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Prince Michal Gedeon Radziwill
(1778-1850)
Born 24 September 1778
Died 24 May 1850 Warszawa
Married 1815
Aleksandra Stecka,
daughter of Karl Stecki and Maria Morstin
Born 1796
Died 14 July 1864 Passy nr Paris
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A liberal who fought in Kosciuszko's uprising, he subsequently accompanied
his mother to Paris where he became an enthusiastic supporter of Napoleon.
When the French created the duchy of Warsaw, he was given command of one
of its infantry regiments and later served
with distinction as a brigadier in the War of 1812.
In 1815 he married and was made a senator in the Congress Kingdom.
When his mother died in 1821, he inherited the properties of Nieborow and
Szpanow. However, ten years later his estates were confiscated and he was
forced to flee abroad, as he had accepted the post of
commander-in-chief of the Polish forces during the suppressed revolt
against Russia. Only through the family's intercession at Saint Petersburg
were the properties offered to their Russified cousin, Leon Radziwill,
who generously gave them back again a few years afterwards to Michal Gedeon's
sons, still minors.
Eventually, however, he was allowed to return to live in a reduced
state at Nieborow, for the property had been damaged in the fighting and
there were numerous creditors demanding satisfaction. His masterful wife,
Aleksandra, then provided the real impetus to keep the
chateau and gardens, redecorating the White Salon in late neoclassical
taste.
Source: Leo van de Pas |
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