The war of succession of Poland took place of 1733 with 1738. She opposed, following a crisis of succession to the throne of Poland, Auguste III, supported by the Russia and the Austria, and the Saint Empire, with Stanislas Leszczyński, supported by the France, the Bavaria, the Savoy, the Spain and the Sardinia.

The crisis of succession

The royal authority, lost since the Flood , (an expression very common to the Histoire of Poland to name a series of the wars which burst with the Revolt of the Cosaques - 1648 - 1667 -, the invasion of the Moscovie of the grounds in the east of the river Don - 1655 - 1662 - and the invasion of the Swedish , because the king Charles X Gustave claimed for him the crown of Poland and Lithuania, - 1655 - 1657 -), did not make it possible any more the country to function well. Anarchy reigned until Jean III Sobieski which, in spite of military victories, did not manage to raise the country. There were no natural borders (Poland is a country of plains), the majority of the population was country-woman (85%) and the Servage was still very widespread. The economy seigneuriale prevailed. There was no middle-class because the trade was reserved for the Juifs, not unit of language (one spoke Polish, Russian, German and Ukrainian) nor nun (the half of the population was catholic, the remainder was orthodoxe or Protestant or even Jewish).

The king was elected by the diet (formed of a Senate and Room of Noble) what decreased its authority. Unfortunately, this one functioned according to the liberum veto , i.e. it was necessary that the results of the votes are unanimous. It often arrived whereas the diet cannot make a decision because it was enough to an opponent so that a vote does not succeed. In spite of its many population, the army Polonaise counted only 24.000 men, that is to say a less important army 21 times compared to its population than.

All this situation made of Poland an easy prey for the Adjacent states. Those thus imposed a sovereign to be favoured: the voter of Saxony Auguste II (1697-1733). It was supported by the Tsar. But Charles XII of Sweden drove out it with the profit of Stanislas Ier Leszczyñski (1704-1709). Auguste II was then combined to the tsar Pierre Large the and to the king of Denmark. During a whole time the country was divided into two: those which supported Auguste II and those which supported Stanislas. Finally, Auguste II took again his title.

Release

The war of succession of Poland began with dead Auguste II in 1733, when his/her son, Auguste III, and Stanislas I {{er}} disputed the throne. This last had been made re-elect king, but the tsarina Anna Ivanova sent an army of 20.000 men to put Auguste III on the throne. Ladislas had been elected using an army of 2.000 men making pressure on the noble ones.

Were favorable to Stanislas: the Bavaria, the Savoy, France, because his/her son-in-law was Louis XV. France declared also the war with the Germanic emperor, influenced by the party anti-Austrian animated by the marshal of Beautiful-Isle which was dissatisfied with the support of Vienna for Auguste III. Although hostile with the war, the Cardinal Fleury, French Prime Minister, advised by Chauvelin, secretary of foreign affairs, carried out alliance with the Spain and the Sardinia in order to release Italy of the Austrian yoke. Auguste III was supported by the Russia, the Austria, and the Saint Empire by Charles VI of Habsbourg because this one wanted that France signs the Pragmatic Sanction, expect that the territories of the Habsbourg (Grand Duchy of Austria and kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary) would return to his/her daughter, Marie-Therese.

Operations

Stanislas flees and was besieged with the fortress of Dantzig (Gdańsk currently). In 1734, a naval forwarding was sent by the king of France but it failed. Stanislas took refuge with Königsberg then in France. The forces free-Piedmontese invaded in turn Lombardy and the Duchy of Parma (on June 29th, 1734, the Bataille of San Pietro which was held near Parma, and precisely to Crocetta, opposed French and Piedmontese to the Austrians: it was a sanguinary battle where perished of the thousands of soldiers and the supreme commander of the Austrian army and on September 19th, 1734 the Bataille of Guastalla). Spanish engaged against Charles VI in the area of the the Rhine and the Lorraine. On the Italian face, led by Charles Ier of Bourbon-Anjou (1716-1788), the Spanish troops invaded the Royaume of Deux-Siciles (of the May 25th 1734 battles, close to Bitonto, where the Spanish army overcame the Austrians and was made main of the South of the Italy).

The Spanish cavalry was made up also of Wallon S, Italian and Irish. Each regiment was composed of a staff and 2 or 3 squadrons, those composed of 4 companies. Each company had a captain, a lieutenant, a sergeant and surroundings 30 Masters. The armament of the rider was composed of two guns and a sword, and that of the dragons (units moving with horse but combatant with feet) of a saber and a snap hook.

Conclusion

The war ended by the peace treaty of Vienna negotiated in secrecy in 1735 and ratified in 1738. Exchanges of territories had lieus. Stanislas renonçait with the throne and became duke of Lorraine and of Bar, duchies which would return to France to its death, because this one had conquered these territories during the war.

Gift Carlos of Spain, obtained the Sicily and Naples which it had conquered with the head of his cavalry, which was going to form the Royaume of Deux-Siciles, in compensation of the Toscane which went to François-Stephan of compensation for the Lorraine. The Habsbourg accepted in compensation of Naples and the Sicily the duchies of Parma and Plaisance, which belonged to the Spaniards since 1731.

The Polish population, already strongly reduced by the previous years, was depopulated even because wars, although less ravageuses which the previous centuries, had nevertheless their horrors, massacres, rapes, plunderings and fires, requisitions and contributions military, Arrests and shootings of hostages. On the other hand, their duration and their zones of operation were limited.

The Russia had benefitted from the war as a diversion for the central and Western powers, to attack the Turkey. But this one could resist and recover its territories by the Traité of Belgrade (1739).

So many wars led Auguste III to wisdom to remain neutral during the Guerre Seven Year old.

Notes and references of the article