Free-Polish relations

The free-Polish relations go back to several centuries. The first meeting took place in 1154, in Palestine, where troops of Henryk, duke of Sandomierz, helped Baudoin, during the First crusade. The alliance of the armies proved symbolic system: the two countries never clashed on a battle field.

The relations became really concrete later a few hundred years: at the time of the French revolution and reign of Napoleon. The Poles were combined of this last and protected it at the time of its retirement of the Campagne of Russia. A great Polish community settled in France at the 19th century. Then, Poles and French were also combined for the period among two wars. The official relations cooled during the Cold war and improved again after the Chute of Communism. Currently, the two countries belong to the European Union.

Before the XVIIIe century

The free-Polish relations were limited until the 18th century, had with the geographical distance and the lack of participation of the République of the Two Nations in the wars of Western Europe. A notable exception will occur in 1573, when Henri de Valois (brother of the king Charles IX) was elected in 1573 king of Poland under the name of Henryk Walezy. The accounts tell the great astonishment carried by the court with the sight of the large moustache and the costumes of the Polish ambassadors come to seek their king. The reign of Henri did not last a long time since in May 1574, he became king de France under the name of Henri III and returned to France. Late in XVII^e century, Polish King Jean III Sobieski married a French princess, Marie Casimire Louise of the Barn of Arquien and tried to forge a free-Polish alliance.

XVIIIe century

At the beginning of XVIIIe century, Stanisław Leszczyński, the king of Poland, tried to continue the efforts of Sobieski and to align Poland with France. After a civil war in Poland (the War of succession of Poland), it was withdrawn in France. In 1725, his/her daughter, Polish princess Marie Leszczyńska married Louis XV and became thus Reine of France.

Then, in France, the objective of the Secret of Roy (Louis XV) becomes to influence the Polish voices and parties in order to install Stanisław Leszczyński then prince de Conti on the throne of Poland (at the time, this monarchy was elective: the king being elected by the Polish nobility).

Towards the end of the XVIIIe century, Poland and France entered during one revolutionary time, where the French revolution influenced in an important way, the reforms of the four years Diet in Poland and the Polish Constitution of May 3rd, 1791 in particular. However, there was no official alliance; in fact, France deliberately avoided being combined with Poland. The neighbors of Poland (the Prussia, the Austria and the Russia) expecting such an alliance, and interpreting the Polish reforms like signs of the influence of the Jacobin S, undertook the Partitions of Poland. They consequently had less resources to deal with the events in France.

Napoleonean time

The creation of the Duché of Warsaw by Napoleon gave the impression of ressusciter the Polish Nation of the political tomb to which she was consigned with the partitions. However, the actual value of “independence” was not more important than among that of the Royaume of the Congress which emerged from the Congrès of Vienna. The difference consisted with the fact that the duchy represented the hope of true independence, while the kingdom of Congress was always in the shade of Russia.

The other durable significance of the duchy is that it broke with feudal the Poland old woman, who always existed, with a certain degree, in the kingdom. Serfdom was removed and a modern legal code, according to the French model, was introduced. But the truly important thing was the contribution which the Napoleonean period made to the creation of a legend or a national myth, which supported and relieved the Poles during decades. Also, it contributed to make so that the rest of Europe had an constant interest for the destiny of Poland, resulting from the support of Bonaparte in 1797 for the formation of the Polish legions, recruited among emigrants and others exiled alive in Italy. The Polish national anthem, the mazurka of Dąbrowski , is a celebration of the commander of the legion, Jean Henri Dombrowski. The text mentions Napoleon like model of winner. However, this last always did not treat its Polish soldiers with a great consideration. After the Treated of Lunéville in 1801, it sent them in the Western Indies to subdue the revolt slave in the French colony of Santo Domingo, future Haiti. The vast majority never returned from there.

Great emigration

The Grande emigration was an emigration of the political elites of Poland of 1831-1870, in particular after the Insurrection of November and the Insurrection of January. Since the end of the XVIIIe century, a big role in the political life and cultural of Polish intelligentsia was played by emigrants. The majority of these political emigrants settled in France which was considered by the Poles, coldly influenced by Napoleon, like bastion of freedom in Europe.

It was during this era that some of the greatest free-Polish personalities lived, like Frederic Chopin or Marie Curie.

Period of inter-war period

For the period of inter-war period, Poland and France were political and military allies. That started with the blue Army of the general Haller who helped France in the First World War and the French military mission in Poland during the Russo-Polish Guerre (1919-1921). Free-Polish military alliance was signed in 1921 and continued until the Campagne of Poland (1939).

Second world war

See also: Free French Army, Polish Government in exile, Armed Polonaise with the West

Towards the end of 1939, for the German occupation of Poland, a Polish news armed was formed in France under the command of the general Władysław Sikorski. Among the Polish units, the 1st pomegranate division and others. The free-Polish relations were however acidified by the French reserve to help Poland. After the falls of France, into 1940 the bilateral relations were almost non-existent.

Cold war

During the cold war, the free-Polish relations were not cordial, the two countries pertaining to the sides opposite of the conflict. However, France was - still - the site of a prosperous Polish community: one can quote for example Kultura and Jerzy Giedroyć. Also, Rene Goscinny account among the eminent members of the Polish community in France of this period.

After 1991

The free-Polish relations improved after the fall of Communism.

France, as a founding member of the European Community, the European Union, NATO and permanent member of the Safety advice of the United Nations, is one of the principal partners of Poland in the world of the political matters, economic, cultural, scientific and technological.

However, the year 2004 marked an opening in the bilateral relations. After one period of conflict caused by various fixings during the crisis of the Iraq and the negotiations of the European constitution, the relations improved. Since the accession of Poland to the European Union on May 1st, 2004, meetings between the Heads of State of the two countries are organized annually.

France is the largest contributor of direct foreign investment in Poland. The principal French companies present in Poland are France Telecom, Vivendi, Carrefour, Auchan, Groupe Casino, Crédit Agricole and Saint-Gobain.

A certain polemic was caused by the expression “Polish Plombier” which appeared in France around 2005.

It is estimated that the Polish community in France counts approximately a million members, concentrated for the majority in the area of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, in the metropolitan zone of Lille and of the field around Valencian Lens and of . Descendants of the Polish minors are also found in the Paris region and in Auvergne.

Others

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Secretary of State near the minister of state, Minister for Ecology, the Development and Installation durable, in charge of Ecology in the second government of Francois Fillon, descends from the family of the Polish patriot Tadeusz Kosciusko.

Sources

Historical of the free-Polish relations by the embassy of the French Republic in Poland
free-Polish Exchanges by the Embassy of Poland in France.
Andrzej Nieuwazny, Napoleon and Polish identity ; History Today, vol. 48, May 1998, and * Tomasz Majchrowski; Adam Halamski; Polish-French Relations , Yearbook off Polish Foreign Policy (01/2005),

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