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Election of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 5,584 electors | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1764 Polish–Lithuanian royal election was an election to decide on the new candidate for the Polish–Lithuanian throne.
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History Summarized: Poland
Transcription
Eligibility was known in medieval and the early modern age, however there was nowhere such processing as there was here. That means open and public elections by the commonalty of citisens and what`s more, so numerous citisens. Elections are taking place under the sky, "Sub Deo", So providence is close to the electors. At the beginning there was sung "Veni Creator Spiritus" and after, thank the Holy Spirit for the inspiration on knees. Help of the providence could be useful in 1573, when the nobles right to election was questioned. Since Jagiello election was made by the Royal Council, "Senate". Decission belonged to the several dozens of lords. There was serious danger that magnatery will dominate elections. This was unacceptable for the paricipants of the "Execution movement", who knowed what means to share responsibility for the state. They didn`t wanted to be puppets, but the real electors. "We`re all defending Republic, we`re all decideing about our ruler." Such privillage was issued by the "Seym" in the constitution of 1538. Since then the future elections should be "free", without the internal pressure. Pressure of existing King, so there cannot be election during the monarch`s life. NO !!! NEVER !!! NO !!! Decission about the shape and place of the elections was made after Sigismund August died. Nobility maintained state during 'interregnum' and called the Elective meeting to Warsaw. The choice of Warsaw prejudged two things. During the "Seym" of Lublin Union, when there were joined Poland and Lithuania, people were looking for a place of the common diet, which would connect, not separate both. Warsaw is in Masovia, district which was recently merged with the Crown back than. It had comfortable connections. First election took part on the right side of Vistula, on the field of "Kamion" (present "Kamionek"). Since the second, elections will be on the field of "Wola" (Will), the "Great Wola". Participation was expensive and difficult, especially for the citizens from borderlines of "Rzeczpospolita". Under that communication`s conditions, it needed often two weeks to reach that field. Technical issues, preparation of the field, so called "trench", senator`s "Shop", cleaning after all of that... There was comeing lots of people. Elective Seyms were lasting about 50 days. Often the poorest were leaving first. There was whole "game", sometimes typical 'obstruction', to hold the people as long as possible, proceeding other issues, to tire these electors they, exhausted, would go back to thier places and make it easier to decide for the magnates. Election`s field was always place of the political games, sometimes bloody, unti foreign armies were participating Election remained one of the most important evidences of the civic participation in the politics If not the disaster of "partitions", we will be now proudly saying that we worked out the best way of choosing the head of state, exactly in the free and open... Elections
Background
The Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763, established a new pattern of political alliances in Europe. The Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Russian Empire emerged as great powers, while the position of Austria, France, Spain, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire was weakened. As a result of the war, the Russian Empress, Catherine the Great, was in almost complete control of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Catherine was supported by the Prussian monarch, Frederick the Great, who hoped to eventually annex Polish provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland.
History
After the death of Augustus III of Poland, two dominant political camps of Poland expressed their interest to the Polish throne. The Potocki family promoted Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki, while the Czartoryski family backed its leader, Duke Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski. Under pressure from Catherine, the Czartoryskis, however, withdrew the candidacy of Adam Kazimierz, and replaced him with Stolnik from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Stanisław August Poniatowski, who had been one of Catherine’s lovers. Russian support however, did not mean that Poniatowski would automatically become new monarch of the Commonwealth. Polish–Lithuanian szlachta was at that time strongly anti-Russian, and in case of a free election, Branicki’s victory was secure.
The Czartoryski family, fearing a civil war, asked the Russian empress for military assistance. They were not aware of the fact that the Russians and their Prussian allies had previously signed a secret pact, which stipulated the use of a military force to support Poniatowski. As early as October 17, 1763, Catherine wrote a letter to Frederick, in which she expressed the opinion that from all candidates to the Polish crown, Poniatowski was the least popular one, therefore, he would be most grateful to those who had made him monarch. On April 11, 1764, Russia and Prussia signed the pact, in which both sides pledged to promote Poniatowski. He was the most convenient candidate for the Russians, as a former lover of Catherine, he would guarantee submission to his Russian sponsor. The Czartoryskis, who called themselves Familia, regarded themselves as patriots, who saw the need for urgent reforms for the declining Commonwealth. At the same time, they were of the opinion that all reforms were to be carried out with Russian permission only, as the Russian Empire was the dominant force in Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore, leaders of the Familia, Andrzej Zamoyski and August Aleksander Czartoryski urged Catherine to send the Russian army. The empress did so, issuing an announcement that she wanted to protect all freedoms of the Commonwealth. The Potockis, who called themselves the Republicans, on the other hand, supported the notion of Golden Liberty, together with liberum veto.
The first clash between the two camps took place during the Convocation Sejm, which began on May 7, 1764. The Republicans vetoed all bills brought forward by the Czartoryskis. The Russian army, stationed near Warsaw, intervened and ordered the Republicans to leave the Polish capital. Remaining Sejm deputies called a confederation, but failed to carry out any significant changes in the government of the Commonwealth. Poniatowski himself was an envoy to the Convocation Sejm, he represented the Land of Warsaw.
The Election Sejm, which as usual took place in early September 1764 in Wola near Warsaw, was attended by some 5,000 nobles. Poniatowski, backed by Russian and Prussian envoys, as well as diplomats from Great Britain and Denmark–Norway, was unanimously elected on September 7. On September 13 Poniatowski signed the pacta conventa, in which he pledged to marry a Roman Catholic.
On November 25, 1764, following the order of Catherine the Great, Primate Władysław Aleksander Łubieński crowned Poniatowski as King of Poland. The ceremony took place at St. John's Archcathedral, Warsaw, and the new king, to dismay of conservatives, did not put on traditional Polish clothes, preferring to wear instead a 16th-century Spanish outfit.
Aftermath
Poniatowski’s election was not at first recognized by several European states, such as France, Austria and the Ottoman Empire, which saw the new monarch as Catherine’s tool. This changed after several interventions of Russian and Prussian diplomats.
See also
- History of Poland in the Early Modern era (1569–1795)
- Royal elections in Poland
- Golden Liberty
- Henrician Articles
- The Election of Stanisław August
Sources
- U. Augustyniak, Historia Polski 1572–1795, Warszawa 2008
- M. Markiewicz, Historia Polski 1494–1795, Kraków 2002
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This page was last edited on 6 March 2024, at 14:15