| Cultural juggernauts: Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski, 1732-1798 |
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Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski, the son of a magnate family, became king in 1764 as a protege of the Russian empress Catherine II. He was an enlightened man, well educated and cosmopolitan. He labored greatly to raise the level of the Polish elites and modernize the country. Politically and from the vantage point of its international position, the Polish-Lithuanian state was already in a state of wane, and measures introduced by the king and his progressive entourage served the future rather than the present day. The king was a knowledgeable protector of the arts and culture. He aspired Poland would preserve its independence thanks to the magnanimity of Catherine the Great. One of his greatest achievements was his active participation in the drafting of the Constitution of 3 May 1791. However, when confronted with strong opposition of the empress, he hastily capitulated and agreed to abdicate. His abdication spelt the end of the independent Polish-Lithuanian state. |
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