Radziwiłł, Ferdynand Fryderyk książę
Radziwiłł, Ferdynand Fryderyk książę (Ferdinand Fürst Radziwill, Ferdinand von Radziwill), 1873-1918 member of the 1st Chamber of the Prussian Landtag, 1874-1918 member of the Reichstag of the German Empire. *19.10.1834 Berlin, †28.2.1926 Rome: a lawyer, county owner and son of Bogusław Fryderyk ks. Radziwiłł (Boguslaw Fürst Radziwill, 1809-1873). After passing his A-levels at the French grammar school in Berlin he studied law and fiscal accounting in Bonn and Berlin; he was an unpaid court assistant at the Berlin City Court, and a government assistant officer in Potsdam. 1855 he served for a year with the 7th Husaren-Regiment, attaining the final rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserve with the 1st Brandenburgischen Ulanen-Regiment. In 1870 he was wounded in the German-French War, and in 1879 he was appointed as the General Major of the Cavalry (à la suite). In 1864 he married Pelagia Fürstin Sapieha (1844-1929), with whom he had five children. The family lived in Berlin and at the Antonin hunting lodge near Ostrowo/Ostrów Wielkopolski. After the death of his father in 1873 he took over the administration of the family estates in Olyka/Ołyka (Lithuania) and in Przygodzice with the Antonin castle near Ostrowo. In January 1874, in January 1877, in October 1881, in October 1884, in February 1887, in February 1890, in June 1893, in June 1898, in June 1903, in January 1907 and in January 1912 he was elected as a member of the Polish parliamentary group in the German Reichstag for the constituency of Adelnau-Schildberg/Odolanów-Ostrzeszów with majorities between 74.41% and 84.69%; for over 30 years he was the chair of the Polish parliamentary group. He served on special committees for judicial law, penal law, court consitution, Reich stamp duties, penal procedure regulations, tobacco tax, the penal law book, exchange laws and the Reich budget. During the Kulturkampf between Prussia, resp. the German Reich and the Catholic church he was a powerful opponent of the Minister President and Reich Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898). He worked closely with the Centre Party, pleaded for Poles to adopt a policy of loyalty to the German Kaiserreich, but demanded the right to practice one’s religion freely and to use the Polish language. In 1918/19 he became a member of the Sejm and oldest member of the chamber. picture: ca.1914, public domain.
Further reading:
Deutscher Parlaments-Almanach, Ausg. 10, Leipzig 1874, 236; Ausg. 16, Leipzig 1887, 206; Amtliches Reichstag-Handbuch, 8. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1895, 234; 10. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1903, 244f.; 11. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1903, 296f.; Reichstag-Handbuch, 12. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1907, 344f., 488 (picture); 13. Legislaturperiode, Berlin 1912, 346, 486 (picture); Reichstagsprotokolle 1867-1895, Register 36, 39, 43, 46, 49, 55, 58, 62, 66, 71, 74, 87, 125, 129, 155; Reichstagsprotokolle 1895-1918, Register 150, 161, 171, 188, 204, 218, 297, 314, 314a; A. Kotowski: Zwischen Staatsräson und Vaterlandsliebe, Düsseldorf 2007, 25, 46, 65, 71, 77f., 86f., 99, 104f., 125f., 128, 132, 145, 147f., 151, 159, 164, 170, 176, 182, 185f., 189f., 196.
Online:
http://zhsf.gesis.org, Parlamentarierportal, BIORAB Kaiserreich online
http://www.reichstag-abgeordnetendatenbank.de/
http://www.reichstagsprotokolle.de
http://www.sejm-wielki.pl
Internetowy Polski Słownik Biograficzny
Pałac w Antoninie, http://www.palacantonin.pl/pl/historia
Axel Feuß, October 2016
Link to the minutes of the Reichstag: