Treaty Of Bromberg
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The Treaty of Bromberg (, Latin: Pacta Bydgostensia) or Treaty of Bydgoszcz was a treaty between
John II Casimir of Poland John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
and
Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...
Frederick William of
Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
that was ratified at Bromberg (
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
) on 6 November 1657. The treaty had several agreements, including the Treaty of Wehlau, signed on 19 September 1657 by the Brandenburg–Prussian and Polish–Lithuanian envoys in
Wehlau Znamensk (; ; lt, Vėluva; pl, Welawa) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Gvardeysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pregolya River at its confluence with the Lava River east of Kaliningrad. Populati ...
(Welawa, now Znamensk). Thus, the Treaty of Bromberg is sometimes referred to as treaty of Wehlau-Bromberg or Treaty of Wehlau and Bromberg ( pl, traktat welawsko-bydgoski). In exchange for military aid in the
Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...
and the return of Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia) to Poland, the Polish king granted the
Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...
dynasty of Brandenburg hereditary sovereignty in the
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...
, pawned
Draheim Stare Drawsko (until 1945 pl, Drahim; german: Draheim) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czaplinek, within Drawsko County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. The village is prominent as the seat of the histor ...
(Drahim) and Elbing (Elbląg) to Brandenburg and handed over
Lauenburg and Bütow Land Lauenburg and Bütow Land (german: Länder or , csb, Lãbòrskò-bëtowskô Zemia, pl, Ziemia lęborsko-bytowska) formed a historical region in the western part of Pomerelia (Polish and papal historiography) or in the eastern part of Farther Pom ...
to the Hohenzollerns as a hereditary fief. The treaty was confirmed and internationally recognized in the
Peace of Oliva The Treaty or Peace of Oliva of 23 April (OS)/3 May (NS) 1660Evans (2008), p.55 ( pl, Pokój Oliwski, sv, Freden i Oliva, german: Vertrag von Oliva) was one of the peace treaties ending the Second Northern War (1655-1660).Frost (2000), p.183 ...
in 1660. Elbing was kept by Poland, but Lauenburg and Bütow Land and Draheim were later integrated into Brandenburg-Prussia. The sovereignty in Prussia constituted the basis for the later coronation of the Hohenzollern as Prussian kings. Wehlau-Bromberg remained in effect until it was superseded by the Treaty of Warsaw (18 September 1773) after the First Partition of Poland. The Treaty of Bromberg later became regarded as one of the worst mistakes in Polish foreign policy towards Prussia after its consequences had become fatal to Poland.


