Stanislav Leshchinsky, the king of Poland and the Lithuanian prince, went down in history as a person who belonged to the cultural sphere rather than the political one. His short reign was marked by a sharp internal political struggle in the country, opposition to the opposition and interference of foreign powers in the internal affairs of the state, but his philanthropic and educational activities were remembered by posterity.
Coup
Stanislav Leshchinsky belonged to a noble Polish gentry family. The future Polish king was born in Lvov in 1677. He held a number of high positions, including the post of Poznań Governor. However, the real rise of his career came at the beginning of the 18th century in connection with the outbreak of the Northern War, when the Swedish king invaded the country and inflicted a number of serious defeats on its ruler, Augustus II, who was an ally of our country. The local nobility was divided into supporters of the deposed king and the invader. At this stage, the ruler was deposed, and Stanislav Leshchinsky was sent to Charles XII as an ambassador. After some time, the Swedish ruler decided to support his candidacy for the royal throne. In 1705, the new king assumed power over the state underactive support from the Swedish side.
Split
However, the position of the ruler was very fragile. The fact is that a significant part of the Polish gentry took the side of the deposed king. However, the following year, Charles XII forced the former Polish ruler to sign an agreement under which he finally renounced the crown and title. However, after the defeat of the Swedes during the war, Stanislav Leshchinsky, in turn, was deposed, and the former king returned to the country with the help of Russian weapons. Leshchinsky fled the country, first to Prussia, then to France, where he married his daughter to the French king, which strengthened his position in political circles.
Return to Poland
Stanislav Leshchinsky, whose biography is the subject of this review, lived in France until 1733, but the Polish king died that year, and with the support of the French side, as well as some influential Polish magnates, he decided to regain the crown. He succeeded, but he did not stay in power for long. The fact is that Russia and Austria sharply opposed his accession, who wanted to put their protege, the son of the previous king, on the Polish throne.
War
The accession of Leshchinsky led to the war for the Polish inheritance, which lasted two years and ended with the final defeat of the ruler and his refusal to further claims to power. Russian troops inThis campaign was first commanded by Lassi, then he was replaced by Munnich. For some time the siege of Danzig continued, which, in the end, ended with the capture of this city. Stanislav fled the country and after these events finally renounced the crown. This was legally formalized by two treaties, which, however, provided for the retention of his royal title, as well as considerable compensation in the form of two principalities and significant annual cash payments.
Outreach activities
Stanislav Leshchinsky, whose brief biography is presented to your attention, moving away from political life, successfully proved himself as a patron of the arts and the author of a number of philosophical works in the spirit of enlightenment. So, he was familiar with Rousseau, wrote treatises on the socio-political structure. In addition, he founded an academy for Polish youth, which produced a number of famous graduates. Having considerable funds at his disposal, he equipped a square in Nancy with this money, built a church and, on the whole, contributed to the development of cultural life not only at his court, but also in this city, the population of which treated him so respectfully that after his death there was it was decided to name the equipped area after him.
Stanislav Leshchinsky, interesting facts about which are more related to his philanthropic and educational activities than to his political career, went down in history not so much as a king, but as the organizer of the capital of Lorraine, where he was even erected a bronze monument.
