Radvila Astikas or Astikaitis ( baptized Nicholas; pl, Radziwiłł Ościkowicz; died in 1477) was a magnate, a member of the

Astikai Astikai ( la, Astikus, pl, Ościk, ''Ościkowicze'' or ''Ostik'') was a Lithuanian noble family, that prospered in late 14th and early 17th centuries. Kristinas Astikas, a noble from Kernavė, was the founder of the family. There is some vague ...

and founder of the Radvila (Radziwiłł) family. He was a member of the Lithuanian Council of Lords and one of the most influential people in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

. Astikas was one of the sons of

Kristinas Astikas Kristinas Astikas (1363 in Trakai – 1442 or 1444) was a leading Lithuanian noble and statesman of the Astikai family. Kristinas was a supporter and a companion of Vytautas the Great, his brother Sigismund Kestutaitis and nephew Casimir Jagie ...

. He was first mentioned in written sources in the 1411 Treaty of Melno. He was Grand Duke's marshal in 1420–29 and 1440–52. Radvila Astikas was Voivode of Trakai (1466–77) and Castellan of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

(1475–77), as well as Grand Marshal of Lithuania (1433–34, 1463–74). He was sent to several diplomatic missions: to

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

in 1466, 1447, and 1448, to

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...

in 1452. He also participated in negotiating the 1473 Treaty of Kurcums which defined the Lithuanian–

Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...

n border. There were rumors that in 1440 Astikas was considered as a candidate to the Grand Duke's throne instead of Casimir Jagiellon, but they should be taken with a grain of salt. Astikas' patrimonial lands were around

Kernavė Kernavė was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and today is a tourist attraction and an archeological site (population 272, 2011). It is located in the Širvintos district municipality located in southeast Lithuania. A Lithuania ...

, Anykščiai, Užpaliai. His most important patrimonial possession was

Musninkai Musninkai is a town in Širvintos district municipality, Vilnius County, east Lithuania. According to the Lithuanian census of 2011, the town has a population of 415 people. The town has a Catholic church. Its alternate names include Muśniki (Pol ...

where he funded a Catholic church. In 1447, Grand Duke Casimir Jagiellon gifted

Kėdainiai Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population is 23,667. Its old town dates to ...

to Astikas and he was instrumental in turning the village into a growing trade center that traded with the Hanseatic League. Additionally, he had landholdings in Upninkai,

Širvintos Širvintos () is a city in Vilnius County in the eastern part of Lithuania. It is the administrative center of the Širvintos district municipality. The word ''Širvintos'' is the plural form of the name of the Širvinta River, which flows thro ...

Biržai Biržai (, known also by several alternative names) is a town in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Names The nam ...

, Vyžuona, and others. Astikas also donated for the construction of St. George Church, Kaunas. His wife's name or origin is unknown. His son

Mikalojus Radvila Mikalojus Radvila or Mikolaj I nicknamed ''the Old'' ( lt, Mikalojus Radvilaitis, Mikalojus II Radvila Senasis, pl, Mikołaj Radziwiłłowicz Stary, la, Nicolaus II Radziwil Priscus) (c. 1450 – 16 July 1509) was a Lithuanian noble. He was ...

nicknamed "the Old" was the first to carry "Radvila" as a family name. His daughter Anna married Petka Jogailavičius (Petko Jagojłowicz). Astikas and his wife Eudoxia were the great-great-great grandparents of Elizabeth Báthory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astikas, Radvila Year of birth unknown 1477 deaths Radvila Radziwiłł family Grand Marshals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Voivodes of Trakai