War of the Polish Succession

The War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) was a European war and a Polish civil war, with considerable interference from other countries, to determine the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland, as well as an attempt by the Bourbon powers to check the power of Austria in western Europe.

Causes

Former Polish king Stanislas I, installed thirty years before by Charles XII of Sweden during his period of dominance in the early part of the Great Northern War, and ousted following Poltava by the victorious Russians, hoped to be elected king once again upon the death of his old adversary, Augustus II of Saxony, whose efforts to make the Polish crown hereditary within his family had not been successful. Stanislas was supported by his son-in-law, Louis XV, King of France, who hoped to renew France's traditional alliance with Poland as a way to balance Russian and Austrian power in Northern and Eastern Europe.

Related Topics:
Stanislas I - Charles XII of Sweden - Great Northern War - Poltava - Louis XV - France

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In 1732 Empress Anna of Russia, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and King Frederick William I of Prussia, irritated with Augustus but unwilling to allow Stanislas to become king, decided to jointly back the candidacy of Emmanuel of Portugal for the Polish throne.

Related Topics:
Anna of Russia - Holy Roman Emperor - Charles VI - Frederick William I of Prussia

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