Stanislas Leszczyński

Sizes and miseries of the throne of Poland

In 1697, the diet of Poland elects Frederic-Auguste IerElecteur of Saxony king de Pologne under the name of Auguste II.

The same year sees the advent of the young person Charles XII of Sweden. The tsar Pierre Ier of Russia and the king Auguste II of Poland taking the fifteen years of the new sovereign for a mark of inexperience and weakness declare immediately the war with the Sweden then first power of Northern Europe. But the king of Sweden, Charles XII, reacts with courage and showing its military engineering, pushes back Russian and invades the Poland.

It makes elect Stanislas the July 12th 1704.

After the defeat of Poltava, in 1709, against the armies of Pierre I {{er}} Large the, Tsar of Russia, Charles XII is imprisoned in Bessarabia, Othoman possession in Eastern Europe, between the Moldavie and the Ukraine, in Bender (today Tighina in Moldavie), and Stanislas, is driven out throne of Poland, chevaleresquement joined there.

In exile

Charles XII confers to him in 1714 the pleasure of its principality of Deux-Ponts ( Zweibrücken ), at the border of the Lorraine. Stanislas can cultivate there the music and arts, philosophy and sciences in the palate baroque “with the Eastern paces” which it makes build and which it baptizes “Tschifflick” (" house of plaisance" in Turkish), remembering its stay with Bender. It is at the time of its stay in the principality that it will lose his Anne oldest daughter.

With died of Charles XII, in 1718, Stanislas and his family find refuge near the duke Léopold Ier of Lorraine, brother-in-law of the regent, then (March 1719) after the successful mediation of the Baron Stanislas-Constantin de Meszek, with Wissembourg, in Alsace, on the grounds of king de France.

It places initially with the Saint-Remi castle then in a more roomy hotel placed at its disposal by the baillif of Weber which held it of his/her father-in-law, the receiver of the order teutonic Jaeger (today old people's home). The family saw there in a modest way, thanks to a pension of 1.000 books per week granted by the Régent. Stanislas is surrounded there by a small circle of courtiers who share some titles of court and do not cease a chamailler for questions of precedences.

It is by an astonishing chance that the marriage of Louis XV with Marie Leszczyńska will leave it this exile.

A royal marriage

During this time, in France, with died from the Regent, Philippe of Orleans, the December 2nd 1723, the duke of Bourbon (Mister the Duke) obtained Louis XV the load of Prime Minister. The Regent had provided that Louis XV, which went over its thirteen years, would marry a infante of Spain, then six years old. This remote prospect worried the duke of Bourbon extremely because, if Louis XV had suddenly disappeared before being married and having generated a male heir, the crown would be allocated to the son of the Regent, the young person duke of Orleans. However there existed, between the branches of Orleans and Cop of the house of Bourbon, an apparently irreducible opposition. Mister the Duke, become Prime Minister, thus had an obsession: to marry the King and to make him make children as quickly as possible. A faintness whose was taken the king in February 1725 the convainquit to precipitate the movement: the infante of Spain was returned to Madrid and the Council, held the March 31st 1725, examined the various possible parties to replace it.

After having eliminated the too old princesses or too young people or those which were related to Orleans (like the girls of Léopold Ier of Lorraine), those which were not catholic (orthodoxe like the girl of the tsar, calvinists or Lutherans like many German princesses), there did not remain any candidate.

The duke of Bourbon tried to propose one of his/her sisters but the operation, too coarse, made failure.

One " repêcha" then the Marie princess, girl of Stanislas, détrôné king of Poland, already old of 22 years of which the Prime Minister and especially its mistress, the Marquise of Requests, hoped for an eternal recognition which would ensure the conservation of the capacity to them.

Mister the Duke, who was widowed since 1720 and without posterity, had planned to marry itself the Polish princess and had made a certain number of advances in this direction.

When was dispatched to him, in February 1725, the painter Pierre Gobert to make the portrait of the princess Marie, Stanislas was persuaded that this project took form. Also, what a was not its amazement when, the April 2nd, Easter Monday, a mail brought a fold, sealed to him seal of the duke of Bourbon, which required of him his/her daughter in marriage in the name of Louis XV!

Marie Leszczyńska immediately accepted the proposal which was made to him.

