The Treaty of Warsaw was a diplomatic agreement signed in
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 8 January 1745. Its birthplace is traced back to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, Germany. It was an agreement between
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
and
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
(the
Quadruple Alliance Quadruple Alliance may refer to:
* The October 1673 alliance between the Dutch Republic, Emperor Leopold, Spain, and Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, during the Franco-Dutch War.
* The 1718 alliance between Austria, France, the Netherlands, and Great ...
) to uphold the
pragmatic sanction
A pragmatic sanction is a sovereign's solemn decree on a matter of primary importance and has the force of fundamental law. In the late history of the Holy Roman Empire, it referred more specifically to an edict issued by the Emperor.
When used ...
enabling their favoured candidate
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
to take the throne of the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. It also helped the Austro-Saxon alliance secure "the pecuniary support of the maritime powers by the treaty of Warsaw" (Horn, 34).
It brought Saxony into intimate relations with Britain for the first time. It is considered to be merely the specifying and fixing down of what had been shadowed out as secret modifiers stated in the Union of Warsaw. The treaty was for reconquering Silesia and "for cutting down that bad neighbor to something like the demensions proper for a Brandenburg
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
". The treaty also aimed to hold together in affairs of the Reich, unlike the Frankfurt Union, as "30,000 Saxons conjoined to the Austrian force for which the sea powers will furnish subsidy". The treaty was proposed by the Hungarian and Polish majesties' secret articles, an ulterior project; however, the sea powers disagreed to the project.
Notionally a defensive alliance, it came during the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...
and within months, all the signatories were in an alliance against France. Along with the sudden death of the
Bavarian king, it dramatically changed the balance of power in Germany.
[Simms p. 336–37]
The Allies were ultimately successful in securing recognition for Maria Theresa at the
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The Treaty of Warsaw was secret until
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
discovered it in 1756 and made it known to the world. However, the treaty's terms were never absolutely accomplished.
References
Bibliography
* Carlyle, Thomas. "Chapter XII." In ''The Works of Thomas Carlyle'', 145-68. Vol. XV. London: Chapman and Hall, 1898.
* Simms, Brendan. ''Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire''. Penguin Books, 2007.
Further reading
* Browning, Reed. ''The Duke of Newcastle''. Yale University Press, 1975.
* Horn, D.B. “Saxony in the War of the Austrian Succession.” In The English Historical Review, 33-47. Vol. 44. Oxford: Oxford University, 1929.
1745 in Europe
War of the Austrian Succession
History of Warsaw
Warsaw (1745)
1745 treaties
Treaties of the Dutch Republic
Treaties of the Habsburg Monarchy
1745 in the Dutch Republic
1745 in Great Britain
1745 in the Habsburg Monarchy
1745 in the Holy Roman Empire
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