Stanisław I Leszczyński was King of the
Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. The new Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe....
, Duke of Lorraine and a count of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
(a rank bestowed by
Emperor Frederick IIIFrederick or Friedrich of Habsburg was Duke of Austria as Frederick V since 1424, successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV since 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III since 1452...
on the
LeszczyńskiLeszczyński, plural: Leszczyńscy is the surname of a Polish noble family. Some Polish surnames have different forms for the genders, Leszczyńska is the form for a female family member.-History:...
family).
Born in Lwów in 1677, he was the son of Rafał Leszczyński, voivode of
Poznań Voivodeship- 1975 to 1998 :From 1975 to 1998, Poznań Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Poznań.Major cities and towns :...
, and Anna Katarzyna Jabłonowska. He married
Katarzyna OpalińskaCatherine Opalińska was Queen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Duchess of Lorraine.-Biography:Catherine was the daughter of magnate Jan Karol Opaliński and his wife Zofia Czarnkowska....
, by whom he had a daughter, Maria, who became Queen-Consort of France as wife of Louis XV. In 1697, as Cupbearer of
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, he signed the confirmation of the articles of election of August II the Strong.
Stanisław I Leszczyński was King of the
Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. The new Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe....
, Duke of Lorraine and a count of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
(a rank bestowed by
Emperor Frederick IIIFrederick or Friedrich of Habsburg was Duke of Austria as Frederick V since 1424, successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV since 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III since 1452...
on the
LeszczyńskiLeszczyński, plural: Leszczyńscy is the surname of a Polish noble family. Some Polish surnames have different forms for the genders, Leszczyńska is the form for a female family member.-History:...
family).
Born in Lwów in 1677, he was the son of Rafał Leszczyński, voivode of
Poznań Voivodeship- 1975 to 1998 :From 1975 to 1998, Poznań Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Poznań.Major cities and towns :...
, and Anna Katarzyna Jabłonowska. He married
Katarzyna OpalińskaCatherine Opalińska was Queen of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Duchess of Lorraine.-Biography:Catherine was the daughter of magnate Jan Karol Opaliński and his wife Zofia Czarnkowska....
, by whom he had a daughter, Maria, who became Queen-Consort of France as wife of Louis XV. In 1697, as Cupbearer of
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, he signed the confirmation of the articles of election of August II the Strong. In 1703 he joined the Lithuanian Confederation, which the
SapiehaThe Sapieha is a Polish-Lithuanian princely family descending from the medieval boyars of Smolensk. The family acquired great influence in the sixteenth century.-History:...
s with the aid of Swedish gold had formed against August.
King for the first time
The following year, Stanisław was selected by
Charles XII of SwedenCharles XII was the King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718....
after a successful Swedish invasion of Poland, to supersede Augustus II, who was hostile towards the Swedes. Leszczyński was a young man of blameless antecedents, respectable talents, and came from an ancient family, but certainly without sufficient force of character or political influence to sustain himself on so unstable a throne.
Nevertheless, with the assistance of a bribing fund and an army corps, the Swedes succeeded in procuring his
electionAn elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by someone, generally from a royal house, who is elected by a group.- Some examples from history :In the ancient Kingdom of Rome, the kings were elected by the Assemblies...
by a scratch assembly of half a dozen
castellanA castellan was the governor or caretaker of a castle or keep. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle".-Duties:...
s and a few score of gentlemen on 12 July 1704. A few months later, Stanisław was forced by a sudden inroad of August to seek refuge in the Swedish camp, but finally on 24 September 1705, he was crowned king with great splendor. Charles himself supplied his nominee with a new crown and scepter
in lieu of the ancient Polish regalia, which had been carried off to
SaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a federal state of Germany, located in the southeastern part of present-day Germany. It is the tenth-largest German state in area and the sixth largest in population , of Germany's sixteen states.Long in the heart of German-speaking Europe, Saxony became one of the new...
by August. The new king's first act was to cement an alliance with Charles XII whereby
Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. The new Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe....
engaged to assist
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
against the Russian tsar. Stanisław did what he could to assist his patron. Thus, he induced
Ivan MazepaIvan Stepanovych Mazepa , Cossack Hetman of the Hetmanate in Left-bank Ukraine, in 1687–1708...
, the
CossackCossacks were originally members of military communities in the uninhabited borderland areas in the steppe that lies North of Black Sea...
hetmanHetman was the title of the second highest military commander used in 15th to 18th century Poland, Ukraine and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, known from 1569 to 1795 as the Rzeczpospolita....
, to desert Peter at the most critical period of the war, and Stanisław placed a small army corps at the disposal of the Swedes. But Stanisław depended so entirely on the success of Charles' arms that after the
Battle of PoltavaThe Battle of Poltava on 27 June 1709 was the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over Swedish Empire in one of the most famous of the battles of the Great Northern War. It is said to have started the end of Sweden's role as a Great Power and the Russians took their place as the leading nation...
(1709) Stanisław's authority vanished as a dream at the first touch of reality. During this period Stanisław resided in the town of
RydzynaRydzyna is a Polish town that was the seat of king Stanisław Leszczyński during Leszczyński's first short reign from 1704-1709. Rydzyna is known as "the pearl of the Polish baroque"....
.
First loss of the throne
The vast majority of Poles hastened to repudiate Stanisław and make their peace with August. Henceforth a mere pensioner of Charles XII, Stanisław accompanied
KrassowErnst Detlof von Krassow, Swedish noble and military commander, born around 1660, dead 23 January 1714, freiherr . Appointed Major General in 1706. Father of Karl Vilhelm von Krassow....
's army corps in its retreat to Swedish
PomeraniaPomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East. It is inhabited...
. On the restoration of August, Stanisław resigned the Polish Crown (though he retained the royal title) in exchange for the little
principalityA principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of
ZweibrückenZweibrücken is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river at the border of the Palatinate forest.- Etymology :Zweibrücken is the Latin Bipontinum; it appears in early documents also as Geminus Pons, and is called by the French Deux-Ponts.- History :The town was the capital...
. In 1716, an assassination was attempted by a Saxon officer, Lacroix, but Stanisław was saved by Stanisław Poniatowski, father of the future king. Leszczyński then resided at
WissembourgWissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department...
in
AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
1725 had the satisfaction of seeing his daughter Maria become the consort of
Louis XVLouis XV ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May 1774...
and queen of France. From 1725 to 1733, Stanisław lived at Chateau Chambord.
King for the second time
His son-in-law Louis XV supported his claims to the Polish throne after the death of August II the Strong in 1733, which led to the
War of the Polish SuccessionThe War of the Polish Succession was a major European war sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that widened as France and Spain, the two Bourbon powers, attempted to check the power of the Austrian Habsburgs in western Europe...
. In September 1733, Stanisław himself arrived at
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
, having traveled night and day through central Europe disguised as a coachman. On the following day, despite many protests, Stanisław was duly elected King of Poland for the second time. However, Russia was opposed to any nominee of France and Sweden. Russia protested against his election at once, in favor of the new Elector of Saxony, as being the candidate of her Austrian ally.
On 30 June 1734, a Russian army of 20,000 under
Peter LacyCount Peter von Lacy, or Pyotr Petrovich Lacy , as he was known in Russia , was one of the most successful Russian imperial commanders before Rumyantsev and Suvorov...
, after proclaiming August III the Saxon at
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
, proceeded to besiege Stanisław at
DanzigThe Siege of Danzig of 1734 was the Russian encirclement and capture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth city of Danzig during the War of Polish Succession...
, where he was entrenched with his partisans (including the Primate and the French and Swedish ministers) to await the relief that had been promised by France.
The siege began in October 1734. On 17 March 1735, Marshal Münnich superseded
Peter LacyCount Peter von Lacy, or Pyotr Petrovich Lacy , as he was known in Russia , was one of the most successful Russian imperial commanders before Rumyantsev and Suvorov...
, and on 20 May 1735 the long-expected French fleet appeared and disembarked 2,400 men on
WesterplatteWesterplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula , in the Gdańsk harbour channel...
. A week later, this little army gallantly attempted to force the Russian entrenchments, but was finally compelled to surrender. This was the first time that France and Russia had met as foes in the field. On 30 June 1735, Danzig capitulated unconditionally, after sustaining a siege of 135 days which cost the Russians 8,000 men.
Disguised as a peasant, Stanisław had contrived to escape two days before. He reappeared at
KönigsbergKönigsberg was the capital of eastern Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945. It was founded by the Teutonic Knights just south of the Sambian peninsula in the year 1255 AD during the Northern Crusades and named for King Ottokar II of Bohemia...
, whence he issued a
manifestoA manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. However, manifestos relating to religious belief are rather referred to as credo. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
to his partisans which resulted in the formation of a confederation on his behalf, and the despatch of a Polish
envoyIn diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....
to Paris to urge France to invade Saxony with at least 40,000 men. In
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
too, Count Nicholas Potocki kept on foot to support Stanisław a motley host of 50,000 men, which was ultimately scattered by the Russians.
Final loss of the throne
On 26 January 1736, Stanisław again abdicated the throne, but received in compensation the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar, which was to revert to France on his death. In 1738, he sold his estates of
RydzynaRydzyna is a Polish town that was the seat of king Stanisław Leszczyński during Leszczyński's first short reign from 1704-1709. Rydzyna is known as "the pearl of the Polish baroque"....
and
LesznoLeszno , German Lissa, is a town in central Poland with 63,955 habitants ....
to Count (later Prince) Alexander Joseph Sułkowski. He settled at
LunévilleLunéville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department and lies on the Meurthe River.-History:...
, founded there the Academia Stanislaw and devoted himself for the rest of his life to
scienceScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
and
philanthropyPhilanthropy is the effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations.- Definition :It is generally agreed that the word was coined 2500 years ago in ancient Greece, by the playwright Aeschylus, or whom ever else wrote Prometheus Bound...
, enaging most notably in controversy with Rousseau.
Stanisław was still living at the time of the birth of his great-great-granddaughter,
Archduchess Maria Theresia of AustriaArchduchess Maria Theresa of Austria was a daughter of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, and his first wife, Isabella of Parma. She died suddenly at age of seven of pleurisy. She is buried in the Imperial Crypt, like her parents and her stepmother.-References:**Antonia Fraser , "Marie Antoinette; The...
, in 1762. He died in 1766, aged 88. His works include
Oeuvres du philosophe bienfaisant, Paris, 1763, 1866.
Ancestors
See also
- History of Poland (1569-1795)
- History of philosophy in Poland
- List of Poles
External links