Editing Stanisław Leszczyński

{{Short description|King of Poland (1704–1709, 1733–1736)}}
{{distinguish|Stanisław Leszczycki}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Stanisław I
| image        = Stanislaw Leszczynski1.jpg
| caption      = Portrait of Stanisław Leszczynski by [[Jean Girardet]]
| succession   = [[King of Poland]]<br />[[Grand Duke of Lithuania]]
| moretext     = <br/>Contested by [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]] since 5 October 1733
| reign-type   = 1st reign
| reign        = {{nowrap|12 July 1704 – 8 July 1709}}
| coronation   = 4 October 1705
| cor-type     = Poland
| predecessor  = [[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus II]]
| successor    = Augustus II
| reign-type1  = 2nd reign
| reign1       = 12 September 1733 – {{nowrap|26 January 1736}}
| predecessor1 = Augustus II
| successor1   = [[Augustus III]]
| succession2  = [[Duke of Lorraine]] and [[Duchy of Bar|Bar]]
| coronation2  = 
| reign2       = 9 July 1737 – 23 February 1766
| predecessor2 = [[Francis III Stephen]]
| successor2   = [[Escheat]]ed into the [[Kingdom of France]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1677|10|20|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Lwów]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1766|2|23|1677|10|20|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Lunéville]], [[Duchy of Lorraine]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| burial_place = [[Wawel Cathedral]], [[Kraków]]
| spouse       = [[Catherine Opalińska]]
| issue        = [[Anna Leszczyńska (1699–1717)|Anna Leszczyńska]]<br>[[Marie Leszczyńska|Marie, Queen of France]]
| full name    = Stanisław Bogusław Leszczyński
| house        = [[House of Leszczyński|Leszczyński]]
| father       = [[Rafał Leszczyński (1650–1703)|Rafał Leszczyński]]
| mother       = [[Anna Leszczyńska (1660–1727)|Anna Jabłonowska]]
| religion     = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| signature    = Autograph of Stanisław Leszczyński.PNG
}}
'''Stanisław I Leszczyński'''{{efn|{{IPA|pl|staˈɲiswaf lɛʂˈt͡ʂɨj̃skʲi}}; {{Langx|lt|Stanislovas Leščinskis}} {{IPA|lt|staˈɲɪsɫɔvas lɛʃˈtʃɪŋskʲɪs}}; {{Langx|fr|Stanislas Leczinski}} {{IPA|fr|stanislas lɛɡzɛ̃ski}}}} (Stanisław Bogusław; 20 October 1677&nbsp;– 23 February 1766), also [[Anglicization|Anglicized]] and [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]] as '''Stanislaus I''', was twice [[King of Poland]] and [[Grand Duke of Lithuania]], and at various times [[Palatine Zweibrücken|Prince of Deux-Ponts]], [[Duke of Bar]] and [[Duke of Lorraine]].

During the [[Great Northern War]], multiple candidates had emerged after the death of [[John III Sobieski]] for the [[Royal elections in Poland|elective kingship]] of Poland (which also included the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the [[Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]). Backed by powerful neighbors in [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]] and [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]], the [[Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Sejm]] elected [[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus the Strong]], [[Elector of Saxony]] to succeed John III in 1697 as August II. Russia's primary antagonist in the [[Great Northern War]], [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] had supported Stanisław Leszczyński for the throne, and after defeating a combined army of Saxon and Polish-Lithuanian forces, deposed August II and installed Leszczyński as Stanisław I in 1704.

In 1709, [[Charles XII of Sweden]], Stanisław's main supporter, suffered a defeat by the Russians at the [[Battle of Poltava]], and was subsequently driven into exile in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. As a result, Augustus II returned to the throne, and while Charles served his exile in the Ottoman Empire, Stanisław accepted the rule of the tiny state of [[Palatine Zweibrücken]], a small state of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] which was in personal union with Sweden and located near the region of [[Alsace]]. After Charles's death in 1719, he moved to nearby [[Wissembourg]] in Alsace. In 1725, his daughter [[Marie Leszczyńska]] married [[Louis XV]] of France.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stanislaw-I|title=Stanisław I - king of Poland|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=April 11, 2019}}</ref>