Context

The
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...
was established as a Polish fief under duke Albrecht (Albert) in the
Treaty of Cracow A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
of 8 April 1525. The fief was hereditary, and if Albrecht or his brothers' house became extinct in the male line, the fief was to pass to the Polish king, who was to appoint a German-speaking Prussian-born governor. On 4 June 1563, that provision was changed by Polish King
Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...
in a privilege issued at Petrikau, which, in addition to Albrecht's branch of the
House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
(Hohenzollern-Ansbach), allowed the Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg branch of the Hohenzollern as possible successors.Małłek (2006), p. 75 The privilege provided for the succession of the Brandenburgian electors as Prussian dukes upon the extinction of the House of Hohenzollern-Ansbach in 1618. In 1656, during the early
Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...
, the Brandenburgian Hohenzollern took the Prussian duchy and Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia) as Swedish Empire, Swedish fiefs in the Treaty of Königsberg (1656), Treaty of Königsberg, before the Swedish king released them from the vassalage and made them absolute sovereigns in those provinces. After fighting along with the Swedish Army in 1656, most prominently at the Battle of Warsaw (1656), Battle of Warsaw, Hohenzollern Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I was willing to abandon his ally when the war had turned against them and signalled his willingness to change sides if Polish King John II Casimir Vasa would grant him similar privileges as previously Swedish King Charles X Gustav of Sweden, Charles X Gustav, conditions that were negotiated in Wehlau (Welawa, now Znamensk) and Bydgoszcz, Bromberg (Bygost, Bydgoszcz). The Polish interest in an alliance with Brandenburg-Prussia was born out of the need to end the war against Sweden as soon as possible.Frost (2004), p. 98 On 3 November 1656, the Truce of Vilna had promised Alexis of Russia's election as a successor on the Polish throne at the next diet in return for halting Russo-Polish War (1654–1667), his offensive in Poland–Lithuania and to fight Sweden instead. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, there was support for the treaty from the nobles, who hoped for positions with more privilege, but that was not true for the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland, where the elites looked for ways to circumvent Alexis's succession. For a fast end to the war against Sweden to be able to avoid the implementation of the Truce of Vilna, the anti-Swedish alliance had to be extended. The newly won Russian ally was reluctant to support Poland against Sweden as long as no diet had confirmed the truce.Frost (2004), p. 86 A second ally, the House of Habsburg, Austrian Habsburgs, were won in the Treaty of Vienna (1656), first and the Treaty of Vienna (1657), second Vienna Treaties,Frost (2004), p. 95 but the Habsburg forces were to be maintained by Poland, the prize for the alliance was bound to rise while the war lasted. A third ally was Denmark-Norway, which joined the anti-Swedish coalition in June 1657 after it had been triggered by the second Treaty of Vienna. However, Denmark was not fighting on Polish soil, and although its involvement tied down Charles X Gustav's forces and a formal alliance with Poland was concluded in July, the Danish aimed to recover Skåneland, Scandinavian territories, which had been lost at the Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645). The Habsburgs' interest in the treaty was to build up good relations with Frederick William I. As a prince-elector, he was a valuable ally if he supported their policy in the Holy Roman Empire.Frost (2004), p. 97 Thus, the Habsburgs were interested in Frederick William I changing sides and sent diplomat Franz Paul Freiherr von Lisola to mediate a respective settlement. Bromberg and Wehlau are regarded as "twin treaties",Nolan (2008), p. 334 "supplementary treaties" or one treaty, which is sometimes referred to as "Treaty of Wehlau and Bromberg" or "Treaty of Wehlau-Bromberg."Frost (2004), p. 105


Ratification

The preliminary treaty of Wehlau had been signed on 19 September 1657 by Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I's envoys von Schwerin and von Somnitz, as well as by List of bishops of Warmia#Prince-Bishops of Ermland / Warmia, Warmian (Ermland) prince-bishop and Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and House of Habsburg, Habsburg delegate and mediator Freiherr .Frost (2004), pp. 97, 104Signatories at Wehlau (pe
Annotated edition, IEG Mainz, retrieved 2010-02-22
): *Venceslaus de Leszno, episcopus Varmien[sis] s[acrae] r[egiae] m[ajesta]tis Poloniae et Sueciae plenipotentiarius *Vincentius Corvinus Gosiewski, supremus thesaurarius et campiductor m[agni] d[ucatus] L[ithuaniae] s[acrae] r[egiae] m[ajestatis] Poloniae et Sueciae plenipotentiarius *F[ranciscus] De Lisola, seren[issimi] m[ajestatis] Hungariae et Bohemiae regis ad hosce tractatum pro mediatione ablegatus, eiusdemque consiliarius *Ottho Liber Baro a Schwerin, plenipotentiarius electoralis *Laurentius Christophorus Somnitz, Plenipotentiarius electoralis
The amended and final version of the treaty was ratified on 6 November by Frederick William I and John II Casimir Vasa, John II Casimir in Bydgoszcz, Bromberg (Bydgoszcz).Biereigel (2005), p. 63The signatories at Bromberg also included Mikołaj Prazmowski and Kazimierz Samuel Kuszewicz. Annotated edition, IEG Mainz. The Brandenburgian elector and the Polish king attended the ceremony with their wives, Luise Henriette of Nassau and Marie Louise Gonzaga, respectively. Danzig (Gdansk) Mayor Adrian von der Linde was also present. The Treaties of Wehlau and Bromberg were confirmed by the partiesFrost (2000), p. 183 and internationally recognized at the
Peace of Oliva The Treaty or Peace of Oliva of 23 April (OS)/3 May (NS) 1660Evans (2008), p.55 ( pl, Pokój Oliwski, sv, Freden i Oliva, german: Vertrag von Oliva) was one of the peace treaties ending the Second Northern War (1655-1660).Frost (2000), p.183 ...
, which ended the
Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...
in 1660, and by the Polish Sejm in 1659 and 1661.


