Duchy of Warsaw

{{Polish statehood}} The '''Duchy of Warsaw''' ({{lang-pl|Księstwo Warszawskie}}; {{lang-fr|Duché de Varsovie}}; {{lang-de|Herzogtum Warschau}}; {{lang-ru|Варшавское герцогство, ''Varshavskoye gertsogstvo''}}) was a [[Poland|Polish]] state established by [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon I]] in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] under the terms of the [[Treaties of Tilsit]]. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King [[Frederick Augustus I of Saxony|Frederick Augustus I]] of [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]]. Following [[Napoleon's invasion of Russia|Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia]], the duchy was occupied by Prussian and [[Russian Empire|Russian]] troops until 1815, when it was formally partitioned between the two countries at the [[Congress of Vienna]]. The duchy is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the '''Grand Duchy of Warsaw'''. ==History== The area of the duchy had already been liberated by a popular uprising that had escalated from anti-conscription rioting in 1806. One of the first tasks for the new government included providing food to the French army fighting the Russians in [[East Prussia]]. The Duchy of Warsaw was officially created by French Emperor [[Napoleon I]], as part of the [[Treaty of Tilsit]] with [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. Its creation met the support of both local republicans in partitioned Poland, and the large Polish diaspora in France, who openly supported Napoleon as the only man capable of restoring Polish sovereignty after the [[Partitions of Poland]] of late 18th century. Although it was created as a [[satellite state]] (and was only a [[duchy]], rather than a [[monarchy|kingdom]]), it was commonly hoped and believed that with time the nation would be able to regain its former status, not to mention its former borders. The newly (re)created state was formally an independent duchy, allied to [[First French Empire|France]], and in a [[personal union]] with the [[Kingdom of Saxony]]. King [[Frederick Augustus I of Saxony]] was compelled by Napoleon to make his new realm a [[constitutional monarchy]], with a parliament (the [[Sejm]]). However, the duchy was never allowed to develop as a truly independent state; Frederick Augustus' rule was subordinated to the requirements of the French ''[[raison d'état]]'', who largely treated the state as a source of resources. The most important person in the duchy was in fact the French ambassador{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}, based in the duchy's capital, Warsaw. Significantly, the duchy lacked its own diplomatic representation abroad{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}. In 1809, a short war with [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] started. Although the Duchy of Warsaw won the [[Battle of Raszyn (1809)|Battle of Raszyn]], Austrian troops entered Warsaw, but Duchy and French forces then outflanked their enemy and captured [[Kraków]], [[Lwów]] and much of the areas annexed by Austria in the [[Partitions of Poland]]. After the Battle of Wagram, the ensuing [[Treaty of Schönbrunn]] allowed for a significant expansion of the Duchy's territory southwards with the regaining of once-Polish and Lithuanian lands. ===Napoleon's campaign against Russia=== [[File:Ksiaze Jozef.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Prince [[Józef Poniatowski]] Commander in Chief of forces of Duchy of Warsaw, by [[Juliusz Kossak]]]] As a result of Napoleon's campaign in 1812 against Russia, the Poles expected that the Duchy would be upgraded to the status of a Kingdom and that during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, they would be joined by the liberated territories of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], Poland's historic partner in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. However, Napoleon did not want to make a permanent decision that would tie his hands before his anticipated peace settlement with Russia. Nevertheless he proclaimed the attack on Russia as a ''second Polish war.'' That peace settlement was not to be, however. Napoleon's ''[[Grande Armée]]'', including a substantial contingent of Polish troops, set out with the purpose of bringing the Russian Empire to its knees, but his military ambitions were frustrated by a combination of the Russian defense and a brutal winter climate; few returned from the march on Moscow. The failed campaign against Russia proved to be a major turning point in Napoleon's fortunes. After Napoleon's defeat in the east, most of the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw was retaken by Russia in January 1813 during their advance on France and its allies. The rest of the Duchy was restored to Prussia. Although several isolated fortresses held out for more than a year, the existence of the state in anything but name came to an end. [[Alexander I of Russia]] created a Provisional Highest Council of the Duchy of Warsaw to govern the area through his generals. ===The Congress of Vienna, and the Fourth Partition=== Although many European states and ex-rulers were represented at the so-called [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815, the decision-making was largely in the hands of the major