The death of Augustus II sparked the [[War of the Polish Succession]] in 1733. As had happened on the death of [[John III Sobieski]], foreign intrigue and influence plagued the [[1733 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|Sejm election]]. Despite the presence of Russian troops in the country, the Sejm, with support of the French, elected Stanisław to succeed Augustus II, while the Russians encouraged a group of break-away nobles to hold their own election, selecting instead [[Augustus III of Poland|Frederick Augustus II of Saxony]], son of Augustus II, to the kingship. War broke out almost immediately, evolving into a proxy war between the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] and [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] dynasties and their supporters, with the Bourbon faction led by [[Kingdom of France|France]] and [[History of Spain (1700-1808)|Spain]], with their allies [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720-1861)|Sardinia]] and Sweden, while the Habsburg faction was led by Austria and their allies Russia, [[Prussia]], and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]]. After two years of fighting across the entire continent, a ceasefire was declared in 1735. Stanislaus officially abdicated in January 1736, and the [[Treaty of Vienna (1738)|Peace of Vienna]] was promulgated in 1738, whereby Augustus III was officially recognized as King of Poland, and Stanisław was compensated for losing the throne a second time with the duchies of [[Duchy of Bar|Bar]] and [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]], both of which were nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.

While Duke of Lorraine, Stanisław lived out his remaining years at a country estate in [[Lunéville]], and actively ruled Lorraine and Bar, sponsoring numerous public works projects. Nearby, [[Nancy, France|Nancy]], the historic capital of Lorraine, has a ''[[Place Stanislas]]'' (Stanisław Square) named in his honour, much of which was developed during his reign. He also took up [[political philosophy]], engaging in discourse with other [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] figures such as [[Jean Jacques Rousseau]], and wrote philosophical treatises in his native Polish, making him a figure within the [[Polish Enlightenment]]. When he died in 1766, his titles passed to his son-in-law, Louis XV. His retaking of the Polish throne in 1733 formed the backdrop for ''[[Un giorno di regno]]'', an opera by composer [[Giuseppe Verdi]] and librettist [[Felice Romani]], which premiered in 1840.

==Early life==
Born in Lwów (now [[Lviv]]) in 1677, he was the son of [[Rafał Leszczyński (1650–1703)|Rafał Leszczyński]], [[voivode]] of [[Poznań Voivodeship (14th century to 1793)|Poznań Voivodeship]], and Princess [[Anna Leszczyńska (1660–1727)|Anna Katarzyna Jabłonowska]]. He married [[Katarzyna Opalińska]], by whom he had a daughter, [[Marie Leszczynska|Maria]], who became Queen of France as wife of [[Louis XV]]. In 1697, as [[Podczaszy|Cup-bearer of Poland]], he signed the confirmation of the articles of [[1697 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|election]] of [[Augustus II the Strong]]. In 1703 he joined the Lithuanian Confederation, which the [[Sapieha]]s with the aid of [[Sweden]] had formed against Augustus.

==King for the first time==
{{further|Civil war in Poland (1704–06)}}
The following year, Stanisław was selected by [[Charles XII of Sweden]] after a successful [[Swedish invasion of Poland (1701–1706)|Swedish invasion of Poland]], to supersede Augustus II, who was hostile towards the Swedes. Leszczyński was a young man of blameless antecedents, respectable talents, and came from an ancient family, but certainly without sufficient force of character or political influence to sustain himself on so unstable a throne.

Nevertheless, with the assistance of a bribing fund and an army corps, the Swedes succeeded in procuring his [[1704 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|election]] by a scratch assembly of half a dozen [[castellany|castellan]]s and a few score of noblemen on 12 July 1704. A few months later, Stanisław was forced by a sudden inroad of Augustus II to seek refuge in the Swedish camp, but finally on 24 September 1705, he was crowned king with great splendor. Charles himself supplied his nominee with a new crown and scepter ''[[in lieu]]'' of the ancient [[Polish regalia]], which had been carried off to [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]] by Augustus. During this time the king of Sweden sent [[Peter Estenberg]] to King Stanislaw to act as an ambassador and correspondence secretary. The Polish king's first act was to cement [[Treaty of Warsaw (1705)|an alliance with Charles XII]] whereby the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] engaged to assist Sweden against the Russian tsar. Stanisław did what he could to assist his patron. Thus, he induced [[Ivan Mazepa]], the [[Cossack]] [[hetman]], to desert [[Peter the Great]] at the most critical period of the [[Great Northern War]] between Russia and Sweden, and Stanisław placed a small army corps at the disposal of the Swedes and was beaten in [[Battle of Koniecpol]]. However, Stanisław depended so entirely on the success of Charles' armies that after the [[Battle of Poltava]] (1709), his authority vanished as a dream at the first touch of reality. Stanisław then resided in the town of [[Rydzyna]].

