Treaty of Altranstädt (1706)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Altranstädt was concluded between Charles XII of Sweden
and Augustus the Strong of Saxony
and Poland-Lithuania
, on 13 October 1706, during the Great Northern War
. Augustus had to renounce his claims to the Polish throne and his alliance with Russia
.
, remained loyal to Saxon elector
Augustus the Strong, Polish king since 1697 and allied against Charles XII with Russian tsar
Peter the Great.
An allied attempt to regain control in Poland-Lithuania was thwarted by Charles XII in the Battle of Grodno
and by Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld
in the Battle of Fraustadt
, both in the first months of 1706. As a consequence of Fraustadt, the Saxon electorate was virtually undefended, and when Charles XII combined his forces with Rehskiöld and moved through Silesia
to occupy it, he met no resistance.
. He renounced his claims to the Polish crown
, accepted Stanisław Leszczyński as the Polish king and had to congratulate him.
Augustus' alliance with Russia, formalized in the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye
and the Treaty of Narva
, was declared void. All Russians under Augustus' command were to be handed over to the Swedish as prisoners. Johann Patkul
was declared a criminal and likewise taken in Swedish custody.
The treaty was concluded in secrecy.
The diplomat and politician Johann Patkul
was executed.
When the treaty was revealed to him, Peter the Great was disappointed. His diplomats, though aware of the possibility of a separate peace between Saxony and Sweden and actually negotiating a separate peace for Russia since 1703, had been unable to intervene. Furthermore, Peter had regarded Augustus not just as an ally, but as a close friend. With Augustus resigned, Peter unsuccessfully offered the yet to be conquered Polish crown to Hungarian rebel prince Francis II Rákóczi
, to British general John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
, to Polish Jakub Sobieski
, to Savoyan commander in Habsburg service Eugene of Savoy, and to others.
In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the treaty had improved Stanisław Leszczyński's position. He subsequently gained the loyalty of part of the lesser gentry.
Augustus the Strong was restored as Polish king and renewed the alliance with Russia in the Treaty of Thorn (1709)
, made possible by Peter the Great's victory over Charles XII in the Battle of Poltava
.
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
and Augustus the Strong of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and Poland-Lithuania
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, on 13 October 1706, during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. Augustus had to renounce his claims to the Polish throne and his alliance with Russia
Treaty of Narva
The Treaty of Narva was concluded on 19 August / 30 August 1704 during the Great Northern War. The faction of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth loyal to Augustus the Strong joined the anti-Swedish alliance between the Saxon electorate and the Tsardom of Russia.-Background:At the onset of the...
.
Background
On behalf of Charles XII, who had occupied much of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Great Northern War, Stanisław Leszczyński was crowned king of Poland on 4 October 1705. A faction of the commonwealth, organized in the Sandomierz ConfederationSandomierz Confederation
The Sandomierz Confederation was a confederation formed on May 20, 1704 in defense of the King of Poland, August II the Strong. It was formed in reaction to the Warsaw Confederation. Its marshal was Stanisław Ernest Denhoff. The confederation lasted until 1717, when it was disbanded by the...
, remained loyal to Saxon elector
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
Augustus the Strong, Polish king since 1697 and allied against Charles XII with Russian tsar
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
Peter the Great.
An allied attempt to regain control in Poland-Lithuania was thwarted by Charles XII in the Battle of Grodno
Battle of Grodno (1706)
The blockade of Hrodna by the 20,000 men strong Swedish army took place between January and March 1706. In the city there were about 23,000 Russian troops under the command of general-fieldmarshall Ogilvy as well of general Repnin...
and by Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld
Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld
Count Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld was a Swedish Field Marshal under the command of King Charles XII of Sweden. Despite being choleric and irritable, Rehnskiöld's military skills made him the chief military advisor and second-in-command to King Charles and earned him the epithet the "Parmenio of the...
in the Battle of Fraustadt
Battle of Fraustadt
The Battle of Fraustadt was fought on February 2, 1706 / February 3, 1706 / February 13, 1706 between Sweden and Saxony-Poland and their Russian allies near Fraustadt in Poland. During the Battle of Fraustadt on February 3, August II was only 120 kilometers away with a cavalry force about 8000...
, both in the first months of 1706. As a consequence of Fraustadt, the Saxon electorate was virtually undefended, and when Charles XII combined his forces with Rehskiöld and moved through Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
to occupy it, he met no resistance.
Terms
Augustus the Strong made peace with the Swedish EmpireSwedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
. He renounced his claims to the Polish crown
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, accepted Stanisław Leszczyński as the Polish king and had to congratulate him.
Augustus' alliance with Russia, formalized in the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye
Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye
The Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye was negotiated by Johann Patkul and signed on November 22, 1699 in Preobrazhenskoye , a favoured residence of the tsar Peter the Great. It followed an informal meeting of Peter and Augustus at Rava in August 1698...
and the Treaty of Narva
Treaty of Narva
The Treaty of Narva was concluded on 19 August / 30 August 1704 during the Great Northern War. The faction of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth loyal to Augustus the Strong joined the anti-Swedish alliance between the Saxon electorate and the Tsardom of Russia.-Background:At the onset of the...
, was declared void. All Russians under Augustus' command were to be handed over to the Swedish as prisoners. Johann Patkul
Johann Patkul
Johann Reinhold Patkul was a Livonian politician and agitator of Baltic German extraction.Patkul was born in prison at Stockholm, where his father had been imprisoned under suspicion of treason...
was declared a criminal and likewise taken in Swedish custody.
The treaty was concluded in secrecy.
Consequences
Johann Patkul
Johann Reinhold Patkul was a Livonian politician and agitator of Baltic German extraction.Patkul was born in prison at Stockholm, where his father had been imprisoned under suspicion of treason...
was executed.
When the treaty was revealed to him, Peter the Great was disappointed. His diplomats, though aware of the possibility of a separate peace between Saxony and Sweden and actually negotiating a separate peace for Russia since 1703, had been unable to intervene. Furthermore, Peter had regarded Augustus not just as an ally, but as a close friend. With Augustus resigned, Peter unsuccessfully offered the yet to be conquered Polish crown to Hungarian rebel prince Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
, to British general John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, to Polish Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski
Jakub Sobieski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, parliamentarian, diarist, political activist, military leader and father of King Jan III Sobieski. Son of castellan and voivode Marek Sobieski and Jadwiga Snopkowska.- Life :...
, to Savoyan commander in Habsburg service Eugene of Savoy, and to others.
In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the treaty had improved Stanisław Leszczyński's position. He subsequently gained the loyalty of part of the lesser gentry.
Augustus the Strong was restored as Polish king and renewed the alliance with Russia in the Treaty of Thorn (1709)
Treaty of Thorn (1709)
The Treaty of Thorn was concluded on 9 October 1709 between Augustus the Strong and Peter the Great in Thorn , during the Great Northern War...
, made possible by Peter the Great's victory over Charles XII in the Battle of Poltava
Battle of Poltava
The Battle of Poltava on 27 June 1709 was the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over the Swedish forces under Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld in one of the battles of the Great Northern War. It is widely believed to have been the beginning of Sweden's decline as a Great Power; the...
.