He was the last Polish king. Elected to the throne with the help of Empress Catherine II of Russia, he struggled all of his reign with the interference of powerful foreign monarchies (Austria, Prussia and Russia), as well as the rich magnates  who had grown in influence during the reign of the Saxon kings.

Despite such unfavourable circumstances, being well educated and caring deeply about his homeland, he made every effort to bring about change in Poland. Some say that those efforts were not sufficient to stop the downfall of Poland during his reign. Others defend him, for they point to the harmful political decisions of those magnates who were ready to take sides with foreign powers for the sake of their own gain.

Poniatowski’s famous Thursday dinners

Stanisław August Poniatowski surrounded himself with great artists, educators and thinkers. He believed that only by changing the mindset of Polish society, would it be possible to implement reforms and build a modern country. He organised the legendary Thursday dinners where the most prominent Polish artists, musicians, writers, poets and scholars came together. He never invited more than 12 guests, so that discussions could be intellectual and the writers and poets could present some of their work. The king also wished to host dinners in stark contrast to the drunken feasts of the Sas era. He himself hardly ever drank alcohol and served Spanish wines only for dessert and in small quantities.

An enlightened king and a tragic end

Stanisław Poniatowski’s grander educational projects included the founding of the Warsaw School of Cadets – the first state school in the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, which educated future officers. Many exceptional Poles, including Tadeusz Kościuszko, graduated from this school. In 1773 the Sejm and the king created the Commission of National Education, what we would call today the Ministry of Education. At that time it was the first such institution in Poland and the first in Europe! The other first in Europe and the second in the world was the Constitution of the 3^rd of May, 1791. The constitution abolished the liberum veto (the right of every member of the Sejm to block any of its decisions), guaranteed the enlargement of the army,  gave rights to the townspeople and placed the peasants under the protection of the state. When the Constitution of the 3^rd of May was proclaimed, the square in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw was filled to the brim with people. ‘The king with the nation, the nation with the king,’ they shouted. The people were euphoric!

Not for long. As you can imagine, these kind of changes were deemed dangerous by the authoritarian monarchies surrounding Poland. Neither were they acceptable to some of the magnates. What followed was a succession of partitions. The first took place in 1772, but after the proclamation of the Constitution of 3^rd of May, 1791, things moved more quickly. The second partition took place in 1792, and the third in 1795. Shortly before the third partition, Tadeusz Koścuszko headed an uprising that included not just the gentry, but also the peasants, freed by the king from the constraints of a feudal system. After an initial success in the Battle of Racławice, the uprising was suppressed, Poland was partitioned and the king abdicated.

 Poland disappeared from maps for 123 years! But not from the hearts of Poles. Despite oppressive regimes that punished fiercely all resistance, Poles sustained their dream of an independent country.

Today Poland is a democratic state and a republic, which means that there is no longer a king. But we remember all those kings and queens who helped Poland become who we are today and who made our history so special!

Illustrations:

Marcello Bacciarelli, Stanisław Poniatowski, 1786

Marcello Bacciarelli, Stanisław II August Poniatowski in coronation clothes, 1764

Unknown author, Stanisław August Poniatowski, 18^th century

Marcello Bacciarelli , Portrait of Konstancja Czartoryska (1700–1759), mother of Stanisław August Poniatowski (1732-1798), between 1775 and 1777

Bernardo Bellotto, Election of Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1764 (detail), 18^th century

• Photo: Mathiasrex, Maciej Szczepańczyk (2015), Handle of the Ceremonial sword of Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski

Unknown author, Coat of arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with Polish Eagle and Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas) in 1791.

Kazimierz Wojniakowski, Adoption of the Constitution on May 3, 1791, 1806

• Jan Matejko, Constitution of May 3, 1791 , 1891

Coin: Odważnik dukata (Dukat weight) 1791, Gabinet Numizmatyczny Damian Marciniak

• Bernardo Bellotto, View of Warsaw from the Royal Castle , 1773

Photo: fotopolska.eu (2008), Warszawa, Zamek Królewski

Photo: Аимаина хикари (2017), Royal Castle in Warsaw. Senate Chamber

Photo: Marek and Ewa Wojciechowscy (2002), 2 Zamek Królewski, The Yellow Room at the Royal Caslte in Warsaw. Famous Thursday Dinners of king Stanisław Augustus were held here between 1771-1782.