swedish occupation of Lithuania, the terror and contributions drawn by the Swedes from the civilians, which were against even the agreement, sparked a similar uprising in Lithuania. The Swedish defeat and eventual retreat from the territories of the Commonwealth abruptly ended the plans of Janusz's cousin Bogusław, who lost his army in the Battle of Prostki and died in exile in Königsberg on December 31, 1669.
Their lines of the Radziwiłł family became extinct by the next generation, and their only lasting achievement was to tarnish the Radziwiłł family name for years to come. Bogusław became commonly referred to as Gnida by his fellow szlachta and Janusz became known as Zdrajca (Traitor). Their treason of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth eclipsed the deeds of other members of their family, like Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł, who fought for the Crown and the Commonwealth against the Swedes.
Controversy
Although seen as an act of high treason by the contemporaries, views on the proposed Swedish-Lithuanian agreement differ. The advent of national revival in modern Lithuania and Belarus led some writers to the conclusion, that the Union was an attempt in creation of an independent Lithuanian state (the meaning of Lithuania here is disputed however, werether it is related to ethnic Lithuanian state, state based on territories and nations of Lithuanian Grand Duchy, or even an ethnic Ruthenian state as some Belorusians claim. However, there are no proofs that the decision to sign such a treaty with Sweden was in any way ethnically-motivated.
Also, some argue that the agreement with the Swedes was made not out of greed and political ambitions of Janusz Radziwiłł, but rather because of Realpolitik.