==First loss of throne==
The vast majority of Poles hastened to repudiate Stanisław and make their peace with Augustus. Henceforth a mere pensioner of Charles XII, Stanisław accompanied [[Ernst Detlof von Krassow|Krassow]]'s army corps in its retreat to [[Swedish Pomerania]]. On [[Treaty of Thorn (1709)|the restoration of Augustus]], Stanisław abdicated the Polish Crown (though he retained the royal title) in exchange for the little [[Principality]] of [[Palatine Zweibrücken]]. In 1716, an assassination was attempted by a Saxon officer, Lacroix, but Stanisław was saved by [[Stanisław Poniatowski (1676-1762)|Stanisław Poniatowski]] (father of the future king [[Stanisław August Poniatowski|Stanisław II August]]). Forced to leave Deux-Ponts in 1719 after the death of Charles XII [[Prince#Prince_exercising_head_of_state's_authority|in whose name he was Count Palatine]], Stanisław Leszczyński then resided at [[Wissembourg]] in [[Alsace]]. In 1725, he had the satisfaction of seeing his daughter [[Marie Leszczyńska|Maria]] become queen consort of [[Louis XV]] of France. From 1725 to 1733, Stanisław lived at the [[Château de Chambord]].

==King for a second time==
[[File:Tableau dit de Pange.JPG|thumb|Painting of the ''Place Royale'' in Nancy c. 1760 which was constructed during his rule, later renamed [[Place Stanislas]] in his honour]]
[[File:Fête à Lunéville en 1742 par Laurent Charpentier.jpg|thumb|Festival at the ''Rocher'' grotto of the [[Château de Lunéville]] in 1742, painting by [[Laurent Charpentier]]]]
[[File:François-André Vincent - La Galaizière est créé chancelier par Stanislas.jpg|thumb|[[Antoine-Martin Chaumont de La Galaizière]] created Chancellor of Lorraine and Barrois by Stanislas I (painting by [[François-André Vincent]], 1788]] 
Stanislaw's son-in-law Louis XV supported his claims to the Polish throne after the death of Augustus II the Strong in 1733, which led to the [[War of the Polish Succession]]. On 11 September 1733, Stanisław himself arrived at [[Warsaw]], having traveled night and day through central Europe disguised as a coachman. On the following day, despite many protests, Stanisław was duly [[1733 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|elected King of Poland]] for the second time. However, [[Russian Empire|Russia]] was opposed to any nominee of France and Sweden. Russia protested against his election at once, in favor of the new Elector of Saxony, son of the late king, as being the candidate of her Austrian ally.

On 30 June 1734, a Russian army of 20,000 under [[Peter Lacy]], after proclaiming [[Augustus III of Poland|Frederick Augustus II of Saxony]] as king in Warsaw, proceeded to besiege Stanisław at [[Siege of Danzig (1734)|Danzig]], where he was entrenched with his partisans (including the Primate and the French and Swedish ministers) to await the relief that had been promised by France.

The siege began in October 1734. On 17 March 1735, Marshal [[Burkhard Christoph von Münnich]] superseded [[Peter Lacy]], and on 20 May 1735 the long-expected French fleet appeared and disembarked 2,400 men on [[Westerplatte]]. A week later, this little army gallantly attempted to force the Russian entrenchments, but was finally compelled to surrender. This was the first time that France and Russia had met as foes in the field. On 30 June 1735, Danzig capitulated unconditionally, after sustaining a siege of 135 days which cost the Russians 8,000 men.

Disguised as a peasant, Stanisław had contrived to escape two days before. He reappeared at [[Königsberg]] (where he briefly met the future King [[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia), whence he issued a [[manifesto]] to his partisans which resulted in the formation of a [[confederation]] on his behalf, and the despatch of a Polish [[envoy (title)|envoy]] to Paris to urge France to invade Saxony with at least 40,000 men. In Ukraine too, Count Nicholas Potocki kept on foot to support Stanisław a motley host of 50,000 men, which was ultimately scattered by the Russians.

==Duke of Lorraine and of Bar==
On 26 January 1736, Stanisław again abdicated the throne but received in compensation the duchies of [[Duchy of Lorraine|Lorraine]] and of [[Duchy of Bar|Bar]], which was to revert to France on his death. In 1738, he sold his estates of [[Rydzyna]] and [[Leszno]] to Count (later Prince) [[Alexander Joseph Sułkowski]]. He settled at [[Lunéville]] where he held court at the [[Château de Lunéville]], which became a centre of the arts and culture, drawing a number of personalities of the enlightenment including Madame [[Émilie du Châtelet]]. In Nancy in 1750 he founded both the [[Académie de Stanislas]] and [[Bibliothèque municipale de Nancy]], and devoted himself for the rest of his life to science and philanthropy, engaging most notably in controversy with [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/23935174|title=The Polish Question as a Political Issue within Philosophical Dispute: Leszczyński versus Rousseau|first=Jan|last=Květina |journal=Oriens Aliter. Journal for Culture and History of the Central and Eastern Europe|date=January 2014|access-date=April 11, 2019|via=www.academia.edu}}</ref> He also published ''[[Głos wolny wolność ubezpieczający]]'', one of the most important political treatises of the Polish Enlightenment. 

His court painter was [[André Joly]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bd6t5397359r/f746.item | title=Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays. Tome 2 / Par un groupe d'écrivains spécialistes français et étrangers ; sous la direction de e. Bénézit. }}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:F54 Nancy tombeau Stanislas.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Tomb of the king in Bonsecours Church, Nancy]]
Stanisław was still alive when his great-great-granddaughter, [[Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria (1762–1770)|Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria]], was born in 1762. In his last years, his close friend, the Hungarian-born Marshal of France [[Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny]] lived on his estate to provide company.

Leszczyński died aged 88 in 1766 as a result of serious burns&nbsp;– his silk attire had caught fire from a spark while the King was asleep near the fireplace in his [[Château de Lunéville|palace in]] [[Lunéville]] on 5 February. He was medically treated for several days but died of wounds on 23 February. He was the longest living Polish king.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.szkolnictwo.pl/szukaj,Stanis%C5%82aw_Leszczy%C5%84ski|title=Stanisław Leszczyński - Szkolnictwo.pl|website=www.szkolnictwo.pl|access-date=April 11, 2019}}</ref>

Originally buried in the [[Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Nancy]], following the [[French Revolution]] his remains were brought back to [[Poland]] and buried in the royal tomb of the [[Wawel Cathedral]] in [[Kraków]].

==Children==

# [[Anna Leszczyńska (1699–1717)|Anna]] (25 May 1699&nbsp;– 20 June 1717) died unmarried and childless.
# [[Marie Leszczyńska|Maria]] (23 June 1703&nbsp;– 24 June 1768) married [[Louis XV of France]] and had issue.
His wife also suffered many miscarriages.

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book|last=Żychliński|first=Teodor|title=Złota księga szlachty polskiéj: Rocznik IVty|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zihbCxb9xpQC&pg=PT1|access-date=1 August 2018|year=1882|publisher=Jarosław Leitgeber|language=pl|page=1}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
| 1 = 1. '''Stanislaus I of Poland'''
| 2 = 2. [[Rafał Leszczyński (1650–1703)|Rafał Leszczyński]]
| 3 = 3. [[Anna Leszczyńska (1660–1727)|Anna Jabłonowska]]
| 4 = 4. [[Bogusław Leszczyński]]
| 5 = 5. Anna von Dönhoff
| 6 = 6. [[Stanisław Jan Jabłonowski]]
| 7 = 7. [[Marianna Kazanowska]]
| 8 = 8. [[Rafał Leszczyński (1579–1636)|Rafał Leszczyński]]
| 9 = 9. Anna Radzimińska
| 10 = 10. [[Kaspar von Dönhoff]]
| 11 = 11. Anna Aleksandra Koniecpolska
| 12 = 12. Jan Jabłonowski
| 13 = 13. Anna Ostroróga
| 14 = 14. [[Aleksander Dominik Kazanowski]]
| 15 = 15. Anna Potocka
}}

