The Radziwiłł Mausoleum
in Nesvizh.
Research

Illnesses and traumas affect both rich and poor without exception. It is well-known that some types of diseases are more prevalent among the poor and there are diseases that are more common among the rich; however, nobody can avoid illnesses – they affect all people. The only difference is that rich people can hire the best physicians and be taken good care of. That was also the case in the epoch of the prosperity of the Radziwiłł family.

The health problems of the Radziwiłłs were described on the pages of their diaries, correspondence and other personal documents; comprehensive medical histories were documented in medical records made by their physicians¹Information and generalisations in the present text are presented on the basis of research material on 11 burials (sarcophagi) in the crypt of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh conducted in 2016 and 2017. Sarcophagi No 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 72 were studied. The numbering of the sarcophagi is hereinafter referred to in accordance with the Inventory carried out by the Department of Cultural Heritage (Lithuania) in 1999, see [Gintaras Kazlauskas, et al.], Kunigaikščių Radvilų mauzoliejaus inventorizacija: [the manuscript; preserved at the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture (Lithuania)], 1999, p. [18] [the scheme].. The following information was provided there about young Krzysztof Mikołaj Radziwiłł (1590-1607): before his death he was weak and pale, he was in fever, suffered from headaches, backaches and pain in his shoulders, complained of severe nausea. Small red round vesicles appeared on his face and all over his body, his mouth, lips and gums dried up. Ante-mortem suffering of the young man lasted for several weeks²Martynas Jakulis, Istoriniai duomenys apie XVIII a. palaidojimus Nesvyžiaus Dievo kūno bažnyčioje. Ataskaita: [the manuscript; preserved at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University], 2017, p. 8.. He died at the age of 16. Krzysztof Mikołaj is supposed to have died from an acute viral disease – smallpox. As to Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł Rybeńko (1702-1762), he seems to have been constantly attended by physicians. At the age of 17 he also contracted smallpox and measles, and gave his parents a terrible scare. They thought he was going to die. In 1719, having recovered from infectious diseases, he fell off his horse and was seriously ill for more than two weeks. A year later, the same story repeated itself again – he fell off his horse and got injured. In 1721, his arm was injured in the explosion of a powder-flask. Similar stories, especially unsuccessful horse ridings and falls, constantly accompanied this Radziwiłł³Ibid., p. 6-7.. Such information is provided in the old texts. And what can the remains reveal?

Diseases, and especially injuries, leave their traces in the skeleton. Unfortunately, if the skeleton is covered with biological tissues, which is the case of the mummified remains (it is such remains that seem to prevail in the Radziwiłł family crypt), actually it becomes impossible to examine them with the naked eye and “read” their story. Intervention removing (and essentially destroying) what covers the bones or such advanced methods as radiological testing are needed. Only then would it be possible to speak about general morbidity patterns or extraordinary cases and make more accurate generalisations. Anyway, what did we manage to “make out” from the remains during the 2016-2017 anthropological research carried out in the crypt of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh?

It is natural, that the signs of old age were discovered on the remains of the older members of the Radziwiłł family. The majority of them (11 burials that were studied in 2016-2017) were affected by slight but painful arthritic changes in the joints of the upper and lower extremities. The wife of Michał Kazimierz, Urszula Franciszka (1705-1753) complained of inflammatory arthritis pain, especially in her knees, when she was only 31 years old⁴Ibid., p. 10.. As a matter of fact, signs of advanced arthritis not only in the knee joints but also in the spine were detected on the remains placed in sarcophagus 17 (the remains of the above-mentioned Urszula are assumed to rest therein). During pregnancy, due to an increase in weight, the knee joints are subject to greater pressure that causes pain. At that time it may seem that the joints ‘become looser’ and waddling gait occurs. Urszula Franciszka was pregnant many a time: although only seven children that she had by Michał Kazimierz are mentioned, she is said to have been pregnant 31 times⁵Ilona Czamańska, Wiśniowieccy: monografia rodu, Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2007, p. 395..