powers. It was perhaps inevitable, therefore, that both Prussia and Russia would effectively partition Poland between them; Austria was to more-or-less retain its gains of the First Partition of 1772. Russia demanded to gain all territories of Duchy of Warsaw. It kept all its gains from the three previous partitions, together with Białystok and the surrounding territory that it had obtained in 1807. Its demands for the whole Duchy of Warsaw were denied by other European powers. Prussia regained territory it had first gained in the First Partition, but had had to give up to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. It also regained as the "[[Grand Duchy of Posen]]" (i.e. Poznań) some of the territory it had conquered in the Second Partition, and had again had to give up in 1807. This territory formed an area approximately 29,000 km² in size. The city of Kraków and some surrounding territory, previously part of the Duchy of Warsaw, were established as a semi-independent [[Free City of Kraków]], under the "protection" of its three powerful neighbours. The city's territory measured some 1164 km², and had a population of about 88,000 people. The city was eventually annexed by Austria in 1846. Finally, the bulk of the former Duchy of Warsaw, measuring some 128,000 km in area, was re-established as what is commonly referred to as the "[[Congress Poland|Congress Kingdom]]" of Poland, in [[personal union]] with the [[Russian Empire]]. De facto a Russian [[puppet state]] it maintained its separate status only until 1831, when it was effectively annexed to the Russian Empire. ===Legacy=== Superficially, the Duchy of Warsaw was just one of various states set up during Napoleon's dominance over the European continent, lasting only a few years and passing with his fall. However, its establishment a little over a decade after the Second and Third Partitions had appeared to wipe Poland off the map meant that Poles had their hopes rekindled of a resurrected Polish state. Even with Napoleon's defeat a Polish state continued in some form until the increasingly autocratic Russian state eliminated Poland once again as a separate entity. Altogether, this meant that an identifiable Polish state was in existence for at least a quarter of a century. At the 200th anniversary of the creation of this iteration of the Polish state, numerous commemorative events dedicated to that event were held in Polish capital of Warsaw. In addition the Polish ministry of defense asked the honor of holding a joint parade of Polish and French soldiers to which President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] agreed. ===Constitution=== The [[Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw]] could be considered liberal for its time. It provided for a bicameral Sejm consisting of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. A Council of Ministers functioned as the executive body of the Duchy. Serfdom was abolished and all classes were to be equal before the law. While Roman Catholicism was the state religion, religious tolerance was also guaranteed by the constitution. {{clear}} ===Administrative divisions=== {{main|Administrative division of Duchy of Warsaw}} The [[administrative division]]s of Duchy of Warsaw were based on [[Department (country subdivision)|departments]], each headed by a [[prefect]]. This organization was based on the [[Departments of France|French model]], as the entire Duchy was in fact created by [[Napoleon]] and based on French ideas, although departments were divided into Polish [[powiat]]s (counties). There were 6 initial departments, after 1809 (after Napoleon's defeat of the Austrians and the [[Treaty of Schönbrunn]]) increased to 10 (as the Duchy territory increased). Each department was named after its capital city. [[Image:Duchy of Warsaw 1807-1809.PNG|240px|thumb|right|Map of the Duchy of Warsaw 1807-1809]] In January 1807: *[[Warsaw Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament warszawski}}) *[[Poznań Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament poznański}}) *[[Kalisz Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament kaliski}}) *[[Bydgoszcz Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament bydgoski}}) *[[Płock Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament płocki}}) *[[Łomża Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament łomżyński}}) - for the first few months known as ''Białystok Department ({{lang-pl|Departament białostocki}}){{Citation needed|date=June 2011}} The above 6 departments were divided into 60 [[powiat]]s. [[Image:Duchy of Warsaw 1809-1815.PNG|240px|thumb|right|Map of the Duchy of Warsaw 1809-1815]] Added in 1809: *[[Kraków Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament krakowski}}) *[[Lublin Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament lubelski}}) *[[Radom Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament radomski}}) *[[Siedlce Department]] ({{lang-pl|Departament siedlecki}}) [[File:Nap1807.JPG|thumb|Napoleon conferring [[Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw|the Constitution]] in 1807]] [[Image:Ułani Księstwa Warszawskiego.