![InfanteD](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/InfanteD.Manuel.png)
The Treaty of the Three Black Eagles, or Treaty of Berlin, was a
secret treaty
A secret treaty is a treaty (international agreement) in which the contracting state parties have agreed to conceal the treaty's existence or substance from other states and the public.Helmut Tichy and Philip Bittner, "Article 80" in Olivier D ...
signed in September and December 1732 between the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
and
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
.
It concerned the joint policy of the three powers regarding to the succession of the
Polish throne
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...
in light of the expected death of King
Augustus II of Poland
Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...
(and Elector of Saxony from the House of Wettin) and the Polish custom of
royal elections
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the ...
. It intended to exclude the candidacies of Augustus' son, Frederick Augustus, and of
Stanislas Leszczynski, who had already been king of Poland from 1704 to 1709.
However, in 1733, as Stanislaus was about to be elected, Russia and Austria signed
Löwenwolde's Treaty
The Treaty of the Three Black Eagles, or Treaty of Berlin, was a secret treaty signed in September and December 1732 between the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire and Prussia.
It concerned the joint policy of the three powers regarding to the ...
(on 19 August 1733) to support Frederick Augustus. Stanislas eventually had to leave Poland, and Frederick Augustus was elected as
Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Aug ...
.
Name
The usual name comes from the fact all three signatories used a black eagle as a state coat of arms. in contrast to the
white eagle, a symbol of Poland. Another name is the Treaty of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where it was signed by Prussia (Russia and Austria had signed on 13 September 1732 and were joined by Prussia on 13 December).
Terms
The three powers agreed that they would oppose another candidate from the House of Wettin as well as the candidacy of the pro-
French Pole
Stanisław Leszczyński
Stanisław I Leszczyński (; lt, Stanislovas Leščinskis; french: Stanislas Leszczynski; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at v ...
, the father-in-law of
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
.
[Corwin, Edward Henry Lewinski (1917) ''The political History of Poland'' Polish Book Importing Company, New York]
p. 286–288
Instead, they chose to support either
Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém
Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém, KGF (; ''Manuel José Francisco António Caetano Estêvão Bartolomeu''; ( Lisbon, 3 August 1697 - Quinta de Belas, 3 August 1766) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince), seventh child of Peter II, King of Portug ...
, brother of the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
king,
[ Tuttle, Herbert and Adams, Herbert Baxter (1883) ''History of Prussia''. Houghton, Mifflin and Company]
pages 369–371
/ref> or a member of the Piast family.
The Treaty of the Three Black Eagles had several goals. None of the three parties seriously supported Infante Manuel. The agreement had provisions for all three powers to agree that it was in their best interest that their common neighbour, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
, did not undertake any reforms that might strengthen it and for its elected monarch to be friendly towards them. In addition to the obvious, increasing the influence of the three powers over the Commonwealth, Austria and Russia also discreetly wanted to reduce the possibility of a French-Prussian-Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
alliance. Prussia received promises of support for its interests in Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
(now southern and western Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
).
Löwenwolde's Treaty
The political situation changed rapidly, and the Treaty of the Three Black Eagles was superseded soon after it had been formulated. With the death of Augustus II on 1 February 1733, Austria and Russia distanced themselves from the earlier treaty, which was never ratified
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inte ...
by the Empress of Russia. Their primary goal, the disruption of the French-Saxon-Prussian alliance, had already been achieved and so they sought to secure support from various Polish and Saxon factions. Thus, on 19 August 1733, Russia and Austria entered into the Löwenwolde's Treaty with Saxony in the person of the new elector, Frederick Augustus II of Saxony
, image = Friedrich August II of Saxony.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein
, image_size = 220px
, reign = 6 June 1836 – 9 August 1854
, coronation =
, predecessor = Anthony
, ...
. The treaty was named after one of the chief diplomats involved in the negotiations, the Russian Karl Gustav von Löwenwolde
Count Karl Gustav von Löwenwolde (17th century - 30 April 1735 Räpina) ( pl, Karl Gustaw von Loewenwolde, russian: Левенвольде, Карл Густав, lv, Kārlis Gustavs Lēvenvolde) was a Russian diplomat and military commander of ...
.
The terms of Löwenwolde's Treaty were straightforward. Russia would provide troops to ensure Frederick Augustus's election and coronation, and Frederick Augustus would, as the Polish king, recognise Anna Ivanovna
Anna Ioannovna (russian: Анна Иоанновна; ), also russified as Anna Ivanovna and sometimes anglicized as Anne, served as regent of the duchy of Courland from 1711 until 1730 and then ruled as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Much ...
as Empress of Russia
The emperor or empress of all the Russias or All Russia, ''Imperator Vserossiyskiy'', ''Imperatritsa Vserossiyskaya'' (often titled Tsar or Tsarina/Tsaritsa) was the monarch of the Russian Empire.
