Historical calendar: November 25, 1795 – abdicated Stanisław August Poniatowski

Historical calendar – anniversary of the abdication from the Polish throne by the last elective king – Stanisław August Poniatowski.

Today in our calendar we will look at the life and activities of this ruler.

Stanisław was born in 1732 as a associate of the increasing magnate household Poniatowski. household connections caused him, like his father, to bond with the political camp of the Family. He grew up in an atmosphere of moral decline, spiritual scepticism, bribery, insolence and service to abroad capitals. His household betrayed the chaotic confederation, and then plotted a game ending with the death of Adam Tarła.

Although Stanislaus was a formal Catholic, he frequently questioned the doctrine of free will, leaning alternatively towards Protestant predestination. He stayed in Gdańsk until 1739 and then moved with his parent to Warsaw. He was educated at home through the services of private teachers. 1 of them was Russian diplomat Herman von Keyserling, who taught the future king of logic and mathematics. In 1748 – 1752 Poniatowski traveled across Europe.

In Berlin he met English diplomat Charles Hanbury Williams. This celebrated libertine demoralized him and aroused sentiment for island political culture. Stanisław gained support from English diplomacy on his journey to Vienna. Williams besides patronized his another trips to Austria, Saxony, England, France, the Netherlands. In each of them, the Pole could number on the aid of British diplomats. seemingly London saw him as a candidate for an easy-to-use influence agent.

During his stay in the Netherlands, the future king entered into an unknown relation with the judaic communities. He has spoken at the Parliament of the Wall respective times and has served as Commissioner at the Court of Revenue. In the 1950s he became an Przemysl politician and a large Lithuanian carpenter. He had a crucial influence on the political reorientation of the Camp of Familia towards representing the Vistula interests of Russia and England. erstwhile Williams was sent to St. Petersburg in 1755, he immediately brought Poniatowski there.

He hired him as secretary of the English embassy. Poniatowski besides represented the interests of the Saxon court. shortly Williams helped arrange his gathering and an affair with Sophia Frederick Augusta, future Tsar Catherine II. This 1 promised Poniatowski aid in the Polish crown proceedings after the death of August III Sasa. The beloved Lithuanian carpenter lived with illusions of his influence on the princess and all Russia, which had a disastrous effect on the further destiny of the Republic.

He wrote her faithful letters in which he was even willing to quit his crown to preserve her favor. In 1761 he became a deputate on an extraordinary parliament to take on monetary reform. Along with another representatives of the Familia, he broke up the meeting, thus prolonging the country's economical crisis. In 1762, he participated in the planning of a coup which would lead to the overthrow of Saxon power and the takeover of it by the Family.

He wrote a dissertation entitled Anecdote historique in which he demonstrated the request to dig into the British political strategy in Poland. Catherine II, unlike her naive and sentimental lover, led a tough and determined policy. She outlined her concept of crown for Poniatowski in a letter to the Prussian king Frederick II, in which she stated: “Of all candidates for the Polish crown, she has the least chance to accomplish it (...), and will so be most grateful to those at the hands of whom she will receive the crown.”

Prusak agreed with the Tsarica and on 11 April 1764, signed a secret agreement whereby both states were to jointly elect an agreed candidate. The election of Stanisław August at the request of the Familia was “secure” by Russian troops. The service of the fresh ruler to the Tsaric was full revealed by the fact that the coronation was carried out on 25 November, on the day of its names. Later that year Poniatowski was awarded the Russian Order of the name Alexander Newski.

From 1764 to 1770 he accepted 154,000 bribe ducats. The election conducted in the atmosphere of the coup and the policy of full submission to Russian ambassador Nikolai Repnin led to highly low public support for the fresh king. The weak position of the monarch simply confirmed him in the shrinking adherence of the Tsarica. As king, he carried out respective reforms partially improving the functioning of the state.

He opened national mints closed in Saxon times and established Commissions of Good Orderwhich have sorted out property ownership issues and improved the collection of urban taxes. In strictly economical matters, he helped to destruct interior duties and to harmonise weightings and measures. On the another hand, however, it allowed the Polish economy to return in the Lithuanian kingdoms, which led to the outbreak of the Szawel uprising.

He founded the Knight School, which was to become a professional military college, educating the staff of the Polish army. For many years it was led by Adam Czartoryski, who was the large caretaker of the lodge “Vacitive Sarmaty”. On a akin basis, in order to advance enlightened progress, he established the National Theatre in Warsaw. This theatre was financed from the royal box and was liable for destroying conventional Polish culture and replacing it with a “progress” culture.

One of the first directors of the theatre was the master of the Masonic Lodge “The Temple of Wisdom” Wojciech Bogusławski. In general, the king led to the lush improvement of Polish free-multure. He was keenly curious in secret cognition and financed any Masonic projects specified as the construction of the Temple of Divine Providence. By joining the German ritual "Stricta Observantia" (Stirty Observation) he gained an 8th degree of introduction and the title "Salsinatus Eques a Corona vindicata".

He was accepted into the fraternity by a mysterious abroad envoy named Profostius Magnus, who paid 76.5 dukata a title fee and a written commitment to cooperate with the chief executive of the lodge in Brunswick. His membership was initially surrounded by strict secrecy and only the most crucial masons of the country and abroad knew about it. The king was treated as an ally and a friend of the order (socies et amicus Ordinis), a individual bringing certain benefits to the organization.

As early as 1764, Ambassador Repnin demanded the king and parliament to introduce full equality for the Innovators. Poniatowski did not formally support this request, but behind the scenes he was very kind to him. At 1 point he went even further and proposed the creation of a Papacy-independent synod of bishops, or de facto the creation of a Protestant national church. The dissident case, skillfully played by abroad courts, led to the imposition of alleged cardinal rights on Poland.

Catholics and patriots have established a bar confederation against them. In order to destruct the rebels, the king called for the aid of the Russian troops. The prolonged struggles made St. Petersburg aware that he was incapable to pacify and keep the full Republic under control. For this reason, in 1772, the first cut was made. Poniatowski accepted 6,000 ducats for bribes to MPs not to protest the demolition of Homeland. Shortly after the partition, he began reforming the country.

The Masoni and Russia’s Continuing Council proved helpful in this work. The reforms consisted, among others, of supporting the Court's plundering of the Order of Jesuits and of setting up the alleged National Education Commission on its troupe. In addition, the king sought the pope to reduce the number of church holidays and demanded the liquidation of the parliamentary benches for Members of the lands taken from the partition. In 1776 he declared that “he is simply a friend of Catherine II due to the fact that he is simply a Polish patriot.”

There was a partial economical recovery, but the political reforms were only at the end of the 1980s. The pretext for this was the outbreak of the Russian-Turkish war. The naive king thought that by sending Moscals the Polish reinforcement corps would get approval for far-reaching changes in the Republic of Poland. Petersburg rapidly withdrew from his promises, but in Poland reforms were already started, mostly needed and beneficial. The actions of the alleged large Sejm provoked the understandable wrath of the Tsaric, who was only waiting for an excuse for armed intervention.

The inept king did not take advantage of the chance of a preventive war or a joint action with Turkey and Sweden against Russia. On the contrary, he agreed to an alliance with the Prusai, but refused to give them Gdańsk and Toruń in exchange for helping to regain Galicia. As a result, Poland has been isolated internationally and it has not even been helped by the progressive Constitution 3 May. Caryca took advantage of the ineptness of the Warsaw authorities and attacked the country just after she made peace with Turkey.

Poniatowski took a defensive and amicable stance. He did not go to the front to warm up the soldiers for the fight, and yet decided that it did not make sense and entered the trade union. He remained deaf to the demands of continued opposition and ordered the surrender of the army. shortly the country was overrun by Russian troops and then besides Prussian. The Continuing Council was resurrected, which, along with the king at the command of Russian Ambassador Jakob Sievers, called a fresh dissection council.

Poniatowski accepted a monetary gratuity of PLN 20,000 for his humble participation. He besides reported his readiness to abdicate. He was delayed from this step, as the Tsaric said it would make cutting difficult. After signing the land assignment for Russia and Prussia, the king hugged Sievers twice in joy that it was over. During the time of the Grodziński Sejm, he supported the simplification of the army and issued a ban on carrying Orders of Virtuti Militari demanding war heroes to return these decorations to the hands of the Continuing Council.

Following the outbreak of the Kosciuszko Revolution, a peculiar university condemned the rabble, and Kosciuszko considered him a dangerous provocateur. He took refuge in the care of the tsars, but it did not do much good. After the liberation of Warsaw, revolutionaries wanted to hang him with another traitors. He was saved by Kościuszko himself, who felt that the king's execution would not service the insurgent cause. He remained under home arrest until the end of the fighting.

After the defeat he was interned in Grodno. On October 24, 1795, Russia, Austria and Prussia signed the partition convention, and on November 25 (again the day of the name of the caryca) Stanisław August abdicated. The dismemberment powers decided to remit all his debts. In addition, Russia has decided to pay him a fixed yearly salary. After the death of Tsar Catherine, he was invited by Paul I to St. Petersburg. He entered into obscure agreements with him most likely concerning any form of restitution of the Polish state. These arrangements did not enter into force due to the fact that the ex - king was mysteriously poisoned.

Poniatowski never got married. He had children with his mistress Elizabeth Grabowska.

Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.