Historical calendar: 27 April 1794 – beginning of the Targowice Confederation

magnapolonia.org 2 months ago

Historical calendar: anniversary of the establishment in St. Petersburg of the celebrated Targowice Confederation. This was an excuse for Russian invasion of Poland.

Today in our calendar we will look at the circumstances of this relationship.

On 9 January 1792, Russia signed a peace agreement with Turkey in the Jassach Mountains and began concentrating the troops over the border with Poland. Although Caryca had complete freedom to decide on the attack, the 18th century as an enlightened age required the creation of a pretext for specified actions. It was given by 3 Polish magnates – Franciszek Branicki, Seweryn Rzewuski and Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki, who did not agree with part of the reforms of the large Sejm, themselves state Assembly of Friends of the Constitution, and especially the restoration of a full monarchy in Poland, i.e. hereditary monarchy.

The traitors came to St. Petersburg, where they conducted urgent conferences with the Tsarist general on restoring order and old laws in Poland, and even bribed influential Russian courtiers to support their intervention plans. Interestingly, they attacked reforms from a Republican point of view, and Jęsny Potocki, while on a journey to Paris, joined the club of Jacobins on December 24, 1790.

It was decided to carry out an invasion of the Russian troops which were expected to enter the Republic of Poland allegedly at the request of the afraid patriots, against the despotism of the Warsaw clique. On 27 April 1792, an armed confederation was established in St. Petersburg under the auspices of Catherine II. The act of Confederacy was prepared by Tsar general Vasily Popov, and its announcement took place on 14 May in the border town of Targowice at Polish limits.

Poles were not peculiarly active in Targowice, but that was not what the conspirators meant. The contents of the confederation requested the Tsaric to show assistance in restoring the strategy before 1788. The action was well coordinated, so the Tsar army in the strength of 98,000 soldiers entered Poland as early as 18 May. On the same day, Ambassador Bulhakov handed the Poles a diplomatic note, in which they called the intervention "friendly, neighbourly assistance to defend freedom and reconstruct legal power."

After military defeat and the disclosure of plans II and then the 3rd Partition of Poland, the merchant traitors fell into dismay, as they did not anticipate this. Many have given up public life. Others (e.g. Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki) went into full impeachment, declared themselves Russians and put on Russian military uniforms.

Previous entry from our calendar is available Here..

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