The title originated in connection with Russia' ...
, relinquish Polish claims to Livonia
Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
and remain unopposed to Russian interests in Courland.[Ragsdale, Hugh (1993) ''Imperial Russian foreign policy'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England]
p. 32–33
Austria received a promise that as king, Frederick Augustus would both renounce any claim to the Austrian succession and respect the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
The Pragmatic Sanction ( la, Sanctio Pragmatica, german: Pragmatische Sanktion) was an edict issued by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, on 19 April 1713 to ensure that the Habsburg hereditary possessions, which included the Archduchy of Austria ...
.
Aftermath
Prussia allowed the French candidate, Leszczyński, safe passage across their lands[Lindsay, J. O. (1957) ''The New Cambridge Modern History'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England]
p. 205
and continued to oppose the election of Frederick Augustus. Both Austria and Russia publicly declared in advance that they would not recognise Leszczyński if he was elected. However, the election sejm
Royal elections in Poland (Polish language, Polish: ''wolna elekcja'', lit. ''free election'') were the elections of individual King, kings, rather than dynasties, to the Polish throne. Based on traditions dating to the very beginning of the Polis ...
in Wola
Wola (, ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into an office (co ...
went ahead and picked Leszczyński on 12 September 1733, which was announced by the interrex
The interrex (plural interreges) was literally a ruler "between kings" (Latin ''inter reges'') during the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Republic. He was in effect a short-term regent.
History
The office of ''interrex'' was supposedly created follow ...
, Primate Potocki. Diplomatic promises and the arrival of Russian troops outside Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
on 20 September caused a "rump" group, led by Michael Wisniowiecki (Great Chancellor of Lithuania
Chancellor of Poland ( pl, Kanclerz - , from la, cancellarius) was one of the highest Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officials in the historic Poland. This office functioned from the early History of Poland, Polish kingdom of ...
) and Teodor Lubomirski
Prince Teodor Lubomirski (1683–1745) was a Polish nobleman ( szlachcic).
He was the oldest son of Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski and his first wife Elżbieta Denhoff.
He was owner of Lańcut, Ujazdów and Połonne. Voivode of Kraków ...
(governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
) together with the Bishop of Poznań (Stanisław Józef Hozjusz) and the Bishop of Kraków (Jan Aleksander Lipski) to decamp to another Warsaw suburb, where they held a new election, under the protection of the Russian troops, picking Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, who became Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Aug ...
.
The interference of various foreign powers into the Polish election led to the War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other regional power, European powers widened in p ...
(1733–1738), between Augustus III, with his foreign allies Austria and Russia, against the supporters of Leszczyński, allied with France. Prussia reluctantly sent 10,000 troops. In the Treaty of Vienna of 1738, which formally ended the war, Leszczyński renounced his claim to the Polish throne[''Stanisłas Leszczyński renounced the throne 'voluntarily and for the sake of peace', which implied that his election had been legal.'' Lindsay, J. O. (1957) ''The New Cambridge Modern History'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England]
p. 205
and was made Duke of Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
in compensation.
Name
The Three Black Eagles reference the respective coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
of the involved countries, in contrast to the Polish White Eagle.
Gallery
Image:CoA of Russian Empire (1730).svg, Coat of arms of the Russian Empire
Image:Middle Coat of Arms of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.svg, Personal coat of arms of Emperor Joseph II of Austria
Image:Coat of arms of Prussia.svg, The Black Eagle of Prussia
Image:Herb Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodow.svg, Coat of arms of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the White Eagle was the coat of arm of Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...
, Pogoń Litewska
The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is als ...
was the coat-of-arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
See also
* Dzików Confederation
*List of treaties
This list of treaties contains known agreements, pacts, peaces, and major contracts between states, armies, governments, and tribal groups.
Before 1200 CE
1200–1299
1300–1399
1400–1499
1500–1599
1600–1699
1700–1799
...
*Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
* Urszula Kosińska
Could a Portuguese Prince become King of Poland? The Candidacy of Don Manuel de Bragança for the Polish Throne in the Years 1729–33
In: The Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 94, No. 3 (July 2016), pp. 497-508.
* Jacek Kordel
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Eighteen-century Alliance Treaties of the Neighbouring Countries, 1720–72
In: Acta Poloniae Historica Vol. Vol. 116 (2017), pp. 209-248.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowenwolde's Treaty
1732 in Austria
1730s in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
1732 treaties
Treaties of the Russian Empire
Treaties of the Habsburg Monarchy
Treaties of the Kingdom of Prussia
1732 in Prussia
1732 in the Russian Empire
1732 in the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy–Prussia relations
Habsburg Monarchy–Russia relations
Prussia–Russia relations