Stanisław Poniatowski (15 September 1676 – 29 August 1762) was a Polish military commander, diplomat, and noble. Throughout his career, Poniatowski served in various military offices, and was a general in both the Swedish and Polish–Lithuanian militaries. He also held numerous civil positions, including those of '' podstoli'' of Lithuania and Grand Treasurer of the Lithuanian army in 1722,

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

of the

Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...

in 1731, regimentarz of the Crown Army in 1728, and

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

in 1752. Throughout his lifetime, he served in many '' starost'' positions. Poniatowski was involved in Commonwealth politics, and was a prominent member of the Familia, a faction led by the

Czartoryski family The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dynasty, by the mid-17 ...

. On a number of occasions he was in service of Stanisław I Leszczyński, the principal rival of Augustus II for the throne of Poland. Having served under Leszczyński as a military officer and envoy during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, Poniatowski later embraced the Russian-supported Augustus. Subsequently, during the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

, he returned, with the majority of the Familia, to his earlier allegiance. He later effected a reconciliation with Augustus III, and eventually became one of the new king's chief advisors. Poniatowski's fifth son,

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...

, reigned as the last king of Poland from 1764 until 1795, when he abdicated as a result of the Third Partition of Poland by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. His grandson, Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski, was a Polish general and later a Marshal of the First French Empire, serving under

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Biography

Early life

Poniatowski was born on 15 September 1676 in the village of Chojnik, now part of the

Lesser Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,404,863 (2019). Its capital and largest city is Kraków. The province's name recalls the traditional name of a h ...

. He was the son of Franciszek Poniatowski (1651–1691), " Master of the Hunt" in 1680 and

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person had to be regarded as thor ...

at Wyszogród in 1690, and his wife Helena Niewiarowska, (died 1673/74). He was also the paternal grandson of one Jan Poniatowski, who died before 1676, although rumors regarding his parentage claimed that he was the son of Hetman Jan Kazimierz Sapieha by an unknown Polish Jewish woman, later adopted by Franciszek. Jerzy Łojek, ''Dzieje zdrajcy'',

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

, 1988; , p. 189. He received elementary education in

, at either the Kraków Academy or at the Nowodworski School. At 13, he was sent to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, capital of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

where he spent two years, and afterward traveled to

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, then a province of that empire. There, he volunteered to join Imperial forces campaigning against the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

in the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

. He served as an adjutant to Michał Franciszek Sapieha, and later commanded a company of

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

s. He participated in the

Battle of Zenta The Battle of Zenta, also known as the Battle of Senta, took place on 11 September 1697 near Zenta, in the Kingdom of Hungary, then under Ottoman occupation (present-day Serbia). It was a decisive engagement of the Great Turkish War, fought ...

in 1697. After the

Treaty of Karlowitz The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy League at the Battle of Zenta, was signed in Karlowitz, in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy (present-day ...

of 1699, which ended the war, he returned to Lithuania. Upon his return, he wed Teresa Woynianka-Jasieniecka, but their marriage ended abruptly with her death not long afterward. The union, however, raised his social status. In 1700, he participated in the Lithuanian Civil War as a supporter of the Sapieha family, fighting in the Battle of Valkininkai. Here, he was captured, but managed to escape, and he later served as Sapieha's emissary to

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

, king of Sweden.

The Great Northern War and subsequent Swedish service

In 1702, Swedish forces invaded the Commonwealth as part of the

, which had begun in 1700 between the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

and the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721. ...

. Augustus II, king of Poland and

Elector of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...

, was an ally of the Russian tsar Peter I. Augustus's forces were defeated, and the king himself was forced back to Saxony. He was replaced by Charles with

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (Stanisław Bogusław; 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 various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duk ...

, a Polish nobleman and count of the

. Poniatowski, serving as a negotiator between the Wielkopolska Confederation and Charles XII, took the side of Leszczyński and distanced himself from the Sapiehas, formerly his patrons. In 1705, he became the

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

over Leszczyński's newly raised Trabant guard, modeled after the reputable Swedish Drabant Corps.''Emil Hildebrand'', Svensk historisk bibliografi, Volume 10. Svenska Historiska Föreningen, 1890. p. 196. In 1708, Leszczyński appointed Poniatowski his personal representative to Charles XII.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 472. He participated in the Battle of Holowczyn that year, and served as an aide to Charles XII during his exile in the Ottoman Empire after the Battle of Poltava in 1709. Here, he worked to establish an alliance between the Ottomans and the Swedes, aiming to bring the Ottomans into the war against Russia. Due to diplomatic efforts on the part of the French, aligned with Sweden, the Ottomans began to campaign against the Russians in 1710. With this change in Ottoman foreign policy came the dismissal of Çorlulu Ali Pasha,

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

of Ahmed III. His successor,

Köprülü Numan Pasha Köprülü may refer to: People * Köprülü family (Kypriljotet), an Ottoman noble family of Albanian origin ** Köprülü era (1656–1703), the period in which the Ottoman Empire's politics were set by the Grand Viziers, mainly the Köprülü fa ...

, was an acquaintance of Poniatowski and had been a supporter of an anti-Russian shift in Ottoman politics. Poniatowski accompanied the Ottomans during the Pruth River Campaign, but was dissatisfied with the Treaty of the Pruth, which saw the withdrawal of the Ottomans from the war. His attempts to prolong and inflame the conflict failed, resulting in a loss of his status in the Empire and his eventual departure from it in 1713.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 473. Poniatowski did not return to Poland, as Lesczyński had been forced to retreat to

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

upon the return of Augustus in 1709. With the support of Russian forces, Augustus had forced Lesczyński from the throne and had retaken the crown in that year. Instead, Poniatowski entered the service of Sweden, serving as a diplomat for both Charles XII and Lesczyński. He was later involved in mediation attempts between Lesczyński and Augustus, and also joined the Swedish army in various campaigns, being wounded during one in 1716. During the course of his diplomatic activities, he traveled throughout Europe, including to such countries as Prussia, France, and Spain.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 474. For his service to Charles XII, he received the position of the governor of

Palatine Zweibrücken The Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (; ) was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire with full voting rights to the Reichstag. Its capital was Zweibrücken. The reigning house, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was also the Royal House of Sweden fr ...

, then in personal union with Sweden.

Later years: Polish politician and magnate

Upon Charles's death in 1718, he continued to serve Leszczyński as a diplomat. In 1719 he was briefly imprisoned in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and requested official leave from the Swedish government, which he received that year, thus ending his service as a Swedish diplomat. He returned to the Commonwealth, where he used the title of a general of cavalry. On 14 September 1720 he married Princess Konstancja Czartoryska; this marriage brought him significant wealth. Over the next few years, he became increasingly involved in the creation of the Familia political faction, and most of his ensuing actions had the goal of increasing the Familia's political power. On 5 December 1722 he received the office of Podstoli of Lithuania (''podstoli litewski'') in 1722, and 16 December, Grand Treasurer of Lithuanian Army (''podskarbi wielki litewski''), and became increasingly allied with August II On 20 December 1724 he received the military rank of General of the Lithuanian Army (''generał lejtnant wojsk litewskich'').''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 475. In 1726 he became the Knight of the Order of the White Eagle. He was also promised the position of Grand Crown Hetman by August II, receiving in 1728 the rank of a Crown regimentarz. During a period in which no Crown hetmans were appointed, he acted as ''de facto'' commander of the Polish–Lithuanian army. He enjoyed support from the military, but his forays into politics gained him significant opposition among the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

, led by the

Potocki family The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent szlachta, Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Po ...

