Second partition of Poland by Prussia and Russia

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Ewa M. Thompson, Rice University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.8.3: Polish Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Ewa M. Thompson (Rice University)

Domains

Political Geography

Dates

Date of occurrence 1793-01-23

Places

Poland (Location)
Germany (Involved)
Russia (Involved)

Resources

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The second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Targowica Confederation of 1792. The latter had called upon Catherine the Great of Russia to intervene and restore “golden liberties”. As a result, Russian regiments invaded the Commonwealth and a war ensued in 1792. Though the Polish side won victories at Zielence and Zelwa and the Battle of Dubienka was a draw, the Russian armies reached the Bug River. King Stanislaw August Poniatowski eventually succumbed, joined the Confederation of Targowica, and capitulated.

Poland’s short-time ally, Prussia, not only did not help the Poles but demanded territory as the price of continuing the war

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236 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Second partition of Poland by Prussia and Russia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 June 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=7116, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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