The May 27th, with its small rising, Louis XV made the official announcement of the marriage.

The July 4th, the family settled with Strasbourg where, the August 15th, the marriage was celebrated by procuration in the cathedral by the cardinal of Rohan, large chaplain of France and bishop of the diocese.

Stanislas and his wife left Strasbourg the September 22nd and arrived the October 16th at the castle of Bourron, close to Fontainebleau, where they found their daughter.

The following day, Louis XV visited them for the first time.

Stanislas returned this visit the 17 to Fontainebleau and, the 19, it left for Chambord where it had been decided that it would be established, rather than with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer. It resided until in 1733 at it, coming incognito, each autumn to return visit to his daughter. It is devoted to it to hunting while contemplating projects of library of study and academy which it will once apply become duke of Lorraine.

The relations between Stanislas and Louis XV were generally rather cold. In the presence of his/her father-in-law, Louis XV felt probably rather hard that he had not married the girl of one of the first families of Europe. Nevertheless, Stanislas was cultivated, spiritual, and was interested in sciences and technology, which provided a subject of shared interest.

Missed restoration and the war of succession of Poland

Stanislas duke of Lorraine and Bar

Charles VI being in a delicate military situation offered to Louis XV to negotiate a peace treaty. The cardinal of Fleury saw opportunity there of finally putting the hand on the duchies of Lorraine and of Bar which, though taken tortures some by the French possessions (three évêchés (Toul, Verdun, Metz, road of Alsace), obstructed the communications between Paris and the Alsace, the duke of Lorraine and Bar being openly favorable to the Emperor of which it was to marry the oldest daughter and heiress, Marie-Therese of Austria.

After difficult negotiations, the duke of Lorraine refusing to give up his subjects and his inheritance, it was agreed the October 3rd 1735, in an agreement called “the Preliminaries of Vienna”, that Stanislas would receive in life annuity the duchies of Lorraine and of Bar which would return to France to its death, the duke of Lorraine François III (future Emperor François Ier) receiving as compensation the Grand Duchy of Toscane to the death of the reigning large-duke. François III, reticent but constrained by the Emperor, signed the September 24th 1736 the instrument of transfer of the Duché of Bar but awaited until the February 13rd 1737 to give up the Duché of Lorraine.

Meanwhile, the May 5th 1736, Stanislas had left Königsberg to settle the June 4th with the castle of Meudon.

After having abdicated the throne of Poland officially, the September 30th, it was constrained by the ministers of Louis XV, to sign a secret declaration, appelée' “declaration of Meudon” , by which it stated not to want “to take care of the embarrassments of arrangements which look at the administration of finances and incomes of the duchies of Bar and Lorraine” Stanislas relied on king de France, who entered in possession of the duchies “as of now and for always” .

In compensation, Stanislas received an annual rent of 1.500.000 books, which would be carried to 2 million with the death of the large-duke of Tuscany. Stanislas committed himself appointing “an intendant of justice, organizes and finances… or another person under such title and denomination that he will be judged by the way, which will be selected in.liaison.with S.M. Very-Christian woman. The aforementioned intendant or other will exert on our behalf the same capacity and the same functions that the intendants of province exert in France. ” Stanislas approved, with the title of chancellor, the January 18th 1737, the brother-in-law of the general inspector Orry, Antoine-Martin Chaumont of Galaizière, which had been proposed by the cardinal of Fleury. This one took possession in the name of Stanislas, the February 8th 1737 of the Duché of Bar and the March 21st of that of Lorraine.

It should be noted that Stanislas was coldly accommodated by the Lorraine population, very attached to the ducal family, and that its Chaumont intendant of Galaizière was unanimously haï and remains a character with the black image in the memory of the Lorraine ones.

The March 30th with Versailles, Stanislas and his wife took leave of Louis XV, and the king visited them the following day.

April 1st, Stanislas left for the Lorraine and arrived as of the April 3rd at Lunéville that the duchess dowager (sister of the late regent) and her daughters, (that the duke of Bourbon had scorned), had just left for Commercy of which it received sovereignty in life annuity.

Stanislas had to place in prince de Craon, since François III had left with furnishing its castles and that Louis XV had not taken care to provide his/her father-in-law.

The Catherine queen joined it the 13.

The May 25th and on June 1st, Stanislas promulgated the edicts creating his Council of State and his Council of Finances and Commerce, on bases narrowly derived from the system in force in France: it was a question, especially, of accustoming the Lorraine ones with becoming French.

To tell the truth, Stanislas was only one sovereign marionette with the hands of French.

Happiness to be grandfather

Each autumn, Stanislas and his wife returned visit to their daughter to Versailles. Trianon was placed at their disposal throughout their stay, but they did nothing but there sleep and spent most clearly their time to the castle.

With Nancy, Stanislas had to hardly be able, but he enjoyed comfortable incomes. He wanted to seek to mark the history by maintaining a brilliant court and by protecting artists and men of letters. He created the royal of Nancy, public Library (1750), and the Royal Société of Sciences and Belles-lettres, which took soon the name of Académie of Nancy. The latter was at the same time to diffuse knowledge, to promote the French language (in a country where part of the population spoke a Germanic dialect) as well as the religious and political tolerance.

Favorable to the freedom and the separation of the capacities, Stanislas, though deeply believing, kept away from excesses from all fanaticisms, monk or atheists as its philosophical test shows it: the Incredulity fought by the simple good sense (1760).

In " ses" States, it set up social initiatives in advance over its time: collective schools, hospitals, public libraries, attics, the most stripped helps with, etc It provided even the foundations of an ideal city inspired of its own achievements in the Entretien with an European with an islander of the kingdom of Dumocala (1752). It signed “the beneficial Philosopher” a series of philosophical tests good in the spirit of the Lumières, like the combat of the will and the reason (1749).

It equipped its capital, Nancy, of the splendid unit built around current the Place Stanislas by the architect Emmanuel Héré: a great place oblong, known as “new place of the Career”, joins together the old city at the new city. It communicated with the Royale place (today “Place Stanislas”), created in the honor of her son-in-law Louis XV. Inaugurated in November 1757, it is surrounded by splendid buildings and is closed gilded grids, chiefs of work of ironwork of Jean Lamour. The center of the place is occupied since 1831 by a statue of Stanislas, who replaced that of Louis XV, removed under the Révolution. Stanislas also made build the church Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, the hotel of the Royal Missions, the places of Alliance and the Career and still the doors Saint-Stanislas and Holy-Catherine.

Stanislas installed several royal residences (Castles of Commercy, Malgrange, Jolivet and Einville) and made transform the Château of Lunéville called the Lorraine Versailles. The park was entirely refitted by the architect Emmanuel Héré who decorated the gardens of “madnesses”: Kiosk of Turkish inspiration, house of Clover to the roof in the shape of “Chinese hat”, maisonnettes (" Chartreuses"), open-air theaters, fountains, house of the Cascade, house of Chanteheux, and a Rock which put moving automats in a pastoral decoration.

Stanislas, four twenty-nine years old, died in Lunéville the February 23rd 1766 at the end of a long anguish, after being himself flaring accidentally in front of the chimney of his room. He is buried with the church Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, with Nancy.

With the humble maidservant who tried to extinguish the flames which consumed it, it would have said this word quite worthy of a prince of the 18th century: " Who had said, Madam, whom one day we would burn of same fires? "

titles of Stanislas in 1763:

“Stanislas, by the grace of God, King de Pologne, Large-Duke of Lithuania, Russia, Prussia, Mazovie: Samogirle, Kiovie, Volhinie, Podlachie, Livonie, Smolensko, Sévérie, Czernichovie, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, Marquis de Pont-à-Mousson and of Nomeny, Count de Vaudemont, of Blamont, Sarwerden, and Salm. ”

Works

Correspondence of Stanislas Leszczynski with Frederic-Guillaume Ier and Frederic II , published by Pierre Boyé, Paris-Nancy, 1906.
Maintenance with an European with an islander of the kingdom of Dumocala , text established and annotated by Laurent Versini, University of Nancy II, 1981.
Works of the beneficial Philosopher , three volumes, 1764.
new Opuscules of Stanislas , presented by Louis Lacroix, Nancy, 1866.
Stanislas Leszczynski, news , introduction of Rene Taveneaux, text established by Laurent Versini, University Presses of Nancy, 1984.

References

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