Agreements

The treaty ratified in Bromberg had three parts. The first one contained 22 articlesKamińska (1983), p. 9 and dealt primarily with the status and succession of Prussia, the Brandenburg-Polish alliance, and military aid. It was drafted in Wehlau and signed there by the Brandenburgian and Polish plenipotentiaries and the Habsburg mediator. The second part was a special convention ("''Specialis Convention''") containing 6 articles, also drafted and signed by the plenipotentiaries and the mediator in Wehlau, which further detailed the alliance and military aid. The third part amended the Wehlau agreement and primarily detailed Polish concessions.


Status of Prussia

The
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...
—where Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I had become fully sovereign by the Brandenburg-Swedish Treaty of Labiau—was likewise accepted by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth to be the sovereign possession of the
House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
.Jähnig (2006), p. 68 However, Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia) was to be returned to Poland. And if the Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburgian Hohenzollern dynasty became extinct in the male line, the Prussian duchy was agreed to pass on to the Polish crown. That made Prussian estates have to pay conditional allegiance to an envoy of subsequent Polish kings upon their succession (''hommagium eventuale, Eventualhuldigung''), and they were released from previous oaths and obligations regarding the Polish crown. The Roman Catholic Church in the former
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...
was to remain subordinate to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Warmia, archbishop of Ermland (Warmia),Kamińska (1983), p. 10 retain its possessions and income and be granted religious freedom.Bahlcke (2008), p. 124


Military aid

Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
was obliged to give military aid to Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poland against the Swedish Empire during the ongoing
Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...
.Schmidt (2006), p. 103 Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I had in Wehlau agreed to aid John II Casimir Vasa with 8,000 men,Motsch (2001), p. 85 and both parties agreed on an "eternal alliance". In Bromberg, it was agreed that from his Prussian province, Frederick William I would dispatch 1,500 foot and 500 horse to join the army of the Polish king.Friedrich (2006), p. 150