Very little is known about Elżbieta Eufemia (1569-1596), the wife of Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł Sierotka. It is known that she died at the age of 27, and in his letters Mikołaj Krzysztof mentioned her night fevers and intestinal worms⁶Martynas Jakulis, Istoriniai duomenys apie XVI–XX a. palaidojimus Nesvyžiaus Dievo kūno bažnyčioje (ataskaita): [the manuscript; preserved at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University], 2016, p. 5..

The female remains found in sarcophagus 3 in 2016 might belong to Elżbieta Eufemia. The traces in the teeth of the buried indicate difficult childhood. The surface of the incisors and canine teeth of the upper and lower jaws were very badly worn – the enamel layer was almost totally worn away. Deep imprints and dots were observed (the symptoms of the so-called linear and dotted enamel hypoplasia). This dental condition indicates the diseases that struck the woman in her childhood, when she was about 1-2 years old. It is though that a great shock to the organism – a long and severe illness, a great emotional or physical stress – could have resulted in this peculiar injury of the teeth.

Historical sources also mention human passions of Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł Panie Kochanku (1734-1790). He was fond of parties⁷Domininkas Burba, “Nevidonas Karolis Stanislovas Radvila “Mielasai Pone””, Orbis Lituaniae. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės istorijos, [accessed 10.09.2018], [electronic], available at: http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/nevidonas-karolis-stanislovas-radvila-mielasai-pone/1068., and it goes without saying, there was always a great deal and a wide variety of food there. At that time it was usual for the wealthy people of Europe to consume huge amounts of calories even during everyday meals. From 4000 to 7000 calories was the amount consumed by the nobleman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania⁸Raimonda Ragauskienė, “Maisto kultūra LDK XVI–XVIII a.”, Prie stalo visa Lietuva: mityba ir maisto kultūra nuo seniausių laikų iki šių dienų, Kaunas: Terra Publica, 2015, p. 49.. Hence, it is not surprising that they suffered from illnesses associated with an excessive calorie intake. Such a lifestyle left its traces on the remains of Karol Stanisław: on the right the vertebral bodies of the thorax were grown together. In bioarchaeology such a fusion is a result of good life: it is characteristic of the people suffering from obesity and those who consume excessive alcohol and eat red meat⁹Juliet Rogers, Tony Waldron, “DISH and the Monastic Way of Life”, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2001, vol. 11, p. 357-365; Maria Ostendorf Smith, et al., “Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH) in Pre-Columbian North America: Evidence from the Eastern Tennessee River Valley”, International Journal of Paleopathology, 2013, vol. 3, p. 11-18.. Some specialists even mention the link between this unusual spinal cord disorder and diabetes mellitus¹⁰Charles W. Denko, Charles J. Malemud, “Body Mass Index and Blood Glucose: Correlations with Serum Insulin, Growth Hormone, and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Levels in Patients with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)”, Rheumatology International, 2006, vol. 26, p. 292-297.. The progression of the latter disease may even results in a loss of vision. In fact, at the end of his life, Karol Stanisław went blind¹¹Martynas Jakulis, Istoriniai duomenys apie XVIII a. palaidojimus, p. 11..

The remains found in sarcophagus 14 deserve a more detailed explanation. The human scull usually has three major sutures: coronal, sagittal and lambdoidal. If for some reason some of the sutures ossify earlier that they should, depending on which of the sutures ossified, normal skull development is affected and such changes as scaphocephaly, turricephaly and etc., occur. A rather unusual shape of the head may reveal these changes, but as a rule it has no obvious effect on the child’s mental development. It is assumed that the remains of Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł (1695-1715), a brother of famous Michał Kazimierz and Hieronim Florian Radziwiłł, rest in sarcophagus 14. The skull found in the coffin had a premature closure of the lambdoidal and sagittal sutures. Perhaps this could have determined a somewhat unusual budge of the volume of the head – the head became taller and the face longer. Portraits represent Mikołaj Krzysztof like that. Another symptom attributed to this syndrome is sleep apnea – respiratory disorders during sleep, it is usually identified with loud snoring. We are unlikely to find out anything about the rhythms of sleep of Mikołaj Krzysztof, but portraits and the skull in the hands of anthropologists speak for themselves and reveal the syndrome that the Prince had.

Justina Kozakaitė