Radivilias

Radivilias (Lithuanian: Radviliada, Belarusian: Радзівіліяда Polish: Radziwiliada) is a Latin epic poem by Jonas Radvanas published in 1588.

[4] Similarly to the legendary Aeneas, Radziwiłł fulfills his destiny by protecting and defending Lithuania from the Tsardom of Russia[5] and receives a prophetic instruction from Musaeus of Athens.

[6] At Ula, Radziwiłł is guided by a vision of Grand Duke Vytautas (ruled 1392–1430) and draws inspiration from his victory in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410.

[3] However, the poem goes beyond a simple panegyric and paints a broader patriotic image of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, its history, geography, and culture.

[11] The poem was first published in 1588 in Vilnius together with several other Latin works by Andreas Volanus, Pedro Ruiz de Moros [es], and others.

[14][15] A letter written by Wacław Agryppa [pl] in 1578 indicates that this was an intentional campaign to promote not only the Radziwiłł family but also their patriotic vision of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania independent of Poland.

[18] Such critical evaluations were repeated by various authors until mid-20th century when historian reevaluated the poem's historical context and artistic merit.