Financial and territorial agreements

In return, the Polish crown granted Brandenburg-Prussia
Lauenburg and Bütow Land Lauenburg and Bütow Land (german: Länder or , csb, Lãbòrskò-bëtowskô Zemia, pl, Ziemia lęborsko-bytowska) formed a historical region in the western part of Pomerelia (Polish and papal historiography) or in the eastern part of Farther Pom ...
as a hereditary fief. It was to be held at the same conditions as previously granted to the House of Pomerania, free of duties except that the
House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
had sent envoys to the coronations of successive Polish kings, who were then to receive a written confirmation of the fief. If the Hohenzollern dynasty had no male heir, the fief should return to the Polish crown. In addition to Lauenburg and Bütow land, Brandenburg-Prussia was to receive the town of Elbing (Elbląg).Frost (2004), p. 104 In an amendment, Brandenburg-Prussia was obliged to return the town to Poland once the latter had bailed it out with 400,000 thalers.The sum given for the Elbing ransom by historian Robert I. Frost is 40,000 thalers in Frost (2004), p. 104, and 400,000 thalers in Frost (2000), p. 200. It is 300,000 thalers in Oakley (1992), p. 103 and Wilson (1998), p. 135. Kamińska (1983), p. 12 gives 400,000 thalers. The commented edition of the treaty at the Institut für Europäische Geschichte (Institute for European History) in Mainz gives 400,000 reichstalers in the second amendment, overruling Article XII of the Wehlau tractates. Instead of providing 500 horse, Brandenburg-Prussia was to return Elbing and level its fortification upon receiving the payment, sources given there are: AGADWarschau MK KK Volume 202, p. 40, print: Dogiel IV, p. 497; Pufendorf, p. 389; Dumont VI/2, p. 196; Dolezel, p. 208 The third Polish concession was the payment of 120,000 thalers to Brandenburg-Prussia for war-related damage suffered upon entering the war by Poland. As a security for this payment, the district of
Draheim Stare Drawsko (until 1945 pl, Drahim; german: Draheim) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czaplinek, within Drawsko County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. The village is prominent as the seat of the histor ...
was to be handed over to Brandenburg for three years. The district comprised the town of Czaplinek, Tempelburg (now Czaplinek) and 18 villages at the border of Province of Pomerania (1653-1815), Brandenburgian Pomerania.Motsch (2001), p. 18 The sum was to be paid in annual rates of 40,000 thalers, and Brandenburg was to keep Draheim if the money had not been paid by the end of the third year. For the Catholics in Draheim, religious freedom was guaranteed. The Hohenzollern also agreed to grant religious freedom to the Catholic Church in Lauenburg and Bütow Land.Schmidt (2006), pp. 103-104 The Catholic communities were to stay subordinate to and to be represented by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Włocławek, Kuyavian bishop and keep all of their income, and the Electorate of Brandenburg, Electors of Brandenburg and the local nobility were to have patronage over the churches.Schmidt (2006), p. 104 The rights of the nobility of Lauenburg and Bütow Land were to be left unchanged, and previous court sentences and privileges were to remain in force. The administration of the region should be conducted just as it had been handled by the Pomeranian dukes. In a note issued separately from the treaty, John II Casimir Vasa, John II Casimir assured the nobles that Poland would continue to treat them as members of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and so the nobles would enjoy the same rights and opportunities as the Polish nobles if they decided to leave for Poland.


Implementation


Prussia

The treaty first met with the protest of the Prussian estates, which feared a loss of privileges.Stone (2001), p. 170 As a leader of the opposition, Königsberg mayor Hieronymus Roth was incarcerated for 16 years until his death. The estates' protests ended in 1663, when they swore allegiance to Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I. The ecclesiastical subordination of the Roman Catholic Church to the Polish Royal Prussian Archdiocese of Warmia, prince-bishop of Ermland (Warmia) also caused tensions with the
House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
. Despite those problems, sovereignty in the Prussian duchy provided the basis for the Brandenburgian Hohenzollern to crown themselves "King in Prussia" in 1701.


Lauenburg and Bütow Land

Lauenburg and Bütow Land Lauenburg and Bütow Land (german: Länder or , csb, Lãbòrskò-bëtowskô Zemia, pl, Ziemia lęborsko-bytowska) formed a historical region in the western part of Pomerelia (Polish and papal historiography) or in the eastern part of Farther Pom ...
was officially handed over by John II Casimir's envoy Ignatz Bokowski and received by the Brandenburg-Prussian envoys Adam von Podewils and Ulrich Gottfried von Somnitz in April 1658. During the ceremony, the non-noble inhabitants swore the same oath of allegiance to the Brandenburgian electors that had been sworn to the Pomeranian dukes, and the nobles swore a modified oath. The oath was given by 63 noble families from the Lauenburg district and 43 families of the Bütow district, which was represented at the ceremony by 220 persons. Three persons swore in Polish language, Polish. The Brandenburg-Prussian administration did not accept all of the families as nobles since in May, only thirteen indigenous and six immigrated Pomeranian families in the Lauenburg district and four families in the Bütow district were listed as nobles, the others being referred to as ''besondere freye Leute'' ("special free persons").Schmidt (2006), pp. 104-105 The Brandenburgian electors amended their title with ''dominus de Lauenburg et Bytaw'', despite Polish protests aimed at a change from ''dominus'' (lord) to ''fiduciarus'' (fiduciary). Until 1771, Lauenburg and Bütow Land was administered from Lauenburg (now Lebork), where the local ''Oberhauptmann'' had his seat; the nobles swore allegiance to the electors; and assemblies of the nobles were held in a ''landtag'', the Seymik.Schmidt (2006), p. 105 After 1771, the region was governed from Stettin (now Szczecin), like the rest of Province of Pomerania (1653-1815), Brandenburgian Pomerania, and allegiance to subsequent Prussian kings was given with the other Pomeranian estates in Stettin. The provision that Brandenburgian envoys were to be sent to the inauguration of subsequent Polish kings was followed until 1698, when Brandenburg-Prussia ceased to send delegations. The Treaty of Bromberg was superseded by the Treaty of Warsaw (1773), which followed the First Partition of Poland in 1772. In the new treaty, the terms of Bromberg were cancelled, including the guarantees for the Catholic Church and the nobles, and the Polish crown renounced all rights on Lauenburg and Bütow Land, which was accordingly no longer a fief and would no longer be inherited by the Polish king if the Hohenzollern line became extinct.