. He became the

of the

in 1731. After August II's death in 1733, he rekindled his old ties with Leszczyński, but made some attempts to secure his own election to the throne.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 476. Eventually, however, he decided to grant Leszczyński his full support, doing so during the convocation sejm of 1733. He again served as Leszczyński's diplomat during the following

. In 1734, he switched sides and joined the supported Augustus III. After several years of distrust, August III started treating Poniatowski as one of his major advisers.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 477. Over the next few years, throughout the 1740s, he and familiar supported plans for reform and strengthening the Commonwealth, however most of them have failed due to

liberum veto The ''liberum veto'' (Latin for "free veto") was a parliamentary device in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was a form of unanimity voting rule that allowed any member of the Sejm (legislature) to force an immediate end to the current s ...

disrupting the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

proceedings.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 478. Those failures likely resulted in his apathy, and he became much less active on the political scene in the 1750s.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 479. On 6 June 1752 he received the office of

of Kraków. Near the end of his life, Poniatowski was among the richest

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s in the Commonwealth, with the value of his estates estimated at about 4 million zlotys. He died in

Ryki Ryki is a town in the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland, capital of Ryki County. It has 9,767 inhabitants (as of 2007). It is situated between Warsaw and Lublin. Ryki belongs to Lesser Poland, and historically is part of ''Ziemia Stężycka' ...

on 29 August 1762, shortly after suffering a serious fall while walking.

Family

He was the son of (1640/16501691–1695), ''łowczy podlaski'' in 1680 and ''cześnik wyszogrodzki'' in 1690, and his wife Helena Niewiarowska, who he had married in 1673 or 1674.''Poniatowski Stanisław'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 171 (tom XXVII), 1983, p. 471. His older brother Józef Poniatowski (1674after 1731) was a ''generał wojsk koronnych'' and married Helena Otfinowska, without issue. His younger siblings were Michał Jacenty Poniatowski, a Dominican, and , a Carmelitan

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

in Kraków. He married firstly shortly after 1701 and divorced Teresa Woynianka-Jasieniecka, who died after 1710, without issue, and secondly Princess Konstancja Czartoryska on 14 September 1720. They had eight children. He was the father of: * Kazimierz Poniatowski (15 September 1721 – 13 April 1800), ''podkomorzy wielki koronny'' between 1742 and 1773 and ''generał wojsk koronnych'', who was created a Prince on 4 December 1764 and married on 21 January 1751 Apolonia Ustrzycka (17 January 1736–1814) and had issue * (1723 – 1749/1759),

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

and provost in the Cathedral of Kraków (''kanonik i proboszcz katedralny krakowski''),

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...

in 1748 * (1725 –

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

on 29 June 1744), ''adiutant'' of Karl von Lothringen * Ludwika Maria Poniatowska (30 November 1728 – 10 February 1781), who married in 1745 Jan Jakub Zamoyski (? - 10 February 1790), ''wojewoda podolski'' in 1770, ''IX ordynat till'' in 1780 and ''starosta lubelski'', and had female issue (Urszula Zamoyska (c. 1750–1808), who married firstly and divorced before 1781 Wincenty Potocki (? - 1825), ''podkomorzy wielki koronny'', and married secondly Michal Jerzy Mniszech, ''marszalek wielki koronny'') * Izabella Poniatowska, (1 July 1730 – 14 February 1808) was a Polish noblewoman, countess and princess. She was a sister of Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski, who in 1764 became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and reigned as Stanisław II Augustus. She married, firstly on 19 November 1748 as his third wife Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki in 1756, and secondly the Masovian voivode Andrzej Mokronowski, without issue. * Stanisław II August (Poniatowski), the last King of Poland and Grand-Duke of Lithuania, who was crowned in 1764. * Andrzej Poniatowski (16 July 1734/5 – Vienna, 3/5 March 1773), Austrian General-Lieutenant in 1760, Austrian Fieldmarshall in 1771 and ''starost prenski'', who was created a Prince on 10 December 1765, and married on 3 May 1761 Maria Teresa, Countess Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (14 February 1740 – 25 September 1806), and had issue * Michał Jerzy Poniatowski (12 October 1736 – 12 August 1794), ''opat tyniecki i czerwinski'', Bishop of Plock and ''koadiutor krakowski'' in 1773 and

Archbishop of Gniezno This is a list of archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno, Archdiocese of Gniezno, who are simultaneously primate (bishop), primates of Poland since 1418.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poniatowski, Stanislaw 1676 births 1762 deaths People from Tarnów County Generals of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Swedish generals Polish generals Diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Stanislaw 1676 Castellans of Kraków Diplomats for Sweden Grand treasurers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania