The
First Partition of Poland or
First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of
three partitions that ended the existence of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Growth in the
Russian Empire's power, threatening the
Kingdom of Prussia and the
Habsburg Austrian Empire, was the primary motive behind this first
partition.
Frederick the Great engineered the partition to prevent Austria, jealous of Russian successes against Turkey, from going to war. The weakened Commonwealth's land, including that already controlled by Russia, was apportioned among its more powerful neighbors—Austria, Russia and Prussia—so as to restore the regional
balance of power in
Eastern Europe among those three countries. With Poland unable to effectively defend itself, and with foreign troops already inside the country, the Polish parliament (
Sejm) ratified the partition in 1773 during the
Partition Sejm convened by the three powers.
Background
In the late 17th century and early 18th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had been reduced from the status of a major European power to that of a Russian
protectorate (or
vassal or
satellite state), with the Russian
tsar effectively choosing Polish-Lithuanian monarchs during the
free elections and deciding the outcome of much of Poland's internal politics, for example during the
Repnin Sejm, named after the Russian ambassador who unofficially presided over the proceedings.<ref...
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