Series – The Partitions of Poland Part Four

The Third Partition of Poland (1795)

    An uprising occurred throughout Poland in 1794. General Tadeusz Kosciuszko led the uprising, which included other notable leaders. The uprising had some initial success, but Poland ultimately lost the war against Prussia and Russia. In 1795, the remainder of Poland was divided by Austria, Prussia, and Russia (See Figure 4). Austria, a noncombatant in the war, received the region of West Galicia that included Krakow (Cracow), Sandomierz (Sandomir), and Lublin. Prussia would incorporate western Lithuania, Podlachia, and Mazovia into New East Prussia. The main city in this area was Warszawa (Warsaw). Russia would take the remainder of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Volhynia, and the Duchy of Courland. Important cities in this area include Wilno (Vilnius) and Kaunas. After the final deathblow to Poland, the partitioning powers gained over 280,000 square miles of land and over 12,000,000 inhabitants (Magocsi, 2002).


Figure 4. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Third Partition

Source: Halibutt, Tomekpe, & Tryphon, Wikimedia Commons, 2005.

Conclusion

Throughout Europe, the dismantling of the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth happened without little objection. Stability in the region was obtained by the partitions of Poland. The Republic of Poland would be erased from the map of Europe until 1918. Poland was re-established as the Congress Kingdom of Poland that was incorporated into the Russian Empire (See Figure 5).

Figure 5. Congress Kingdom of Poland

Source: Szczepańczyk & Kgberger, Wikimedia Commons, 2009.

The causes of the partitions were due to both internal and external forces. The politics of Poland and the ambitions of the neighboring empires lead to the dismantling of a once powerful nation.

The PDF version of this paper contains all source information for all citations that were used in this series of posts. The paper can be found here: The Partitions of Poland

Best Regards,
Al