The Union of Kėdainiai 1655: How Lithuania Nearly Left Poland

In 1655, as Sweden invaded the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the deluge known as Potop Szwedzki, a forgotten crisis unfolded in Lithuania. The powerful Radziwiłł family, led by Prince Janusz Radziwiłł and his cousin Bogusław Radziwiłł, signed the Union of Kėdainiai (Unia Kiejdańska) with Sweden's King Charles X Gustav. This agreement would have dissolved the 1569 Union of Lublin, breaking the Commonwealth into separate Polish and Lithuanian states under Swedish protection. Lucas and Luna explore the ambitious Janusz Radziwiłł—a Calvinist magnate who commanded Lithuania's army—his motivations, the betrayal that shocked contemporaries, and the battle of Prostki where Bogusław was captured. They also examine the legend of Radziwiłł as a traitor versus a pragmatic survivor, the role of the Protestant Reformation in Lithuanian politics, and how this moment reveals the fragile bonds holding the Commonwealth together. Featuring the Radziwiłł family's grand palace in Vilnius, the Kėdainiai treaty text, and the shifting loyalties of the szlachta during wartime. #History #Poland #Lithuania #FexingoHistory #PotopSzwedzki #Radziwiłł #JanuszRadziwiłł #BogusławRadziwiłł #UnionOfKėdainiai #UniaKiejdańska #SwedishDeluge #CharlesXGustav #Prostki #EasternEurope #17thCentury #PolishLithuanianCommonwealth #Calvinism #Szlachta Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo