Prince Jerzy Radziwiłł (31 May 1556 – 21 January 1600) was a Polish–Lithuanian magnate and Imperial Reichsfürst from the Radziwiłł family. He was ordained a Catholic priest and later rose through the ranks as Bishop of Vilnius eventually becoming a cardinal. He was a close friend and adviser of King Sigismund III and represented his interests in front of the Pope. Raised a Calvinist, Radziwiłł was educated at the University of Leipzig. In 1572 he converted to Catholicism and became associated with the Jesuits. He continued to study at Jesuit colleges in Poznań, Vilnius, and Rome. Radziwiłł began his duties as Bishop of Vilnius in 1579. He established Vilnius Seminary and helped to obtain university status for the Jesuit Academy in Vilnius. He was ordained to the priesthood (10 April 1583) and was not consecrated bishop until 26 December 1583. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Gregory XIII only on 12 December 1583 and was assigned the titulus of S. Sisto on 14 July 1586. He did not participate in the 1585 papal conclave, which elected Pope Sixtus V; or the September 1590 papal conclave, which elected Pope Urban VII; or the October–December 1590 papal conclave, which elected Pope Gregory XIV. In 1591, he became Bishop of Kraków. He did participate in the 1591 papal conclave, which elected Pope Innocent IX; and in the 1592 papal conclave, which elected Pope Clement VIII. Radziwiłł was also involved in political life. He served as deputy administrator (namiestnik) of Polish Livonia (Inflanty) from 1582 until 1585. He participated in the 1587 election of King Sigismund III Vasa and became his trusted adviser. Radziwiłł supported the Third Statute of Lithuania (1588) and the Union of Brest (1596). He came to Rome to participate in the Jubilee of 1600, but died in Rome on 21 January and was buried in the Church of the Gesu.

Works

For extra knowledge of letters and materials, see.: F. Machay pastoral activity Cardinal Radziwill, Bishop of Cracow (1591–1600), Kraków 1936 extra, O. Halecki "From florence to Brest (1439–1596)," The Sacred Poloniae Millennium, t 5 (1958).