Historical calendar – the anniversary of reading the letter of the king of Prussia at the session of the Sejm, in which he promised Poland an alliance and agreed to systemic reforms in order to strengthen the state.
Today in our calendar we will look at the turbulent times of the large Sejm and Polish abroad policy from this period.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Russia waged war with Turkey. Our national politicians have decided to usage this. King Stanislaus August met with Tsarica Catherine in Kaniów in 1787, where the terms of the alliance and joint armed action were initially discussed. According to the findings, the formation of a twelve 1000 Polish corps was started to support the Russians against Turkey; Catherine II agreed in return to average systemic reforms of the Republic of Poland.
Stanislaw August, striving to bring public opinion to his side, supported anti-Turkish sentiments through propaganda initiatives, specified as the large commemoration of the triumph at Vienna or the construction of the monument of Jan III Sobieski. At the same time, at the command of Russian Ambassador Stackelberg, he developed a task of the Polish-Russian alliance. However, the first successes of the Tsarist troops caused Petersburg to retreat from earlier plans for military cooperation and the reactivation of the sovereign Republic on the European arena.
September 28, 1788 was handed over Warsaw's clear signal that the alliance is unrealistic and will not scope it. Hopes for liberation and reformist sentiments were already besides strong in the country to strangle them with specified a declaration. It was decided to go after the blow and the fact-finding method, to carry out at least part of the essential interior reforms. Based on the prior agreement of the Tsaric, a Sejm was convened on 6 October, later called the large Seym.
Reformists greatly dared by the declaration of the Prussian diplomat Ludwig Heinrich Buchholtz, which on 13 October proposed a Polish-Prussian alliance against Russia and Austria. The Prussians guaranteed independency and assistance against Russia and agreed to all the country's systemic reforms. On 10 December, a peculiar letter from King Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia was read in the Sejm, kept in the same tone.
The Warsaw elite, thus planted, no longer had a shadow of uncertainty to go into reforming the country. They were peculiarly favored by the global situation, as Russia was attacked in 1788 by the British diplomatic support Sweden. The Swedes understood well that Russia's fight against Turkey opened a window of chance for them and that there was much to be played on.
It is worth mentioning at this point that at that time Sweden was vacated by Russia to a lesser degree than the Republic of Poland. So it was her fight for independence. However, in our country fewer Poles supported royal visions. Russia was widely regarded as the main possessor, and further cooperation with it as a national betrayal. In addition, the military alliance and the common war with Turkey meant further strengthening Russia.
What the worldly participants of political life considered to be the right thing completely opposite, or the creation of a large anti-Russian coalition, composed of Sweden, Poland and Turkey. specified a military block could effectively endanger Russian dominance in Central Europe, or at least useful for the moment, to regain full sovereignty by Warsaw. It was an thought as real as possible, due to the fact that - as already mentioned- Sweden and Turkey waged war with Russia.
It was adequate to join the fight with, for example, those forces that Poland had to, and send delegations to Stockholm and Istanbul, in order to negociate a joint war and peace talks. That's it. That's it. Of course, we do not know if specified talks would have a affirmative outcome, but authoritative factors have not even made specified an attempt, although they had 2 years since the beginning of the Swedish-Russian war (!).
In the end, Turkey and Sweden fought war with the carat separately. Russia had to let go on 1 of the fronts. As a result, Sweden won and regained its independence. In turn, isolated after 1790, Turkey lost and had to quit Russia to Jedysan. Her defeat was all the more apparent as Russia supported Austria, and the signed alliance with Prussia did not give Istanbul any military benefits. Mainly due to Poland's attitude, which could not decide on bold, but besides promising to succeed.
As a result, Polish kunktatorship, ending wars with Sweden and Turkey, gave Tsaric Catherine a free hand to a proceeding with Warsaw in a one-on-one fight.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
