The Treaty of Altranstädt was concluded between

Charles XII of Sweden 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 ...

and Augustus the Strong of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

and Poland–Lithuania, on 13 October 1706, 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 ...

. Augustus had to renounce his claims to the Polish throne and his alliance with Russia.

Background

On behalf of Charles XII, who had occupied much of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Great Northern War,

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 ...

was crowned king of Poland on 4 October 1705.Bromley (1970), p. 699 A faction of the commonwealth, organized in the Sandomierz Confederation, remained loyal to Saxon elector Augustus the Strong, Polish king since 1697 and allied against Charles XII with Russian tsar

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

.Anisimov (1993), pp. 103-104 The resulting civil war in Poland (1704-1706) did not go well for August. His attempt to regain control in Poland–Lithuania was thwarted by Charles XII in the Battle of Grodno and by Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld in the Battle of Fraustadt, both in the first months of 1706.Bromley (1970), p. 700 As a consequence of Fraustadt, the Saxon electorate was virtually undefended, and when Charles XII combined his forces with Rehskiöld and moved through

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

to occupy it, he met no resistance.

Terms

Augustus the Strong made peace with 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 ...

.Anisimov (1993), p. 105 He renounced his claims to the Polish crown, accepted

as the Polish king and had to congratulate him. Augustus' alliance with Russia, formalized in the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye and the Treaty of Narva, was declared void. All Russians under Augustus' command were to be handed over to the Swedish as prisoners. Johann Patkul was declared a criminal and likewise taken in Swedish custody. The treaty was concluded in secrecy.

Consequences

The diplomat and politician Johann Patkul was executed. When the treaty was revealed to him,

was disappointed.Anisimov (1993), p. 107 His diplomats, though aware of the possibility of a separate peace between Saxony and Sweden and actually negotiating a separate peace for Russia since 1703,Anisimov (1993), p. 106 had been unable to intervene. Furthermore, Peter had regarded Augustus not just as an ally, but as a close friend. With Augustus resigned, Peter unsuccessfully offered the yet to be conquered Polish crown to Hungarian rebel prince Francis II Rákóczi, to British general

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was a Briti ...

, to Polish Jakub Sobieski, to Savoyan commander in Habsburg service

Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...

, and to others. In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the treaty had improved Stanisław Leszczyński's position. He subsequently gained the loyalty of part of the lesser gentry. By the Treaty of Thorn (1709), Augustus the Strong was restored as Polish king and renewed the alliance with Russia which was made possible by Peter the Great's victory over Charles XII in the Battle of Poltava 27 June 1709.Anisimov (1993), p. 125

Sources

References

Bibliography

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External links

Scan of the treaty at IEG (Institut für Europäische Geschichte) Mainz, 47 pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty of Altranstadt (1706) Altranstadt 1706 treaties Altranstadt (1706) Altranstadt (1706) Altranstadt (1706) 1706 in Europe 1706 in Sweden 1706 in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth