Search results
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like How did Alexander II affect Poland, How did nicholas II affect poland, How did Lenin affect Poland? and more.
Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Which war broke out upon the death of Augustus II of Poland?, What altered the law of primogeniture within the Hapsburg family to allow inheritance of the kingdom through daughters?, Law of Primogeniture and more.
1. The values of the Roman republic, including rule of law, the rights of citizens, upright moral behavior, and keeping one's word so there we a lot of help in building the empire. Also Rome's impressive army which was known to be well kept aided arose in becoming an empire. Also Rome was on the Mediterranean Sea which made it easier to expand ...
- Overview
- Augustus III
- Reform under Stanisław II
A personal union with Saxony, where Augustus II was a strong ruler, seemed at first to offer some advantages to Poland. A king with a power base of his own might reform the Commonwealth, which was still a huge state and potentially a great power. But such hopes proved vain. Pursuing schemes of dynastic greatness, Augustus II involved unwilling Poland in a coalition war against Charles XII of Sweden that proved disastrous. In 1702 Charles invaded the country, forced Augustus out, and staged an election of the youthful Stanisław I Leszczyński as king.
The country, split between two rival monarchs, plunged into chaos. The slowly proceeding demographic and economic recovery was reversed as the looting armies and an outbreak of bubonic plague decimated the people. A crushing defeat of Sweden by Peter I (the Great) of Russia at the Battle of Poltava (Ukraine, Russian Empire) in 1709 eventually restored Augustus to the throne but made him dependent on the tsar. Having failed to strengthen his position through war and territorial acquisitions, Augustus contemplated domestic reforms while his entourage played with the idea of a coup backed by Saxon troops. Peter intervened as an arbiter between the king and his noble opponents. A settlement at the “silent Sejm” surrounded by Russian troops removed Saxon contingents from Poland, but it brought about certain reforms. Subsequent attempts by Augustus to mount a coalition against the rising might of Russia foundered on the distrust of the king’s motives. He was even suspected of plotting partitions of the Commonwealth. During the remaining years of his reign, Augustus’s main preoccupation was to ensure the succession of his son.
Upon Augustus’s death in 1733, Stanisław I, seen this time as a symbol of Poland’s independence and supported by France (his daughter, Marie Leszczyńska, married Louis XV), was elected once again. The counterelection of Augustus III followed, and Russian troops drove Stanisław out of the country. He abdicated, receiving as compensation (after the so-called War of the Polish Succession) the duchy of Lorraine.
The reign of Augustus III (1733–63)—during which 5 out of 15 Sejms were dissolved while the remainder took no decisions—witnessed the nadir of Polish statehood. The Commonwealth no longer could be counted as an independent participant in international relations; the king’s diplomacy was conducted from Dresden in Saxony. Poland passively watched the once-Polish territory of Silesia pass from the Habsburgs to Prussia as a result of the War of the Austrian Succession. Prussia, under Frederick II (the Great), whose grandfather had already been recognized in 1701 as “king in Prussia” by Augustus II, was becoming a great power. During the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), Austrian and Russian troops marched through Poland, and Frederick flooded the country with counterfeit money. The Commonwealth was being treated as a wayside inn.
The election of Stanisław II August Poniatowski as the last king of Poland (reigned 1764–95) was the work of the powerful Familia. Rising from the middle nobility (though his mother was a Czartoryska), the candidate was handpicked by Catherine II (the Great) of Russia not only because he had been her lover but because she felt that he would be completely dependent on her. The Czartoryskis in turn saw him as their puppet. Thus, from the beginning Stanisław II—a highly intelligent man, a patron of the arts, and a reformer in the spirit of the Enlightenment—had to operate under most-difficult conditions. The magnates resented him as an upstart; the conservative szlachta viewed him as Catherine’s tool and as a threat to their liberties. The king’s adroitness and personal charm allowed him in time to win over some of his adversaries, but he lacked a strong will and showed none of the military inclination so cherished by the Poles.
The reforms that accompanied the election were limited. Stanisław sought to reform the state by strengthening the monarchy; the Czartoryskis wished to reform it by strengthening the Sejm. The king embarked on a vast program of modernization, encouraging initiatives in the economic, financial, and military spheres. But above all he waged a nationwide campaign, using the press, literature, and the new National Theatre to change the conservative mentality of the szlachta. In 1765 Stanisław established the Knights’ School—the first truly secular college, which promoted civil virtues and religious toleration—and criticized the treatment of towns and peasantry.
Polish: August II Wettin or August Mocny. German: August Friedrich or August der Starke. Born: May 12, 1670, Dresden, Saxony [Germany] Died: February 1, 1733, Warsaw, Poland (aged 62) House / Dynasty: Wettin dynasty. Role In: Second Northern War. Treaty of Carlowitz.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Conversion to Catholicism. To be eligible for election to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1697, Augustus had to convert to Roman Catholicism. The Saxon electors had traditionally been called "champions of the Reformation ". Christian August of Saxe-Zeitz baptized him and announced his conversion. [ 5] .
People also ask
Why did Augustus II invade Poland?
What did Augustus II do?
How did Augustus affect Poland?
How did Augustus reform Poland?
Aug 20, 2024 · Overview. Augustus II. (1670—1733) Quick Reference. (1670–1733) King of Poland (1696–1733). He was Elector of Saxony from 1694 and succeeded John III (John Sobieski) as King of Poland in 1696. He joined Russia and Denmark against Charles XII of Sweden without Polish support but was defeated.