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Polish uhlans from the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw 1807–1815 [[January Suchodolski]] painting]] ===Military and Economic Demands=== The duchy's armed forces were completely under French control via its war minister, Prince [[Józef Poniatowski]], who was also a [[Marshal of France]]. In fact, the duchy was heavily militarized, bordered as it was by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], the [[Austrian Empire]], and [[Russian Empire|Russia]], and it was to be a significant source for troops in various campaigns of Napoleon. The standing army was of a considerable size when compared to the duchy's number of inhabitants. Initially consisting of 45,000 of regular soldiers (made up of both [[Polish cavalry|cavalry]] and infantry), its numbers were to rise to over 100,000 in 1810, and by the time of [[Napoleon's invasion of Russia|Napoleon's campaign in Russia]] in 1812, its army totaled almost 200,000 troops (out of a total population of some 4.3 million people). The heavy drain on its resources by forced military recruitment, combined with a drop in exports of grain, caused significant problems for the duchy's economy. To make matters worse, in 1808 the French Empire imposed on the duchy an agreement at [[Bayonne]] to buy from France the debts owed to it by Prussia. The [[debt]], amounting to more than 43 million [[franc]]s in [[gold]], was bought at a discounted rate of 21 million francs. However, although the duchy made its payments in installments to France over a four-year period, Prussia failed to pay it, causing the Polish economy to suffer heavily. Indeed, to this day the phrase "sum of Bayonne" is a synonym in [[Polish language|Polish]] for a huge amount of money. All these problems resulted in both inflation and over-taxation. To counter the threat of [[bankruptcy]], the authorities intensified the development and modernisation of [[agriculture]]. Also, a [[protectionism|protectionist]] policy was introduced to protect [[industry]]. ==Geography and demographics== According to the [[Treaties of Tilsit]], the area of the duchy covered roughly the areas of the 2nd and 3rd [[Partitions of Poland|Prussian partitions]], with the exception of [[Gdańsk|Danzig (Gdańsk)]], which became the [[Free City of Danzig (Napoleonic)|Free City of Danzig]] under joint French and Saxon "protection", and of the district around [[Białystok]], which became part of Russia. The Prussian territory was made up of territory from the former Prussian provinces of [[New East Prussia]], [[Southern Prussia]], [[New Silesia]], and [[West Prussia]]. In addition, the new state was given the area along the [[Noteć]] river and the [[Chełmno Land|Land of Chełmno]]. Altogether, the duchy had an initial area of around 104,000 km², with a population of approximately 2,600,000. The bulk of its inhabitants were [[Poles]]. Following the annexation in 1809 of Austrian [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]] and the areas of [[Zamość]] and Kraków, the duchy's area increased significantly, to around 155,000 km², and the population also substantially increased, to roughly 4,300,000. ==Grand Duchy of Warsaw== The Duchy of Warsaw is commonly referred to today as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. However, the duchy was not referred to as such in [[French language|French]], which was both the diplomatic language of the time, and of course the language of the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] which created the state. Article XV of the [http://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/que/normal/que801.pdf Treaty of Tilsit], which created the duchy, the [http://pcombal.club.fr/convention7.html Convention] which transferred it to Saxony, and Article 1 of the [http://pcombal.club.fr/congresvienne.html Act of the Congress of Vienna], which effectively abolished it, all refer to it in French as the "Duché de Varsovie". Similarly, [[Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw|the duchy's constitution]] refers to it in German as ''Herzogtum Warschau'', and its coins bore the [[Latin]] inscription FRID·AVG·REX SAX·DVX VARSOV· (''Fridericus Augustus, Rex Saxoniæ, Dux Varsoviæ''; "Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony, Duke of Warsaw). ==See also== *[[History of Poland (1795-1918)|History of Poland (1795–1918)]] *[[Polish Legions in Italy]] *[[Greater Poland Uprising (1806)]] *[[Congress Poland]] *[[List of French possessions and colonies]] ==External links== * [http://poland.pl/cms/print.htm?id=11572 Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw] ** [http://www.law.uj.edu.pl/users/khpp/fontesu/1807.htm Text in Polish] ** [http://www.verfassungen.de/pl/verf07-i.htm Text in German] * [http://web2.airmail.net/napoleon/polish_army.html Polish Army of the Napoleonic Wars] * [http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~koby/political/chapter_16/16duchywarsaw.html Napoleon and the Duchy of Warsaw] * [http://www.um.warszawa.pl/v_syrenka/new/?dzial=aktualnosci&ak_id=12123&kat=3 Information about events marking 200th anniversary of establishing Duch of Warsaw, in Polish, also included photo gallery] ==Further reading== * E. Fedosova (December 1998), ''[http://www.napoleon-series.org/ins/scholarship98/c_polish.html Polish Projects of Napoleon Bonaparte]'', ''Journal of the International Napoleonic Society'' '''1'''(2) {{Client states of the Great French War}} {{coord missing}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Warsaw, Duchy of}}