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Duchy of Warsaw

Coordinates:52°14′00″N21°01′00″E/ 52.2333°N 21.0167°E/52.2333; 21.0167
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For the medieval state, seeDuchy of Warsaw (Middle Ages).
Duchy of Warsaw
Księstwo Warszawskie(Polish)
Duché de Varsovie(French)
Herzogtum Warschau(German)
1807–1815
Lesser coat of arms:
The Duchy of Warsaw in 1812
The Duchy of Warsaw in 1812
StatusSatellite stateof theFrench Empire,
Personal unionwith theKingdom of Saxony
CapitalWarsaw
Common languages
Religion
Roman Catholic
GovernmentUnitaryparliamentarysemi-constitutional monarchy
Duke
• 1807–1815
Frederick Augustus I
Prime Minister
• 1807
Stanisław Małachowski
• 1807–1808
Ludwik S. Gutakowski
• 1808–1809
Józef Poniatowski
• 1809–1815
Stanisław K. Potocki
LegislatureSejm
•Upper house
Senate
•Lower house
Chamber of Deputies
Historical eraNapoleonic Wars
9 June 1807
22 July 1807
19 April 1809
14 October 1809
24 June 1812
9 June 1815
CurrencyZłoty
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
South Prussia
West Prussia
New East Prussia
Netze District
West Galicia
Congress Poland
Grand Duchy of Posen
West Prussia
Free City of Cracow
Today part ofPoland
Lithuania
Belarus¹
¹Sopoćkiniearea

TheDuchy of Warsaw(Polish:Księstwo Warszawskie;French:Duché de Varsovie;German:Herzogtum Warschau), also known as theGrand Duchy of Warsaw[1]andNapoleonic Poland,[2]was aFrenchclient stateestablished byNapoleon Bonapartein 1807, during theNapoleonic Wars.It initially comprised the ethnically Polish lands ceded to France byPrussiaunder the terms of theTreaties of Tilsit,and was augmented in 1809 with territory ceded byAustriain theTreaty of Schönbrunn.It was the first attempt to re-establish Poland as a sovereign state after the 18th-centurypartitionsand covered the central and southeastern parts of present-day Poland.

The duchy was held inpersonal unionby Napoleon's ally,Frederick Augustus I of Saxony,who became the duke of Warsaw and remained a legitimate candidate for thePolish throne.FollowingNapoleon's failed invasion of Russia,Napoleon seemingly abandoned the duchy, and it was left to be occupied by Prussian andRussiantroops until 1815, when it was formally divided between the two countries at theCongress of Vienna.The east-central territory of the duchy acquired by the Russian Empire was subsequently transformed into apolitycalledCongress Poland,and Prussia formed theGrand Duchy of Posenin the west. The city of Kraków, Poland's cultural centre, wasgranted "free city" statusuntil its incorporation into Austria in 1846.

History[edit]

The area of the duchy had already been liberated bya popular uprisingthat had escalated from anti-conscription rioting in 1806. One of the first tasks for the new government included providing food to the French army fighting the Russians inEast Prussia.

The Duchy of Warsaw was created by French EmperorNapoleon I,as part of theTreaty of TilsitwithPrussia.Its creation met the support of both local republicans in partitioned Poland, and the large Polish diaspora in France, who openly supported Napoleon as the only man capable of restoring Polish sovereignty after thePartitions of Polandof the late 18th century. However, it was created as asatellite state[3](and was only aduchy,rather than a kingdom). The Duchy has also been described as apuppet state[4][5][6]or aclient state[7][8]of Napoleon's France.

PrinceJózef Poniatowski,Commander in Chief of the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, byJosef Grassi

The newly recreated state was formally an independent duchy, allied toFrance,and in apersonal unionwith theKingdom of Saxony.KingFrederick Augustus I of Saxonywas compelled by Napoleon to make his new realm aconstitutional monarchy,with a parliament (theSejm of the Duchy of Warsaw).

The Varsovian duchy was never allowed to develop as a truly independent state; Frederick Augustus' rule was subordinated to the requirements of the Frenchraison d'état,who largely treated the state as a source of resources. The most important person in the duchy was, in fact, the French ambassador,[citation needed]based in the duchy's capital, Warsaw. Significantly, the duchy lacked its own diplomatic representation abroad.[9]

In 1809, a short war withAustriastarted. Although the Duchy of Warsaw won theBattle of Raszyn,Austrian troops entered Warsaw, but Varsovian and French forces then outflanked their enemy and capturedKraków,Lwówand some of the areas annexed by Austria in thePartitions of Poland.During the war, the German colonists settled by Prussia during Partitions openly rose up against the Varsovian government.[10]After theBattle of Wagram,the ensuingTreaty of Schönbrunnallowed for a significant expansion of the duchy's territory southwards with the regaining of once-Polish and Lithuanian lands.

Peninsular War[edit]

Main article:Peninsular War
Main article:Legion of the Vistula
Main article:1st Polish Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard

Napoleon's campaign against Russia[edit]

Polish uhlans from the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1815. Painting byJanuary Suchodolski

As a result of Napoleon's campaign in 1812 against Russia, the Poles expected that the duchy would be upgraded to the status of a kingdom and that during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, they would be joined by the liberated territories of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania,Poland's historic partner in thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.On June 28, the Sejm formed theGeneral Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland,establishing a system of government similar to the former commonwealth with the hope of reclaiming the partitioned territories. However, Napoleon did not want to make a permanent decision that would tie his hands before his anticipated peace settlement with Russia, and did not recognize theconfederationof June 28. Nevertheless, he proclaimed the attack on Russia as asecond Polish warand allowed theLithuanian Provisional Governing Commissionto fall under Polish influence.

Any peace settlement or restoration of Poland-Lithuania were not to be, however. Napoleon'sGrande Armée,including a substantial contingent of Polish troops, set out with the purpose of bringing the Russian Empire to its knees, but his military ambitions were frustrated by his failure to supply the army in Russia and Russia's refusal to surrender after the capture of Moscow; few returned from the march back. The failed campaign against Russia proved to be a major turning point in Napoleon's fortunes.

After Napoleon's defeat in the east, most of the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw was occupied by Russia in January 1813 during their advance on France and its allies. The rest of the duchy was restored to Prussia. Although several isolated fortresses held out for more than a year, the existence of the Varsovian state in anything but the name came to an end.Alexander I of Russiacreated a Provisional Highest Council of the Duchy of Warsaw to govern the area through his generals.

The Congress of Vienna and the Fourth Partition[edit]

Although many European states and ex-rulers were represented at theCongress of Viennain 1815, the decision-making was largely in the hands of the major powers. It was perhaps inevitable, therefore, that both Prussia and Russia would effectively partition Poland between them; Austria was to more-or-less retain its gains of the First Partition of 1772.

Russia sought all territories of the Duchy of Warsaw. It kept all its gains from the three previous partitions, together with Białystok and the surrounding territory that it had obtained in 1807. Its demands for the whole Duchy of Warsaw were denied by other European powers.

Prussia regained some of the territory it had lost to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807: a portion of what it had conquered in the Second Partition. TheKulmerlandandGdańsk(Danzig) became part of theProvince of West Prussia;the remaining territories (i.e.,Greater Poland/Poznań), which covered an area of approximately 29,000 km2(11,000 sq mi), were reconstituted into theGrand Duchy of Posen.The Grand Duchy and its populace had some nominal autonomy (although it wasde factosubordinate to Prussia) but following the1848 Greater Poland Uprisingwas fully integrated into Prussia as theProvince of Posen.

The city of Kraków and some surrounding territory, previously part of the Duchy of Warsaw, were established as the semi-independentFree City of Cracow[sic], under the "protection" of its three powerful neighbors. The city's territory measured some 1,164 km2(449 sq mi), and had a population of about 88,000 people. The city was eventually annexed by Austria in 1846, becoming theGrand Duchy of Kraków.

Finally, the bulk of the former Duchy of Warsaw, measuring some 128,000 km2(49,000 sq mi), was re-established as what is commonly referred to as the "Congress Kingdom"of Poland, in apersonal unionwith theRussian Empire.This broadly corresponded to the Prussian and Austrian portions of the Third Partition (apart from the area around Białystok) plus around half of Prussia's Second Partition conquests and a small part of Austria's First Partition gains.De factoa Russianpuppet state,it maintained its separate status only until 1831 when it was effectively annexed to the Russian Empire. Its constituent territories became theVistula Landin 1867.

Government and politics[edit]

Constitution[edit]

TheConstitution of the Duchy of Warsawcould be considered liberal for its time. It provided for a bicameral Sejm consisting of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. A Council of Ministers functioned as the executive body of the duchy. Serfdom was partially abolished, as the serfs were granted personal freedom without gaining any economic liberties or privileges. All classes were to be equal before the law, although the nobility was still greatly favoured as members of the Sejm. While Roman Catholicism was the state religion, andreligious tolerancewas also guaranteed by the constitution.

Administrative divisions[edit]

Main article:Administrative division of Duchy of Warsaw

Theadministrative divisionsof Duchy of Warsaw were based ondepartments,each headed by aprefect.This organization was based on theFrench model,as the entire duchy was in fact created byNapoleonand based on French ideas, although departments were divided into Polishpowiats(counties).

There were 6 initial departments, after 1809 (after Napoleon's defeat of the Austrians and theTreaty of Schönbrunn) increased to 10 (as the duchy territory increased). Each department was named after its capital city.

Map of the Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1809

In January 1807:

The above 6 departments were divided into 60powiats.

Map of the Duchy of Warsaw, 1809–1815

Added in 1809:

Napoleon conferringthe Constitutionin 1807

Military[edit]

Main article:Army of the Duchy of Warsaw

The duchy's armed forces were completely under French control via its war minister, PrinceJózef Poniatowski,who was also aMarshal of France.In fact, the duchy was heavily militarized, bordered as it was byPrussia,theAustrian Empire,andRussia,and it was to be a significant source for troops in various campaigns of Napoleon.

The duchy's army was of considerable size when compared to the duchy's number of inhabitants. Initially consisting of 30,000 of regular soldiers (made up of bothcavalryand infantry),[11]its numbers were to rise to over 60,000 in 1810, and by the time ofNapoleon's campaign in Russiain 1812, its army totaled almost 120,000 troops out of a total population of just 4.3 million people – a similar number of troops in total available to Napoleon at Austerlitz, from a country of more than 25 million people.

Economy[edit]

The heavy drain on its resources by forced military recruitment, combined with a drop in exports of grain, caused significant problems for the duchy's economy. To make matters worse, in 1808 the French Empire imposed on the duchy an agreement atBayonneto buy from France the debts owed to it by Prussia.[12]Thedebt,amounting to more than 43 millionfrancsin gold, was bought at a discounted rate of 21 million francs.[12]

Although the duchy made its payments in installments to France over a four-year period, Prussia was unable to pay it (due to a very large indemnity it owed to France), causing the Polish economy to suffer heavily. Indeed, to this day the phrase "sum of Bayonne" is a synonym inPolishfor a huge amount of money.[12]All these problems resulted in both inflation and over-taxation.

To counter the threat of bankruptcy, the authorities intensified the development and modernization of agriculture. Also, aprotectionistpolicy was introduced to protectindustry.

Geography and demographics[edit]

According to theTreaties of Tilsit,the area of the duchy covered roughly the areas of the 2nd and 3rdPrussian partitions,with the exception ofDanzig (Gdańsk),which became theFree City of Danzigunder joint French and Saxon "protection", and of the district aroundBiałystok,which became part of Russia. The Prussian territory was made up of territory from the former Prussian provinces ofNew East Prussia,Southern Prussia,New Silesia,andWest Prussia.In addition, the new state was given the area along theNotećriver and theLand of Chełmno.

Altogether, the duchy had an initial area of around 104,000 km2(40,000 sq mi), with a population of approximately 2,600,000. The bulk of its inhabitants werePoles.[13]

In 1809 the Duchy annexedWest Galicia,the area of the 1795Austrian partition,and the district ofZamość(Zamoscer Kreis[de]): The duchy's area increased significantly, to around 155,000 km2(60,000 sq mi), and the population also substantially increased, to roughly 4,300,000.

According to the 1810 census, the duchy had a population of 4,334,000, of whom a clear majority were ethnic Poles. Jews constituted 7% of the inhabitants (perhaps an underestimation), Germans – 6%, Lithuanians and Ruthenians – 4%.[14]

Legacy[edit]

Part ofa serieson
Polish statehood
Poland
Personal union
Proposed
Occupational powers
Miscellaneous
Poland portal

Superficially, the Duchy of Warsaw was just one of the various states set up during Napoleon's dominance over Eastern and Central Europe, lasting only a few years and passing with his fall. However, its establishment a little over a decade after the Second and Third Partitions, that had appeared to wipe Poland off the map, meant that Poles had their hopes rekindled of a resurrected Polish state. Even with Napoleon's defeat, a Polish state continued in some form until the increasingly autocratic Russian state eliminated Poland once again as a separate entity. Altogether, this meant that an identifiable Polish state was in existence for at least a quarter of a century.

At the 200th anniversary of the creation of this iteration of the Polish state, numerous commemorative events dedicated to that event were held in the Polish capital of Warsaw. In addition, the Polish Ministry of Defense asked for the honor of holding a joint parade of Polish and French soldiers to which PresidentNicolas Sarkozyagreed.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Poland".US Department of state.
  2. ^The Cambridge History of Poland.Cambridge University Press. 15 September 2016.ISBN9781316620038.
  3. ^Williamson, David G. (2011).Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939.Stackpole Books. p. 1.ISBN978-0-8117-0828-9.
  4. ^Bilenky, Serhiy (2022)."Vadym Adadurov." Napoleonida "na skhodi Ievropy: Uiavlennia, proekty ta diial'nist' uriadu Frantsii shchodo pivdenno-zakhidnykh okrain Rosiis'koi imperii na pochatku XIX stolittia".East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies.9(1): 253–258.doi:10.21226/ewjus717.ISSN2292-7956.S2CID247911190.
  5. ^Prazmowska, Anita (2010-06-30).Poland: A Modern History.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-0-85773-677-2.As a result of this, the Duchy of Warsaw was created.... Nevertheless, although a French puppet state, the Duchy was...
  6. ^Summerville, Christopher (2005-09-30).Napoleon's Polish Gamble: Eylau & Friedland 1807 – Campaign Chronicles.Pen and Sword. p. 154.ISBN978-1-84415-260-5.
  7. ^Wroński, Marcin (2022-12-02)."Income inequality in the Duchy of Warsaw (1810/11)".Scandinavian Economic History Review:1–15.doi:10.1080/03585522.2022.2148736.ISSN0358-5522.
  8. ^Lyons, Martyn (1994), Lyons, Martyn (ed.),"The Unsheathed Sword, 2: Britain, Spain, Russia",Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution,London: Macmillan Education UK, pp. 213–228,doi:10.1007/978-1-349-23436-3_15,ISBN978-1-349-23436-3,retrieved2023-05-10
  9. ^Roberts, Andrew(2014).Napoleon: A Life.New York: Viking.ISBN9780698176287.chap. 19(no pg. no. in e-book).
  10. ^Kolonizacja niemiecka w południowo-wschodniej cześci Królestwa Polskiego w latach 1815–1915Wiesław Śladkowski Wydawn. Lubelskie, 1969, page 234
  11. ^Wandycz, Piotr S. (1975-02-01).The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795–1918.University of Washington Press. p. 48.ISBN978-0-295-80361-6.
  12. ^abcPaul Robert Magocsi; Jean W. Sedlar; Robert A. Kann; Charles Jelavich; Joseph Rothschild (1974).A History of East Central Europe.University of Washington Press. p. 49.ISBN978-0-295-95358-8.Retrieved11 May2012.
  13. ^"ВАРШАВСЬКЕ КНЯЗІВСТВО [Електронний ресурс]".ІНСТИТУТ ІСТОРІЇ УКРАЇНИ. НАЦІОНАЛЬНА АКАДЕМІЯ НАУК УКРАЇНИ.
  14. ^Czubaty, Jarosław (2016).The Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1815: A Napoleonic Outpost in Central Europe.Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 109.
  15. ^"Rp.pl: Najważniejsze wiadomości gospodarcze, prawne i polityczne z Polski i ze świata. Aktualne wiadomości z dnia – rp.pl".rp.pl.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

52°14′00″N21°01′00″E/ 52.2333°N 21.0167°E/52.2333; 21.0167

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