Stanisław Leszczyński
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Stanisław I Leszczyński (Polish pronunciation:
During the
In 1709, Charles XII of Sweden, Stanisław's main supporter, suffered a defeat by the Russians at the Battle of Poltava, and was subsequently driven into exile in the Ottoman Empire. As a result, Augustus II returned to the throne, and while Charles served his exile in the Ottoman Empire, Stanisław accepted the rule of the tiny state of Palatine Zweibrücken, a small state of the Holy Roman Empire which was in personal union with Sweden and located near the region of Alsace. After Charles's death in 1719, he moved to nearby Wissembourg in Alsace. In 1725, his daughter Marie Leszczyńska married Louis XV of France.[1]
The death of Augustus II sparked the
While Duke of Lorraine, Stanisław lived out his remaining years at a country estate in
His retaking of the Polish throne in 1733 formed the backdrop for Un giorno di regno, an opera by composer Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Felice Romani, which premiered in 1840.
Early life
Born in Lwów (now
King for the first time
The following year, Stanisław was selected by Charles XII of Sweden 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
First loss of throne
The vast majority of Poles hastened to repudiate Stanisław and make their peace with Augustus. Henceforth a mere pensioner of Charles XII, Stanisław accompanied
King for a second time
Stanislaw's son-in-law Louis XV supported his claims to the Polish throne after the death of Augustus II the Strong in 1733, which led to the War of the Polish Succession. On 11 September 1733, Stanisław himself arrived at Warsaw, 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, son of the late king, as being the candidate of her Austrian ally.
On 30 June 1734, a Russian army of 20,000 under Peter Lacy, after proclaiming Frederick Augustus II of Saxony as king in Warsaw, proceeded to besiege Stanisław at Danzig, 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 Burkhard Christoph von Münnich superseded Peter Lacy, and on 20 May 1735 the long-expected French fleet appeared and disembarked 2,400 men on Westerplatte. 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 Königsberg (where he briefly met the future King Frederick the Great of Prussia), whence he issued a manifesto to his partisans which resulted in the formation of a confederation on his behalf, and the despatch of a Polish envoy to Paris to urge France to invade Saxony with at least 40,000 men. In Ukraine too, Count Nicholas Potocki kept on foot to support Stanisław a motley host of 50,000 men, which was ultimately scattered by the Russians.
Duke of Lorraine and of Bar
On 26 January 1736, Stanisław again abdicated the throne but received in compensation the duchies of
His court painter was André Joly.[3]
Death
Stanisław was still alive when his great-great-granddaughter,
Leszczyński died aged 88 in 1766 as a result of serious burns – his silk attire caught fire from a spark while the King was asleep near the fireplace in his palace in Lunéville on 5 February. He was medically treated for several days but died of wounds on 23 February. He was the longest living Polish king.[4]
Originally buried in the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Nancy, following the French Revolution his remains were brought back to Poland and buried in the royal tomb of the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków.
Children
- Anna (25 May 1699 – 20 June 1717) died unmarried and childless.
- Louis XV of Franceand had issue.
His wife also suffered many miscarriages.
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Stanisław Leszczyński Marianna Kazanowska | | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. Anna Potocka | |||||||||||||
Play and opera
Loosely based on an incident of King Stanisław's life are the play Le faux Stanislas written by the Frenchman Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval in 1808, transformed into the opera Un giorno di regno, ossia Il finto Stanislao (A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus, but often translated into English as King for a Day) by Giuseppe Verdi, to an Italian libretto written in 1818 by Felice Romani.
Gallery
-
Castle in Rydzyna was rebuilt in 1700 by Pompeo Ferrari on his order. -
Château de Chambord, where he lived between 1725 and 1733. -
Église Saint-Jacques in Lunéville was established by him in 1745. -
Statue at Place Stanislas in Nancy, unveiled in 1831 -
Portrait by Jean-Baptiste van Loo, 1727–1728 -
Portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud -
Portrait from c. 1750 -
King Stanisław I by Antoine Pesne -
Personal coat of arms
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Further reading
- Zieliński, Ryszard (1978). Polka na francuskim tronie. Czytelnik.
- Květina, Jan (2014). The Polish Question as a Political Issue within Philosophical Dispute: Leszczyński versus Rousseau. Oriens Aliter. Journal for Culture and History of the Central and Eastern Europe. (https://www.academia.edu/23935174/The_Polish_Question_as_a_Political_Issue_within_Philosophical_Dispute_Leszczy%C5%84ski_versus_Rousseau)
See also
- History of Poland (1569–1795)
- History of philosophy in Poland
- List of Poles
References
- ^ "Stanisław I - king of Poland". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Květina, Jan (January 2014). "The Polish Question as a Political Issue within Philosophical Dispute: Leszczyński versus Rousseau". Oriens Aliter. Journal for Culture and History of the Central and Eastern Europe. Retrieved April 11, 2019 – via www.academia.edu.
- ^ Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays. Tome 2 / Par un groupe d'écrivains spécialistes français et étrangers ; sous la direction de e. Bénézit.
- ^ "Stanisław Leszczyński - Szkolnictwo.pl". www.szkolnictwo.pl. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Żychliński, Teodor (1882). Złota księga szlachty polskiéj: Rocznik IVty (in Polish). Jarosław Leitgeber. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
External links
Media related to Stanislaus I Leszczyński at Wikimedia Commons
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Stanislaus I.". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 775–776.
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