Elbing/Elbląg

In 1660, the Swedish Empire, Swedish garrison withdrew from Elbing (Elbląg), but the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth seized it although it had not paid the sum that had been agreed on in Bromberg. That made Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I not support Poland in the contemporary Russo-Polish War (1654–1667), Russo-Polish War,Friedrich (2006), p. 151 but he yielded the neutrality agreement that he had concluded with Tsardom of Russia, Russia in 1656. Poland would keep the town until the First Partition of Poland in 1772, with short interruptions in 1698/1699 and 1703. In 1698, Polish King Augustus II the Strong permitted Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian troops to besiege and storm Elbing,Wilson (1998), p. 135 but the Prussian troops withdrew the following year when Russia mediated its exchange for the Polish Crown Jewels as a security for the bills receivable.Wilson (1998), p. 136 When Augustus the Strong failed to pay, the town was reoccupied in 1703, during the Great Northern War, but the Prussians again withdrew shortly afterwards because of Swedish Empire, Swedish pressure.


Draheim

In addition to Elbing, Poland aimed at also keeping Draheim, but Frederick William I was able to thwart those plans by occupying it in 1663. In the 1720s, the government of the Province of Pomerania (1653-1815), Brandenburgian province of Pomerania took over administrative tasks regarding Draheim, but it retained its independence from the Pomeranian province until the terms of the Treaty of Bromberg were superseded by the Treaty of Warsaw (1773). Before the 1773 treaty, Poland had the nominal right to bail out Draheim, which was never pursued.Motsch (2001), p. 87 Nevertheless, the Polish crown underlined that right by granting privileges to the local Schultheiß, Schulze until 1680. In Article V of the Warsaw Treaty, Poland renounced its right to buy Draheim back and ceded it to Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia "for eternal times".