==Play and opera==
Loosely based on an incident of King Stanisław's life are the [[Play (theatre)|play]] ''Le faux Stanislas'' written by the Frenchman Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval in 1808, transformed into the [[opera]] ''[[Un giorno di regno]], ossia Il finto Stanislao'' (''A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus'', but often translated into English as ''King for a Day'') by [[Giuseppe Verdi]], to an Italian [[libretto]] written in 1818 by [[Felice Romani]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Rydzyna5 Apr05.jpg|Castle in [[Rydzyna]] was rebuilt in 1700 by Pompeo Ferrari on his order.
File:France Loir-et-Cher Chambord Chateau 03.jpg|[[Château de Chambord]], where he lived between 1725 and 1733.
File:Eglise Saint Jacques Lunéville.jpg|Église Saint-Jacques in [[Lunéville]] was established by him in 1745.
File:2012-05-14 - Statue of Stanislas Leszczyński on Place Stanislas in Nancy.jpg|Statue at Place Stanislas in Nancy, unveiled in 1831
File:Mányoki Stanislaus Leszczyński.png|Portrait of Stanisław I Leszczyński by [[Ádám Mányoki]], circa 1700's
File:Stanislaw I Leszczynski of Poland.jpg|1706 portrait by [[David von Krafft]]
File:Portrait of Stanisław I Leszczyński.jpg|Portrait by [[Jean-Baptiste van Loo]], 1727–1728
File:Stanisław Leszczyński, König von Polen (Pesne).jpg|King Stanisław I by [[Antoine Pesne]], 1731
File:Stanisław Leszczyński par Girardet.PNG|Portrait from {{circa|1750}}
File:Stanislaw Leszczynski.jpg|Portrait by [[Hyacinthe Rigaud]]
File:Coat of arms of Stanislovas Leščinskis, painted in 1875.jpg|Personal coat of arms
</gallery>

==Further reading==
* Zieliński, Ryszard (1978). ''Polka na francuskim tronie.'' Czytelnik.
* Květina, Jan (2014). ''The Polish Question as a Political Issue within Philosophical Dispute: Leszczyński versus Rousseau''. Oriens Aliter. Journal for Culture and History of the Central and Eastern Europe. (https://www.academia.edu/23935174/The_Polish_Question_as_a_Political_Issue_within_Philosophical_Dispute_Leszczy%C5%84ski_versus_Rousseau)

==See also==
* [[History of Poland (1569–1795)]]
* [[History of philosophy in Poland#Renaissance|History of philosophy in Poland]]
* [[List of Poles#Philosophy|List of Poles]]

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|Stanislaus I Leszczyński}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{EB1911 |wstitle=Stanislaus I. |volume=25 |pages=775–776 |first=Robert Nisbet |last=Bain |author-link=Robert Nisbet Bain|short=1}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Leszczyński|House of Leszczyński]]|20 October|1677|23 February|1766|}}
{{s-reg|}}

{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland]]<br>[[Grand Duke of Lithuania]]|years=1704–1709}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus II]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Polish monarchs|King of Poland]]<br>[[Grand Duke of Lithuania]]|years=1733–1736}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis III Stephen]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Lorraine]]|years=1737–1766}}
{{s-non|reason=Annexation by France}}
{{S-end}}

{{Monarchs of Poland}}
{{Monarchs of Lithuania}}
{{Age of Enlightenment}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leszczynski, Stanislaw}}
[[Category:1677 births]]
[[Category:1766 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Polish monarchs]]
[[Category:Kings of Poland]]
[[Category:Grand dukes of Lithuania]]
[[Category:Dukes of Lorraine]]
[[Category:Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
[[Category:People from Lviv]]
[[Category:Leszczyński family|Stanislaw]]
[[Category:17th-century Polish nobility]]
[[Category:Polish people of the Great Northern War]]
[[Category:Polish–Lithuanian military personnel of the War of the Polish Succession]]
[[Category:Polish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Deaths from fire]]
[[Category:Burials at Wawel Cathedral]]
[[Category:18th-century Polish–Lithuanian philosophers]]