Assessments

According to Robert I. Frost the
House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
, Wehlau-Bromberg was a "major geopolitical gain and surge in wealth and prestige",similarly: Frost (2004), p. 97: of "undeniable importance in the subsequent rise of Brandenburg-Prussia" and Poland had "substantially benefited" from Brandenburgian support during the war. The concessions that Poland made in Wehlau and Bromberg were thought as tactical and open to later reversal, which did not happen because of Poland's internal weakness. Christopher Clark, Christopher M. Clark says that John Casimir of Poland was "eager to separate Brandenburg from Sweden and to neutralize it as a military threat" when Poland–Lithuania was threatened by the Tsardom of Russia and ready to accept the Hohenzollerns' demands because of pressure by the House of Habsburg, which, after the emperor's incidental death earlier that year, needed to secure the elector's vote since its "urgings [...] carried considerable weight since the Poles were counting on Austrian assistance in the event of a renewed Swedish or Russian attack". Clark thus views Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William as a "beneficiary of international developments beyond his control" and verifies his thesis by the post-Bromberg developments in which the elector lost all further war gains because of French intervention at the Treaty of Oliva. Józef Włodarski regards the treaty as one of the greatest mistakes in Polish foreign policy towards Prussia with fatal consequences for Poland. According to Anna Kamińska (historian), Anna Kamińska, the treaty marked the end of Polish influence on the Baltic and the decline of Poland–Lithuania's position in Europe.Frost (2004), p. 97, referring to Kamińska (1983), p. 3 Frost says that the treaty was subject to criticism of historians such as Kazimierz Piwarski, who considered that the price paid by Poland in Bromberg was unnecessarily high.Frost (2004), p. 97, referring to K. Piwarski (1938) According to Frost, these critics argue from a view after the partitions of Poland and neglect the complexity of the contemporary situation: "Contemporary [Polish] politicians were aware of the dangers of conceding sovereignty, which they accepted not because they were stupid, indifferent, or lacking in foresight, but because the alternatives seemed more damaging to the Commonwealth's interests". Frost regards as having merit Piwarski's assertion of the Polish decision to have been heavily influenced by the Habsburgs but also states that the Polish interest in a rapprochement with Brandenburg had emerged before 1656, long before Lisola entered the scene.


See also

*List of treaties


Notes


Sources


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *Makiłła, Dariusz: Traktat welawski z 19 IX 1657 r. - dzieło pomyłki czy zdrady? Uwagi na tle historii dyplomacji polskiej w czasach drugiej wojny północnej (1654-1667). * * * *Muszyńska, J.; Wijaczki J.(red.) - Rzeczpospolita w latach Potopu 4. J. Wijaczka: Traktat welawsko-bydgoski - próba oceny. * * * * * * * *


External links


Text of the Wehlau-Bromberg treaty


Scan of the treaty ratified at Bromberg, consisting of the terms regarding Prussia and Ermland (22 articles, Wehlau), the terms regarding the Brandenburg-Polish alliance (6 articles, Wehlau) and the amendments regarding Lauenburg-Bütow, Elbing etc, and hosted at ieg-mainz.de (Institut für Europäische Geschichte Mainz), 24 pages
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719044151/http://www.ieg-mainz.de/likecms/index.php?site=site.htm&dir=&nav=&siteid=133&treaty=1398&page=1&lastsiteid=77&sq=&is_fts=1&filter_select=&filter_wt=&filter_id=&filter_l=&filter_p=&searchlang=de&searchstring=wehlau&date=&year_from=&year_till=&location= Separate scan of the Brandenburg-Polish alliance against Sweden (Wehlau) hosted at ieg-mainz.de, 7 pages]


Confirmation and extension of the Wehlau-Bromberg treaty


Annotated edition of the Peace of Oliva, including the confirmation of Wehlau-Bromberg, Oliva 1660, at ieg-mainz.de
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719044314/http://www.ieg-mainz.de/likecms/index.php?site=comment.htm&dir=&treaty=113&comment=296¬rans=1 Confirmation and extension of the Wehlau-Bromberg treaty, Warsaw 1677, transcription, ieg-mainz.de]
Confirmation and extension of the Wehlau-Bromberg treaty, Warsaw 1688, scan, hosted at ieg-mainz.de
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719044517/http://www.ieg-mainz.de/likecms/index.php?site=site.htm&dir=&nav=&siteid=133&treaty=1400&lastsiteid=77&searchquery=&is_fts=1&filter_select=&filter_wt=&filter_id=&filter_l=&filter_p=&searchlang=de&searchstring=wehlau&date=&year_from=&year_till=&location= Confirmation and extension of the Wehlau-Bromberg treaty, Warsaw 1698, scan, hosted at ieg-mainz.de] {{DEFAULTSORT:Bromberg, Treaty Of Second Northern War 1657 in Europe Germany–Poland relations 1657 treaties Treaties of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Treaties of Brandenburg-Prussia 1657 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth