Post by zdecydowany on Jun 17, 2013 7:22:24 GMT -5
My Reflection
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Nation: Poland
Name: Feliks Kazimierz Tadeusz Łukasiewicz
Gender: Male
Appearance Age: 24
Actual Age: 1047 (from the baptism of Prince Mieszko I in the Piast dynasty)
Appearance
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5'7
Weight: 145
Appearance: Smaller than he used to be, but sometimes that can be forgotten as Feliks projects his presence very solidly. His blond hair is a little shorter than shoulder-length, and gradually trending shorter. Mainly it's cut to keep out of his eyes. When that doesn't quite work, he might use a clip to keep it back, but certainly not a flower clip... He's proud of who he is and likes to wear red and white when practical. On weekends and other occasions that would permit, he wears a sports jersey and jeans, but he dresses more carefully for church.
Defining Features: Though youthful in appearance, if he's tired, the lines around his eyes become more pronounced and he looks much older. He has a very interesting collection of scars, healed but some are still visible when he wears short sleeves or shorts. Most of these he isn't self-conscious about.
Who Am I?
Personality: In the past, Feliks was a bit more... reckless. Several partitions have all made their respective marks on his appearance, personality, culture, language and geography, but he has stubbornly refused to disappear for good. While some would take the hint and just die, Feliks sees his continued existence as a minor miracle, which means divine favour, which means... why not be happy if God
loves you and your neighbours don't? Less kind answers for such optimism might include reference to the significant number of head-injuries he's had throughout his history.
That being said though, Feliks considers himself more of a realist than an optimist and has on several occasions had cause for a gloomy announcement of 'I told you so' to the world at large and some of his neighbours in particular. His classical temperament would best be described as melancholic-choleric.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Fears:
Fun Facts:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Your History
966- Baptism of Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty, who goes on to unify the West Slavic tribal lands, convert the population to Christianity, create a strong kingdom and integrate Poland into the European culture.
1025- Bolesław I Chrobry, Mieszko's son, is crowned the first King of Poland. He establishes a Polish Church province, and pursues territorial conquests.
1034- Mieszko II Lambert dies after unsuccessfully trying to continue his father's expansionist policies but he had only succeeded in irritating his neighbours to the point that he was defeated and forced into exile. With the collapse of government, Poland was ravaged by an anti-feudal and pagan rebellion, and also by the forces of Bretislaus I of Bohemia. The country suffered territorial losses, and the functioning of the Gniezno archdiocese was disrupted.
1039- Duke Casimir I the Restorer, Mieszko's son, returns from exile to rebuild the Polish monarchy and reclaim the country's lost territory in a series of military campaigns, successfully regaining Masovia and Silesia, with the help of the HRE and the Kievan Rus, neither of whom wanted an unstable neighbour. Casimir revised the feudal system and moved his court to Kraków, forsaking the former capitals of Poznań and Gniezno.
1079- Bolesław II the Bold, despite advancing Polish military strength, several foreign campaigns, and supporting the papacy against the German emperor, came into conflict with the Bishop of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów. This resulted in the execution of the bishop and the abdication of Bolesław.
1102-1138 Bolesław III rules as the Duke of Poland by defeating his half-brother, Zbigniew. He reconquers Western Pomerania and takes Szczecin. Bolesław came up with a plan to divide his kingdom amongst his four sons to prevent conflict, but this failed rather spectacularly and the four (and their descendants) fought amongst each other for control of Kraków. In addition to internal struggle against each other, the various factions also contended with Mongol invasions.
1370- Death of Casimir III the Great, last Piast monarch. He overcame significant obstacles and while starting with a devastated economy, by the time of his death he succeeded in doubling the size of his country, winning the nobles to his side (at the expense of townspeople and the poor), founding the University of Krakow, creating legal reforms, and forestalling further trouble with the Golden Horde by agreeing to some tribute-giving. Although married four times, he had no male heirs and made arrangments that upon his death, his crown and all his possessions would pass to his nephew, King Louis I of Hungary. This brought about the first personal union between Hungary and Poland.
1370-1382 Reign of King Louis I of Hungary and Poland. Though king of both countries, he ruled from Hungary and rarely visited Poland, instead delegating his mother (King Casimir's sister) to rule as regent. Unfortunately she had some conflicts with the Polish nobility and ended up being replaced by Vladislaus II, a mutual relative. The personal union of Hungary and Poland was peaceful, probably because neither country really felt like asserting itself over the other. After the death of Louis, the Polish nobility demanded an end to the personal union and were not satisfied with the idea of being governed by either Mary (who inherited the Hungarian throne from her father) or her husband Sigismund. Riots in Greater Poland ensued. A compromise was reached in the form of Hedvig, or Jadwiga, Louis' second daughter, who was sent to rule Poland as king. This begins the Jagiellon dynasty in Poland.
1386-1572- Jagiellon dynasty in Poland and Commonwealth. With the marriage of King Jadwiga and the pagan Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło, who converted to Christianity for the purpose of this marriage), the Jagiellon dynasty was formed, creating the Polish–Lithuanian union or Commonwealth. Even after the deaths of Jadwiga and her only heir, a daughter, Jogaila was able to maintain his claim to the Polish throne, in no small part due to the absence of an heir that the Sejm could agree on. Also it didn't hurt that the partnership with Lithuania brought a significant quantity of territory into Polish influence. The Commonwealth was one of the largest political entities in Europe for the next four centuries. At its height, it included significant portions of land in what is now Russia, Ukraine and Hungary. Some highlights from this time period include:
1410- Battle of Grunwald. Decisive Commonwealth victory over Teutonic Knights.
1466 -Second Peace of Thorn under King Casimir IV Jagiellon, creating a burden of war reparations on the Teutonic Order, in addition to a temporary peace, and giving Poland control over the western half of Prussia. Furthermore trade was expanded between Polish-Lithuanian and Teutonic cities and the Commonwealth promised that their few remaining pagans would convert to Christianity. However, failure to compromise on terms of repayment strained the fragile peace.
1505- Nihil Novi act transfers most of the legislative power from the monarch to the Sejm. This event is considered to mark the start of the time of "Golden Liberty", characterized by the rule of the "free and equal" Polish nobility. Around this same time, the Protestant Reformation met with some success in Poland, which was not a problem due to the prevailing religious toleration.
1555- Due to repeated Swedish and Russian incursions, and a lack of Polish support, some of Lithuania's nobility decides to break Lithuania away from the Commonwealth and ally with Sweden via the Treaty and subsequent Union of Kedainiai, but both of these efforts are shortlived as the nobles who propounded them ended up dying via forces loyal to the Polish King Jan Kasmir.
1569- Union of Lublin, established a more closely unified federal state as the Commonwealth. The Union was largely run by the nobility, with both a central parliament and local assemblies, but was headed up by elected kings. Since the Commonwealth had more enfranchised nobles who were able to vote for kings, the Commonwealth was a sort of early democratic system as opposed to the absolute monarchies nearby.The beginning of the
Commonwealth era saw its rise to power, advancement in civilization and wealth.Through the Commonwealth, western culture spread eastward.The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at its height covered almost one million square kilometers. The Catholic Church embarked on an ideological counteroffensive and Counter-Reformation, some very important aspects of which came from Vilnius.
1577- Tsar Ivan IV of Russia initated hostilities in Livonia, resulting in his conquering most of the region and causing the Commonwealth to get invoved in the Livonian War. A successful counter-attack led by King Stefan Báthory and Jan Zamoyski brought about the peace of 1582 and they regained most of the territory contested by Russia. Meanwhile Swedish forces established themselves in what is now Estonia. Since Estonia was declared a part of the Commonwealth by Sigismund III in 1600, this gave rise to a war with Sweden over Livonia. This war continued up to 1611 without a definite outcome for either side.
1600- Due to Russian instability, the Commonwealth proposed a union with the Russian state and made several failed attempts at taking control of Russia.
1619- Height of Commonwealth expansion after the Truce of Deulino, however this expansion was not without a steep price tag in blood and money.
1620-Sultan Osman II of the Ottoman Empire declares war against the Commonwealth. The Battle of Ţuţora is a Commonwealth disaster.
1621- Commonwealth forces withstand Ottoman onslaught at Khotyn, but Gustavus Adolphus attacks Riga and Sweden occupies Livonia, and blockades Danzig.
1627- Desperate to fix the situation with regards to Sweden and already overcommitted in other wars, Poland gets Austrian assistance and the Truce of Altmark eventually concludes the Livonian problem with the result that Sweden keeps most of what it conquered.
1632- Further conflicts in Russia. Władysław IV reclaims some lost Livonian territory.
1633-1634- Continued warfare with the Ottoman empire.
1641- Frederick William pays homage to the Commonwealth for the last time and the relationship between Prussia and the Commonwealth declines further.
1648- Cossack Khmelnytsky Uprising in the south and eastern Commonwealth lands. Warfare within and without led to the Ukrainian parts of the Commonwealth being absorbed by Russia. From 1648 through 1720, in one place or another, with one enemy or another, Poland was in a constant state of warfare. These wars resulted in widespread destruction, famine and population loss, as well as an overall cultural trend away from the
Rennaissance ideals of the Commonwealth and towards Sarmitism, provincialism and ignorance.
1654- Treaty of Pereyaslav, in which the Commonwealth formally lost all control of the Ukrainian Hetmanate which went to Russia and kicked off a Russo-Polish war that lasted from 1654-1667.
1655-1656 After a humiliating and frightening series of defeats in combat against both Russia and Sweden, Lithuanian Commonwealth powers under Janusz Radziwill begin negotiations to become Swedish vassals and dissolve the Commonwealth. This was as the Swedish Deluge was occurring, in which Swedish forces, taking advantage of Poland's preoccupation with other conflicts, invaded with hopes of taking Courland/Livonia/Prussia/all of the above. Warsaw, Krakow, and almost all other significant Polish cities (with the exception of Gdansk) were invaded. Swedish forces shortsightedly managed to irritate the general population in to re-supporting Jan Kasmir and the Lithuanian forces that were still loyal to the Commonwealth ousted the traitorious Radziwills. Despite an alliance made between Sweden and Brandenburg, Polish-Lithuanian-Tatar forces were victorious in the 1656 Battle of Warsaw.
1660- Treaty of Oliva ends the Swedish Deluge, Jan Kasmir renounces his claim to the Swedish throne.
1673- Jan Sobieski leads Commonwealth troops to impressive (largest land-based) victory over invading Ottomans. He is elected as King John III Sobieski the next year.
1683- Commonwealth forces save besieged Vienna from the Ottoman forces.
1686- Jan III Sobieski signs an 'eternal' peace treaty with the Tsardom of Russia, confirming and adjusting Russia's previous territorial gains and granting Russia the right to intervene in the Commonwealth to protect the interests of its orthodox population. In return, Russia would take part in anti-Ottoman warfare.
1696- Jan III Sobieski dies and a turbulent interregnum ensues.
1699- Treaty of Karlowitz concludes the Holy League's wars with the Ottoman Empire. The Commonwealth recovers Podolia with Kamieniec Podolski and the Bratslav region.
1696-1720 Stratification of the nobility and a general decline in quality of life among the peasantry, as well as a lack of significant leadership, hamper attempts at internal unification and recovery.
1691 Jan Sobieski's son, Jakub Ludwik Sobieski, marries Hedwig of Neuburg, somewhat improving relations with Vienna.
1697 Election won by Augustus II the Strong of the House of Wettin, but the victory was not decisive and the popular François Louis, Prince of Conti, was proclaimed a king-elect by Primate, Michał Stefan Radziejowski. Augustus was confirmed in his role through the 'pacification Sejm' after a brief conflict between his supporters and those of Louis.
Unfortunately for the Commonwealth, Augustus' persistent attempts to unify the disperate parts of the Commonwealth more closely with Austria only resulted in increased resentment from all sides. The army lacked good leadership and funding and the diplomatic corps lagged behind contemporaries in other countries with their use of Latin over French as the diplomatic language.
1699 Treaty between Saxony, Russia and Denmark sets the stage for the onset of the Great Northern War, which started up in 1700, with the Danes attacked Holstein and Augustus trying to take over Riga. After a prolonged, unsuccessful attempt at taking Riga, Augustus II was ready
to take Poland out of the war but Sweden demanded that Augustus relinquish the Polish throne as the condition for peace.
1701 Sweden takes Warsaw and later Kraków, which also falls as the Saxon and Polish forces are beaten at Kliszów in July 1702. Defeat dogs the Saxon forces at Pułtusk and Thorn (Toruń), splitting the Commonwealth nobility and intensifying opposition led by Cardinal Radziejowski.
1704 Sweden forces an election in Warsaw to remove the troublesome Augustus with his claim on the Swedish throne. Stanisław Leszczyński, the Voivode of Poznań, is elected and country-wide civil war immediately follows. The Treaty of Narva gives Russia the right to fight Sweden in the Commonwealth territories and opens the door for further activity by Russia.
1705 Sweden implements the Treaty of Warsaw to subjugate the Commonwealth to Swedish control and use the Commonwealth's resources to fight Russia.
1706 Saxon-led coalition forces face defeat at Fraustadt. Later, as a result of the Swedish victories, Augustus II is forced to accept the terms of the Treaty of Altranstädt and renounce the Polish crown (however temporarily). At the Battle of Kalisz, before the treaty
ratified, Augustus managed to defeat the combined Swedish/Warsaw Confederation, while the Sandomierz Confederation kept their alliance with Peter I of Russia. Leszczyński's forces, are defeated by the anti-Swede Polish factions at the Battle of Koniecpol. Meanwhile, Swedish forces get bogged down in Ukraine and their relief forces in Livonia get taken out by the Russians. This is a significant factor in why the Swedes will lose at Poltava in 1709.
1709- Swedes lose the battle of Poltava and leave the Commonwealth. Augustus II retakes the throne and Leszczyński flees to Stettin. Treaty of Thorn is signed, and the Commonwealth is forced to rely on Russian support for Augustus's continued rule.
1710-1711 Russo-Turkish War is lost by Tsar Peter who can no longer keep his forces in the Commonwealth and Augustus' attempts to take Western Pomerania in 1711-1713 only manage to result in the Prussian takeover of Stettin.
1711-1715 Siege of Stralsund. While Augustus continues to unsuccessfully try to make peace with Charles of Sweden and distance himself from Peter in Russia, a siege is undertaken in Stralsund, with the participation of Saxony, Prussia and Denmark, which concludes with its fall and marks the end of Saxon participation in the war and the Saxony-Commonwealth alliance manages to be the only member of the victorious coalition who failed to make territorial gains.
Augustus' attempts to secure his own powerbase alienated the Sejm and contributed to internal unrest.
1714 November, the Tarnogród Confederation forms, led by Stanisław Ledóchowski, with the goal of removing the Saxon faction from the Commonwealth. In order to accomplish this, Augustus asked for Russian intervention and the Saxons were still able to defeat the confederation at the battle of Kowalewo.
1716- Treaty between the King and the Polish nobility in Warsaw, ratified a year later in 1717 in the Silent Sejm, resulting in a compromise between Augustus and the Tarnogród Confederation.
Russia's involvement in mediating the treaty changed Polish-Russian relations. The end result of this treaty was a limit to the Polish-Saxon union, namely making it a personal union. Saxon ministers were unable to rule on matters concerning the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the king could not stay in Saxony for prolonged periods of time. The state budget was still largely below what was necessary and unreformed.
1719- Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and George I England decided to make an alliance with Augustus in order to stymie imperial Russia, but the Sejm refused to ratify the treaty.
1721- The war is concluded by the Treaty of Nystad and Russia took Livonia. Aside from Sweden, the main loser at the conclusion of the war was Poland, due to the damages inflicted on human capital, economic ability, extent of independence, political functionality and ability for self-defense. Augustus decides to focus his efforts on securing power for his son, at the expense of the nation, all the while being opposed by the hetmanate and most of the Lithuanian nobility.
1724- Tumult of Torun, religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions culminating in the execution of members of the Protestant minority marks a significant decline in the religious freedom once enjoyed by the Commonwealth. Continuous infighting and faction-creation between the Polish nobles further weakens the state.
1733- Treaty of Three Black Eagles/Treaty of Löwenwolde. With the death of Augustus II pending, Austria, Russia and Prussia took a stand of joint policy on the order of succession after Augustus II.When Augustus II died earlier than expected, the Treaty of Three Black Eagles was superceded by the Treaty of Löwenwolde (signed by Russia, Austria and Frederick Augustus II of Saxony), which had three principle goals - that Frederick Augustus would recognise Anna
Ivanovna as Empress of Russia, that Polish claims to Livonia would be renounced, and that there would be no opposition to Russian interests in Courland. Austria's interests were represented in that Frederick Augustus would renounce any claim to Austrian succession. While Austria and Russia declared in advance that they would not recognise an election if Leszczyński were elected king, the sejm elected Leszczyński anyway.
1733-1738 War of Polish Succession, between the factions of Poland loyal to Stanislaw I and the factions of Poland loyal to Augustus III and their respective foreign allies, with the end result that Augustus III takes the throne and Bourbon territorial gain. Stanislaw gains Lorraine as a consolation prize. The thirty year reign of Augustus III was mostly political anarchy as he had little regard for his position as head of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was more concerned with being the Elector of Saxony, using one position to finance and facilitate the other. In-fighting between the Czartoryski and Potocki factions continued apace.
1764- Empress Catherine II of Russia has her former lover, Stanislaw Poniatowski elected as king of the Commonwealth. While he had to remain loyal to his patroness, he also enacted a surprising degree of modernization and reform, including a two year moratorium on the liberum veto in Sejm. These actions did not meet with the approval of the other regional powers, nor indeed with Catherine who took the opportunity to encourage dissent amongst the Commonwealth's Orthodox minority, which had not had freedom of exercise/rights for a while.
1767- With judicious application of pressure by Russia, religious toleration is re-restored to the Commonwealth for the Orthodox and Protestant citizens. Catherine, through her more loyal subjects, undid all of Poniatowski's reforms from 1764, including the liberum veto and other abuses of szlachta power. Furthermore, Poland was compelled accept a treaty of guarantee with Russia, which could not be changed without Russia's approval, causing the Commonwealth to become a de facto a Russian protectorate.
1768- The Bar Confederation, a szlachta-led rebellion against Russia and Poniatowski, fought to preserve Poland's independence as well as in support of szlachta's traditional causes.
1772- The First Partition of the Commonwealth, by Russia, Prussia and Austria. The Partition Sejm ratified the partition after it was accomplished and also, in 1773, established the Commission of National Education. The first partition was not as crippling as successive ones and served to provide a wake-up call for much needed reforms.
1788- The Great Sejm is convened by Stanisław August, and passes the May 3 Constitution, the first in modern Europe to be a singular pronouncement of a supreme law of the state. The document encountered significant opposition from the Commonwealth's upper nobility and Catherine II, who was determined to prevent a return of a strong Commonwealth.
1792- The Russian army enters the territory of the Commonwealth and the defensive war fought by the Commonwealth ends when the King joins the Targowica Confederation, which takes over running the government.
1793- Russia and Prussia abrogate the May 3 Constitution, claim that Poland has fallen to Jacobinism, and carry out the Second Partition of the Commonwealth. Russian troops begin an occupation. Russia gets most of eastern Poland, extending almost to the Black Sea in the south. Prussia renames its new land South Prussia and gains the port of Gdańsk. It is made very clear that the continued existence of Poland depends on the will of the countries which have carried out the partitioning.
1794- Kościuszko Uprising, under the leadership of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a military officer who had served in the American Revolution. Kościuszko's militias initially met with some success but could not withstand the superior numbers and better equipped Russian forces.
1795- Third and final partition of Poland, carried out by Russia, Prussia and Austria, taking the Commonwealth off the map and resulting in a change in the balances of power in Central and Eastern Europe. In the vaccuum left by the dissolution of the Commonwealth, Russia and Prussia gained considerable power.
1795-1918 Although Poland disappeared from the map and policies promoting ethnic homogenization were enforced with a varying degree of success on the territory that was formerly known as Poland-Lithuania, a significant number of people continued to identify as ethnically Polish, and speak Polish.
1807-1815 Duchy of Warsaw created by Napoleon as part of the treaty of Tilsit with Prussia. It was in personal union with Napoleon's holdings and was ruled by Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. This duchy had the popular support of the Polish diaspora which hoped that it would be upgraded from a Duchy to a Kingdom and hoped for a restoration of previous territory. Napoleon hoped that the duchy could help keep his troops supplied for their pending invasion of Russia. Following Napoleon's defeat in Russia, the Duchy was re-split in the so-called Fourth partition, between Russia and Prussia. Russia demanded all of the territory previously known as the Duchy of Warsaw, but none of the other European powers were willing to let that happen. The legacy of the duchy was the existence of two successor states, the Free, Independent and Strictly Neutral City of
Krakow, under the 'protection' of Prussia, Russia and Austria, and the Congress Kingdom of Poland, under the control of Russia.
1815-1846 Free, Independent and Strictly Neutral City of Krakow.
Given its unusual conditions for existing, the City of Krakow was economically privileged, a duty-free zone, with low taxes. It was also a potential hotbed for political unrest as the Jagiellonian University was permitted to accept Poles from partitioned parts of Poland.
1830- November Uprising. Krakow was used as a base for weapons smuggling into the Russian controlled Congress Kingdom of Poland. At the conclusion of that uprising, the autonomy of the City was restricted. The police force, which had been local, was disbanded and Austrian authorities took more control. The president of the City had to be approved by all of the governing powers. From 1836-1841, the City was occupied by Austrian troops.
**(Still) TBC**
*RP Example*
It wasn't so bad when he gave his mind something to do, Feliks thought. After all, when it was dark he was mostly able to sleep. But when the warmth of the sun touched his face and the light changed how his eyelids felt, he had to give himself something to think about.
That was when a day began, when there was light and distant noise of the city waking up. Krakow and Warsaw took turns looking after him, but Feliks thought it was mostly Krakow. Some time after the sun came up, he'd hear footsteps on the creaky stairs, and hear the door of his room open. A quiet 'Dzien dobre,' and Krakow would clean him, then lift his head and get a quantity of milk or warm soup down his throat, before turning him onto his side for a while.
At first it had been humiliating, to require as much care as a baby, Feliks thought, but the humiliation gave way to acceptance or perhaps resignation was a better word. Feliks still didn't like being so utterly dependent, but his likes or dislikes on the matter didn't change the situation in the slightest. He would lie on his side, grateful for the change, and listen as Krakow carried out various household chores, efficiently and quietly- quietly that was, if you weren't someone who had very little else to do but listen. When the chores were done, Krakow would turn Feliks onto his other side and sit down for a little while to read, Feliks thought, as he heard the pages turn.
Sometimes instead of the rustle of paper, Feliks heard the click of beads and the very low whisper of prayers, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Polish. And in the afternoon, when the sun was no longer on Feliks' face, Krakow would talk to him. He always started with "I don't know if you can hear me in there, but..." and he would take one of Feliks' hands and gently work with it, starting with bending the thumb forward and back and then the other fingers, before curling the fingers into fists and then uncurling them again. And Krakow would continue with all the rest of his joints, wrist, elbow, shoulder, toes, ankles, knees, hips.
When the afternoon wore on into evening, was the time Feliks most wished to be able to wake up, to respond, to interact, to do everything he'd once done. In the distance, he could hear the inhabitants of the city winding down their days, returning to their homes, their families, their dinners. His people... despite everything that had happened, they were still his, in some strange, intangible way.
He wondered, every day he wondered, if and when he'd ever return to the waking world to stay. He'd struggled into wakefulness once or twice before, for brief, confused periods of time, when his people needed him, but it had felt dream-like and unreal and had been over far too quickly at any rate. Sometimes he wondered how and why he wasn't dead yet, and he knew he had part of an answer in his people. They were keeping him alive. Every song they sang, every story they still told, every name or word that wasn't changed to something in German or Russian, was lifeblood to him now. The other part of the answer, he had to think, was God.
And this evening, more than usual, Feliks felt wakeful, even as true consciousness eluded him. When Krakow brushed Feliks' hair from his face and said goodnight, Feliks wished with all his heart that he could do something- anything!- to show Krakow that he was still there, that he did understand, that he would do anything to come back...
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Nation: Poland
Name: Feliks Kazimierz Tadeusz Łukasiewicz
Gender: Male
Appearance Age: 24
Actual Age: 1047 (from the baptism of Prince Mieszko I in the Piast dynasty)
Appearance
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5'7
Weight: 145
Appearance: Smaller than he used to be, but sometimes that can be forgotten as Feliks projects his presence very solidly. His blond hair is a little shorter than shoulder-length, and gradually trending shorter. Mainly it's cut to keep out of his eyes. When that doesn't quite work, he might use a clip to keep it back, but certainly not a flower clip... He's proud of who he is and likes to wear red and white when practical. On weekends and other occasions that would permit, he wears a sports jersey and jeans, but he dresses more carefully for church.
Defining Features: Though youthful in appearance, if he's tired, the lines around his eyes become more pronounced and he looks much older. He has a very interesting collection of scars, healed but some are still visible when he wears short sleeves or shorts. Most of these he isn't self-conscious about.
Who Am I?
Personality: In the past, Feliks was a bit more... reckless. Several partitions have all made their respective marks on his appearance, personality, culture, language and geography, but he has stubbornly refused to disappear for good. While some would take the hint and just die, Feliks sees his continued existence as a minor miracle, which means divine favour, which means... why not be happy if God
loves you and your neighbours don't? Less kind answers for such optimism might include reference to the significant number of head-injuries he's had throughout his history.
That being said though, Feliks considers himself more of a realist than an optimist and has on several occasions had cause for a gloomy announcement of 'I told you so' to the world at large and some of his neighbours in particular. His classical temperament would best be described as melancholic-choleric.
Likes:
- Independence. After invasions, occupations and partitions, Feliks places an extremely high value on his independence. Although there are several days he could claim as his birthday, he picked 11 November, Independence Day.
- Math. Feliks loves math and finds it to be an intriguing study. Reciting Pi to as many digits as he can remember is something that he finds calming at times. He frequently finds himself doodling the Sierpiński gasket in the margin of papers.
- Friends and Family. Despite the ups and downs of history and some less than proud moments in several relationships, Feliks still gets on fairly well with Ukraine, Czech Republic, Lithuania and of course, Hungary.
- Good food. While Polish food is not exactly world-reknown for being tasty or healthy, in Feliks' opinion it is both. He makes the best pierogi, regardless of what any of his neighbours might say about that.
- Soccer. Soccer is one of Feliks' favourite sports and he really enjoyed co-hosting the UEFA 2012 Tournament with Ukraine.
- Poetry. From the anonymous 13th century composer of the Bogurodzica hymn-poem, to the works of Czesław Miłosz and beyond, Feliks has a rich history of literature and poetry. Sometimes he tries composing his own too, but prefers to listen to someone else read poetry.
- Building things. With a history of being invaded and having his cities and towns damaged, Feliks has gotten not only quick at rebuilding, when there is material on hand, but he has gotten pretty good at it. He finds it's a good way to get his mind in a more positive frame of reference.
- Riding. He doesn't do it nearly as much as he used to, but he still likes it and wouldn't need a second invitation or a terribly good excuse to take an afternoon off for it.
- Theology. Some combination of having a recent Polish Pope (soon to be a saint!), having Ivan tell him either that he had to be orthodox too, or wasn't allowed to go to church, being dedicated to Our Lady and having a firm conviction that his continual reappearance is a sign of divine favour might explain Feliks' religious tendencies. These have occasionally gotten him into conflict with friends and neighbours.
Dislikes:
- Partitioning. This one is pretty self-evident. Anything that causes a nation to go completely off the map is to be avoided however possible.
- English. The English langauge is one of the banes of Feliks' existence. He's getting much better at it than he was but sometimes he really wishes he didn't have to be good at it in addition to Latin, French, German, Russian...etc...
- The Euro. Feliks has a love-hate with the Euro. His government seems determined that he should adopt it in the near future too, but he was having a good time doing a little pointing and laughing at some of his neighbours with Euro-crisis problems...until it was pointed out that even if he isn't on the Euro yet, the crisis undoubtedly will hamper his economy too. The last time he was on a common currency wasn't that great for him, so he'll probably remain skeptical on this issue.
- Russia. Oh yes, Russia made this list. Feliks paid off the last of his Soviet era debts to Ivan in 2012 but he's fairly certain that doesn't mean he'll be seeing the last of Russia, if for no other reason than their geographic proximity... Still, direct antagonism is mostly out of the picture, for a variety of reasons.
- Foreigners. Although Feliks is less ethnically homogenous than he used to be, he still has a little way to go on making foreign visitors and guest workers feel more welcome in his country. In his own opinion it's not as bad as some Western European news-outlets would have people believe, but occasionally he does make a bit of a social faux-pas and says something regrettable. Usually this dislike is more due to ignorance than actual hatred.
- Ugly buildings. Semi-permanent souveniers of Soviet occupation, particularly some of the uglier buildings in Warsaw and Nowa Hutta are the bane of Feliks' existence. He has an eye for good architecture and can't stand the bad architecture. To cheer himself up and get the architectural bad taste out of his mouth he'll visit Toruń or Krakow.
- Smolensk/Katyn. Feliks is convinced that this particular bit of geography is cursed as far as he's concerned.
Fears:
- Partitioning- heeey it made the list twice! Partitioning or invasion are still a very real, back of his mind fear. Though he hopes such times have passed for good, the thought is never too far away.
- Nightmares. Though not plagued by chronic nightmares, he does have a few reoccurring ones and whenever possible he'll put in an extremely full day's work to minimise the amount of dreaming he'll have.
- Flying. This is a new one. It's not a dehibilitating fear, he _can_ fly and he did actually enjoy it in his war for independence and through his pilots on loan to the RAF during WWII, but now he has a feeling of trepidation when he flies. He still will, it can't be gotten around, but in the same way that the victim of a car accident tends to be overcautious for a time afterwards, he finds himself dreading landings.
- Supranational organizations. With memories of the USSR still fairly fresh in his mind, Feliks has his moments of sincere skepticism and concern regarding NATO, the UN, the EU, etc. He values his independence very highly but knows that realistically he can't just disregard the advantages that membership with such organizations can give him.
- Losing Warsaw (or any of his cities, but especially Warsaw). After having to rebuild her from the ground up, Feliks is rather protective of her, maybe even a little overprotective sometimes.
- Losing his language. Again this is something of an irrational fear as his language isn't in any danger according to international organisations, but some part of him would like to come up with a better solution than Polish-ifying foreign words/terms. But irrational or not, the fear is there. And considering that he has a not inconsiderable number of words that come from either German or Russian, perhaps it's not completely irrational.
Fun Facts:
- Poland has had several different capital cities in his long and varied history, specifically Gniezno, Poznań, Płock, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, and finally and currently, Warsaw!
- The Rynek Główny w Krakowie (Krakow Main Market Square)) is the largest medieval town square still existent in Europe.
- During WWII, the Polish Government in Exile with British cooperation was able to form two Polish Air Force Squadrons, the 302 and 303 Squadron. 303 Squadron claimed the highest number of kills (126) of all Allied squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain.
Strengths:
- Determined. There were times when Feliks had very little going for him, no territory to speak of and everyone else was convinced he was gone for good. Through sheer force of will and cussed determination, he proved his enemies wrong and this same stubborn determination is an enduring character trait throughout his history, which he considers to be mostly a strength but perhaps in a more self-aware moment might characterise it as a double-edged sword.
- Confident. Either he is usually supremely confident that things will work out, or he can fake confidence really well. Again, existing and ceasing to exist as much as he has has given him the sense that despite almost any obstacle he can continue to exist. This can sometimes come off as arrogance.
- Loved by his people. Feliks has had to be uniquely dependent on his cities, towns and even individual people throughout his long and varied history. The bond between him and his people is very strong and not to be underestimated.
Weaknesses:
- Disorganized. Whether it's a character defect he's come by honestly or, as he sometimes thinks to himself, the result of head injuries, Feliks can be disorganized at times, mislaying things like money, trains, buses, paperwork... usually he finds what he needs to in time but sometimes this disorganization can really make his life miserable.
- PTSD. Considering the sheer number of conflicts he has been involved with and the partitioning, it would be stranger if he didn't have PTSD. Usually it's a minor annoyance, a tendency to try to sit in corners or at least not with his back to a door, sometimes he jumps at loud noises. But on occasion he'll have full-fledged episodes, which can be both embarrassing and worrying to Feliks if no one else.
- Complaining. Having the freedom to complain about things he doesn't like is something Feliks values, perhaps a little too much. In some instances he will complain pretty freely about something that irritates him that is within his power to fix- and then take his sweet time fixing whatever the problem is. He also has a related tendency to say he dislikes something even if he doesn't because he _can_ say he dislikes it without consequences now.
Your History
966- Baptism of Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty, who goes on to unify the West Slavic tribal lands, convert the population to Christianity, create a strong kingdom and integrate Poland into the European culture.
1025- Bolesław I Chrobry, Mieszko's son, is crowned the first King of Poland. He establishes a Polish Church province, and pursues territorial conquests.
1034- Mieszko II Lambert dies after unsuccessfully trying to continue his father's expansionist policies but he had only succeeded in irritating his neighbours to the point that he was defeated and forced into exile. With the collapse of government, Poland was ravaged by an anti-feudal and pagan rebellion, and also by the forces of Bretislaus I of Bohemia. The country suffered territorial losses, and the functioning of the Gniezno archdiocese was disrupted.
1039- Duke Casimir I the Restorer, Mieszko's son, returns from exile to rebuild the Polish monarchy and reclaim the country's lost territory in a series of military campaigns, successfully regaining Masovia and Silesia, with the help of the HRE and the Kievan Rus, neither of whom wanted an unstable neighbour. Casimir revised the feudal system and moved his court to Kraków, forsaking the former capitals of Poznań and Gniezno.
1079- Bolesław II the Bold, despite advancing Polish military strength, several foreign campaigns, and supporting the papacy against the German emperor, came into conflict with the Bishop of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów. This resulted in the execution of the bishop and the abdication of Bolesław.
1102-1138 Bolesław III rules as the Duke of Poland by defeating his half-brother, Zbigniew. He reconquers Western Pomerania and takes Szczecin. Bolesław came up with a plan to divide his kingdom amongst his four sons to prevent conflict, but this failed rather spectacularly and the four (and their descendants) fought amongst each other for control of Kraków. In addition to internal struggle against each other, the various factions also contended with Mongol invasions.
1370- Death of Casimir III the Great, last Piast monarch. He overcame significant obstacles and while starting with a devastated economy, by the time of his death he succeeded in doubling the size of his country, winning the nobles to his side (at the expense of townspeople and the poor), founding the University of Krakow, creating legal reforms, and forestalling further trouble with the Golden Horde by agreeing to some tribute-giving. Although married four times, he had no male heirs and made arrangments that upon his death, his crown and all his possessions would pass to his nephew, King Louis I of Hungary. This brought about the first personal union between Hungary and Poland.
1370-1382 Reign of King Louis I of Hungary and Poland. Though king of both countries, he ruled from Hungary and rarely visited Poland, instead delegating his mother (King Casimir's sister) to rule as regent. Unfortunately she had some conflicts with the Polish nobility and ended up being replaced by Vladislaus II, a mutual relative. The personal union of Hungary and Poland was peaceful, probably because neither country really felt like asserting itself over the other. After the death of Louis, the Polish nobility demanded an end to the personal union and were not satisfied with the idea of being governed by either Mary (who inherited the Hungarian throne from her father) or her husband Sigismund. Riots in Greater Poland ensued. A compromise was reached in the form of Hedvig, or Jadwiga, Louis' second daughter, who was sent to rule Poland as king. This begins the Jagiellon dynasty in Poland.
1386-1572- Jagiellon dynasty in Poland and Commonwealth. With the marriage of King Jadwiga and the pagan Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło, who converted to Christianity for the purpose of this marriage), the Jagiellon dynasty was formed, creating the Polish–Lithuanian union or Commonwealth. Even after the deaths of Jadwiga and her only heir, a daughter, Jogaila was able to maintain his claim to the Polish throne, in no small part due to the absence of an heir that the Sejm could agree on. Also it didn't hurt that the partnership with Lithuania brought a significant quantity of territory into Polish influence. The Commonwealth was one of the largest political entities in Europe for the next four centuries. At its height, it included significant portions of land in what is now Russia, Ukraine and Hungary. Some highlights from this time period include:
1410- Battle of Grunwald. Decisive Commonwealth victory over Teutonic Knights.
1466 -Second Peace of Thorn under King Casimir IV Jagiellon, creating a burden of war reparations on the Teutonic Order, in addition to a temporary peace, and giving Poland control over the western half of Prussia. Furthermore trade was expanded between Polish-Lithuanian and Teutonic cities and the Commonwealth promised that their few remaining pagans would convert to Christianity. However, failure to compromise on terms of repayment strained the fragile peace.
1505- Nihil Novi act transfers most of the legislative power from the monarch to the Sejm. This event is considered to mark the start of the time of "Golden Liberty", characterized by the rule of the "free and equal" Polish nobility. Around this same time, the Protestant Reformation met with some success in Poland, which was not a problem due to the prevailing religious toleration.
1555- Due to repeated Swedish and Russian incursions, and a lack of Polish support, some of Lithuania's nobility decides to break Lithuania away from the Commonwealth and ally with Sweden via the Treaty and subsequent Union of Kedainiai, but both of these efforts are shortlived as the nobles who propounded them ended up dying via forces loyal to the Polish King Jan Kasmir.
1569- Union of Lublin, established a more closely unified federal state as the Commonwealth. The Union was largely run by the nobility, with both a central parliament and local assemblies, but was headed up by elected kings. Since the Commonwealth had more enfranchised nobles who were able to vote for kings, the Commonwealth was a sort of early democratic system as opposed to the absolute monarchies nearby.The beginning of the
Commonwealth era saw its rise to power, advancement in civilization and wealth.Through the Commonwealth, western culture spread eastward.The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at its height covered almost one million square kilometers. The Catholic Church embarked on an ideological counteroffensive and Counter-Reformation, some very important aspects of which came from Vilnius.
1577- Tsar Ivan IV of Russia initated hostilities in Livonia, resulting in his conquering most of the region and causing the Commonwealth to get invoved in the Livonian War. A successful counter-attack led by King Stefan Báthory and Jan Zamoyski brought about the peace of 1582 and they regained most of the territory contested by Russia. Meanwhile Swedish forces established themselves in what is now Estonia. Since Estonia was declared a part of the Commonwealth by Sigismund III in 1600, this gave rise to a war with Sweden over Livonia. This war continued up to 1611 without a definite outcome for either side.
1600- Due to Russian instability, the Commonwealth proposed a union with the Russian state and made several failed attempts at taking control of Russia.
1619- Height of Commonwealth expansion after the Truce of Deulino, however this expansion was not without a steep price tag in blood and money.
1620-Sultan Osman II of the Ottoman Empire declares war against the Commonwealth. The Battle of Ţuţora is a Commonwealth disaster.
1621- Commonwealth forces withstand Ottoman onslaught at Khotyn, but Gustavus Adolphus attacks Riga and Sweden occupies Livonia, and blockades Danzig.
1627- Desperate to fix the situation with regards to Sweden and already overcommitted in other wars, Poland gets Austrian assistance and the Truce of Altmark eventually concludes the Livonian problem with the result that Sweden keeps most of what it conquered.
1632- Further conflicts in Russia. Władysław IV reclaims some lost Livonian territory.
1633-1634- Continued warfare with the Ottoman empire.
1641- Frederick William pays homage to the Commonwealth for the last time and the relationship between Prussia and the Commonwealth declines further.
1648- Cossack Khmelnytsky Uprising in the south and eastern Commonwealth lands. Warfare within and without led to the Ukrainian parts of the Commonwealth being absorbed by Russia. From 1648 through 1720, in one place or another, with one enemy or another, Poland was in a constant state of warfare. These wars resulted in widespread destruction, famine and population loss, as well as an overall cultural trend away from the
Rennaissance ideals of the Commonwealth and towards Sarmitism, provincialism and ignorance.
1654- Treaty of Pereyaslav, in which the Commonwealth formally lost all control of the Ukrainian Hetmanate which went to Russia and kicked off a Russo-Polish war that lasted from 1654-1667.
1655-1656 After a humiliating and frightening series of defeats in combat against both Russia and Sweden, Lithuanian Commonwealth powers under Janusz Radziwill begin negotiations to become Swedish vassals and dissolve the Commonwealth. This was as the Swedish Deluge was occurring, in which Swedish forces, taking advantage of Poland's preoccupation with other conflicts, invaded with hopes of taking Courland/Livonia/Prussia/all of the above. Warsaw, Krakow, and almost all other significant Polish cities (with the exception of Gdansk) were invaded. Swedish forces shortsightedly managed to irritate the general population in to re-supporting Jan Kasmir and the Lithuanian forces that were still loyal to the Commonwealth ousted the traitorious Radziwills. Despite an alliance made between Sweden and Brandenburg, Polish-Lithuanian-Tatar forces were victorious in the 1656 Battle of Warsaw.
1660- Treaty of Oliva ends the Swedish Deluge, Jan Kasmir renounces his claim to the Swedish throne.
1673- Jan Sobieski leads Commonwealth troops to impressive (largest land-based) victory over invading Ottomans. He is elected as King John III Sobieski the next year.
1683- Commonwealth forces save besieged Vienna from the Ottoman forces.
1686- Jan III Sobieski signs an 'eternal' peace treaty with the Tsardom of Russia, confirming and adjusting Russia's previous territorial gains and granting Russia the right to intervene in the Commonwealth to protect the interests of its orthodox population. In return, Russia would take part in anti-Ottoman warfare.
1696- Jan III Sobieski dies and a turbulent interregnum ensues.
1699- Treaty of Karlowitz concludes the Holy League's wars with the Ottoman Empire. The Commonwealth recovers Podolia with Kamieniec Podolski and the Bratslav region.
1696-1720 Stratification of the nobility and a general decline in quality of life among the peasantry, as well as a lack of significant leadership, hamper attempts at internal unification and recovery.
1691 Jan Sobieski's son, Jakub Ludwik Sobieski, marries Hedwig of Neuburg, somewhat improving relations with Vienna.
1697 Election won by Augustus II the Strong of the House of Wettin, but the victory was not decisive and the popular François Louis, Prince of Conti, was proclaimed a king-elect by Primate, Michał Stefan Radziejowski. Augustus was confirmed in his role through the 'pacification Sejm' after a brief conflict between his supporters and those of Louis.
Unfortunately for the Commonwealth, Augustus' persistent attempts to unify the disperate parts of the Commonwealth more closely with Austria only resulted in increased resentment from all sides. The army lacked good leadership and funding and the diplomatic corps lagged behind contemporaries in other countries with their use of Latin over French as the diplomatic language.
1699 Treaty between Saxony, Russia and Denmark sets the stage for the onset of the Great Northern War, which started up in 1700, with the Danes attacked Holstein and Augustus trying to take over Riga. After a prolonged, unsuccessful attempt at taking Riga, Augustus II was ready
to take Poland out of the war but Sweden demanded that Augustus relinquish the Polish throne as the condition for peace.
1701 Sweden takes Warsaw and later Kraków, which also falls as the Saxon and Polish forces are beaten at Kliszów in July 1702. Defeat dogs the Saxon forces at Pułtusk and Thorn (Toruń), splitting the Commonwealth nobility and intensifying opposition led by Cardinal Radziejowski.
1704 Sweden forces an election in Warsaw to remove the troublesome Augustus with his claim on the Swedish throne. Stanisław Leszczyński, the Voivode of Poznań, is elected and country-wide civil war immediately follows. The Treaty of Narva gives Russia the right to fight Sweden in the Commonwealth territories and opens the door for further activity by Russia.
1705 Sweden implements the Treaty of Warsaw to subjugate the Commonwealth to Swedish control and use the Commonwealth's resources to fight Russia.
1706 Saxon-led coalition forces face defeat at Fraustadt. Later, as a result of the Swedish victories, Augustus II is forced to accept the terms of the Treaty of Altranstädt and renounce the Polish crown (however temporarily). At the Battle of Kalisz, before the treaty
ratified, Augustus managed to defeat the combined Swedish/Warsaw Confederation, while the Sandomierz Confederation kept their alliance with Peter I of Russia. Leszczyński's forces, are defeated by the anti-Swede Polish factions at the Battle of Koniecpol. Meanwhile, Swedish forces get bogged down in Ukraine and their relief forces in Livonia get taken out by the Russians. This is a significant factor in why the Swedes will lose at Poltava in 1709.
1709- Swedes lose the battle of Poltava and leave the Commonwealth. Augustus II retakes the throne and Leszczyński flees to Stettin. Treaty of Thorn is signed, and the Commonwealth is forced to rely on Russian support for Augustus's continued rule.
1710-1711 Russo-Turkish War is lost by Tsar Peter who can no longer keep his forces in the Commonwealth and Augustus' attempts to take Western Pomerania in 1711-1713 only manage to result in the Prussian takeover of Stettin.
1711-1715 Siege of Stralsund. While Augustus continues to unsuccessfully try to make peace with Charles of Sweden and distance himself from Peter in Russia, a siege is undertaken in Stralsund, with the participation of Saxony, Prussia and Denmark, which concludes with its fall and marks the end of Saxon participation in the war and the Saxony-Commonwealth alliance manages to be the only member of the victorious coalition who failed to make territorial gains.
Augustus' attempts to secure his own powerbase alienated the Sejm and contributed to internal unrest.
1714 November, the Tarnogród Confederation forms, led by Stanisław Ledóchowski, with the goal of removing the Saxon faction from the Commonwealth. In order to accomplish this, Augustus asked for Russian intervention and the Saxons were still able to defeat the confederation at the battle of Kowalewo.
1716- Treaty between the King and the Polish nobility in Warsaw, ratified a year later in 1717 in the Silent Sejm, resulting in a compromise between Augustus and the Tarnogród Confederation.
Russia's involvement in mediating the treaty changed Polish-Russian relations. The end result of this treaty was a limit to the Polish-Saxon union, namely making it a personal union. Saxon ministers were unable to rule on matters concerning the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the king could not stay in Saxony for prolonged periods of time. The state budget was still largely below what was necessary and unreformed.
1719- Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and George I England decided to make an alliance with Augustus in order to stymie imperial Russia, but the Sejm refused to ratify the treaty.
1721- The war is concluded by the Treaty of Nystad and Russia took Livonia. Aside from Sweden, the main loser at the conclusion of the war was Poland, due to the damages inflicted on human capital, economic ability, extent of independence, political functionality and ability for self-defense. Augustus decides to focus his efforts on securing power for his son, at the expense of the nation, all the while being opposed by the hetmanate and most of the Lithuanian nobility.
1724- Tumult of Torun, religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions culminating in the execution of members of the Protestant minority marks a significant decline in the religious freedom once enjoyed by the Commonwealth. Continuous infighting and faction-creation between the Polish nobles further weakens the state.
1733- Treaty of Three Black Eagles/Treaty of Löwenwolde. With the death of Augustus II pending, Austria, Russia and Prussia took a stand of joint policy on the order of succession after Augustus II.When Augustus II died earlier than expected, the Treaty of Three Black Eagles was superceded by the Treaty of Löwenwolde (signed by Russia, Austria and Frederick Augustus II of Saxony), which had three principle goals - that Frederick Augustus would recognise Anna
Ivanovna as Empress of Russia, that Polish claims to Livonia would be renounced, and that there would be no opposition to Russian interests in Courland. Austria's interests were represented in that Frederick Augustus would renounce any claim to Austrian succession. While Austria and Russia declared in advance that they would not recognise an election if Leszczyński were elected king, the sejm elected Leszczyński anyway.
1733-1738 War of Polish Succession, between the factions of Poland loyal to Stanislaw I and the factions of Poland loyal to Augustus III and their respective foreign allies, with the end result that Augustus III takes the throne and Bourbon territorial gain. Stanislaw gains Lorraine as a consolation prize. The thirty year reign of Augustus III was mostly political anarchy as he had little regard for his position as head of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was more concerned with being the Elector of Saxony, using one position to finance and facilitate the other. In-fighting between the Czartoryski and Potocki factions continued apace.
1764- Empress Catherine II of Russia has her former lover, Stanislaw Poniatowski elected as king of the Commonwealth. While he had to remain loyal to his patroness, he also enacted a surprising degree of modernization and reform, including a two year moratorium on the liberum veto in Sejm. These actions did not meet with the approval of the other regional powers, nor indeed with Catherine who took the opportunity to encourage dissent amongst the Commonwealth's Orthodox minority, which had not had freedom of exercise/rights for a while.
1767- With judicious application of pressure by Russia, religious toleration is re-restored to the Commonwealth for the Orthodox and Protestant citizens. Catherine, through her more loyal subjects, undid all of Poniatowski's reforms from 1764, including the liberum veto and other abuses of szlachta power. Furthermore, Poland was compelled accept a treaty of guarantee with Russia, which could not be changed without Russia's approval, causing the Commonwealth to become a de facto a Russian protectorate.
1768- The Bar Confederation, a szlachta-led rebellion against Russia and Poniatowski, fought to preserve Poland's independence as well as in support of szlachta's traditional causes.
1772- The First Partition of the Commonwealth, by Russia, Prussia and Austria. The Partition Sejm ratified the partition after it was accomplished and also, in 1773, established the Commission of National Education. The first partition was not as crippling as successive ones and served to provide a wake-up call for much needed reforms.
1788- The Great Sejm is convened by Stanisław August, and passes the May 3 Constitution, the first in modern Europe to be a singular pronouncement of a supreme law of the state. The document encountered significant opposition from the Commonwealth's upper nobility and Catherine II, who was determined to prevent a return of a strong Commonwealth.
1792- The Russian army enters the territory of the Commonwealth and the defensive war fought by the Commonwealth ends when the King joins the Targowica Confederation, which takes over running the government.
1793- Russia and Prussia abrogate the May 3 Constitution, claim that Poland has fallen to Jacobinism, and carry out the Second Partition of the Commonwealth. Russian troops begin an occupation. Russia gets most of eastern Poland, extending almost to the Black Sea in the south. Prussia renames its new land South Prussia and gains the port of Gdańsk. It is made very clear that the continued existence of Poland depends on the will of the countries which have carried out the partitioning.
1794- Kościuszko Uprising, under the leadership of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a military officer who had served in the American Revolution. Kościuszko's militias initially met with some success but could not withstand the superior numbers and better equipped Russian forces.
1795- Third and final partition of Poland, carried out by Russia, Prussia and Austria, taking the Commonwealth off the map and resulting in a change in the balances of power in Central and Eastern Europe. In the vaccuum left by the dissolution of the Commonwealth, Russia and Prussia gained considerable power.
1795-1918 Although Poland disappeared from the map and policies promoting ethnic homogenization were enforced with a varying degree of success on the territory that was formerly known as Poland-Lithuania, a significant number of people continued to identify as ethnically Polish, and speak Polish.
1807-1815 Duchy of Warsaw created by Napoleon as part of the treaty of Tilsit with Prussia. It was in personal union with Napoleon's holdings and was ruled by Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. This duchy had the popular support of the Polish diaspora which hoped that it would be upgraded from a Duchy to a Kingdom and hoped for a restoration of previous territory. Napoleon hoped that the duchy could help keep his troops supplied for their pending invasion of Russia. Following Napoleon's defeat in Russia, the Duchy was re-split in the so-called Fourth partition, between Russia and Prussia. Russia demanded all of the territory previously known as the Duchy of Warsaw, but none of the other European powers were willing to let that happen. The legacy of the duchy was the existence of two successor states, the Free, Independent and Strictly Neutral City of
Krakow, under the 'protection' of Prussia, Russia and Austria, and the Congress Kingdom of Poland, under the control of Russia.
1815-1846 Free, Independent and Strictly Neutral City of Krakow.
Given its unusual conditions for existing, the City of Krakow was economically privileged, a duty-free zone, with low taxes. It was also a potential hotbed for political unrest as the Jagiellonian University was permitted to accept Poles from partitioned parts of Poland.
1830- November Uprising. Krakow was used as a base for weapons smuggling into the Russian controlled Congress Kingdom of Poland. At the conclusion of that uprising, the autonomy of the City was restricted. The police force, which had been local, was disbanded and Austrian authorities took more control. The president of the City had to be approved by all of the governing powers. From 1836-1841, the City was occupied by Austrian troops.
**(Still) TBC**
*RP Example*
It wasn't so bad when he gave his mind something to do, Feliks thought. After all, when it was dark he was mostly able to sleep. But when the warmth of the sun touched his face and the light changed how his eyelids felt, he had to give himself something to think about.
That was when a day began, when there was light and distant noise of the city waking up. Krakow and Warsaw took turns looking after him, but Feliks thought it was mostly Krakow. Some time after the sun came up, he'd hear footsteps on the creaky stairs, and hear the door of his room open. A quiet 'Dzien dobre,' and Krakow would clean him, then lift his head and get a quantity of milk or warm soup down his throat, before turning him onto his side for a while.
At first it had been humiliating, to require as much care as a baby, Feliks thought, but the humiliation gave way to acceptance or perhaps resignation was a better word. Feliks still didn't like being so utterly dependent, but his likes or dislikes on the matter didn't change the situation in the slightest. He would lie on his side, grateful for the change, and listen as Krakow carried out various household chores, efficiently and quietly- quietly that was, if you weren't someone who had very little else to do but listen. When the chores were done, Krakow would turn Feliks onto his other side and sit down for a little while to read, Feliks thought, as he heard the pages turn.
Sometimes instead of the rustle of paper, Feliks heard the click of beads and the very low whisper of prayers, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Polish. And in the afternoon, when the sun was no longer on Feliks' face, Krakow would talk to him. He always started with "I don't know if you can hear me in there, but..." and he would take one of Feliks' hands and gently work with it, starting with bending the thumb forward and back and then the other fingers, before curling the fingers into fists and then uncurling them again. And Krakow would continue with all the rest of his joints, wrist, elbow, shoulder, toes, ankles, knees, hips.
When the afternoon wore on into evening, was the time Feliks most wished to be able to wake up, to respond, to interact, to do everything he'd once done. In the distance, he could hear the inhabitants of the city winding down their days, returning to their homes, their families, their dinners. His people... despite everything that had happened, they were still his, in some strange, intangible way.
He wondered, every day he wondered, if and when he'd ever return to the waking world to stay. He'd struggled into wakefulness once or twice before, for brief, confused periods of time, when his people needed him, but it had felt dream-like and unreal and had been over far too quickly at any rate. Sometimes he wondered how and why he wasn't dead yet, and he knew he had part of an answer in his people. They were keeping him alive. Every song they sang, every story they still told, every name or word that wasn't changed to something in German or Russian, was lifeblood to him now. The other part of the answer, he had to think, was God.
And this evening, more than usual, Feliks felt wakeful, even as true consciousness eluded him. When Krakow brushed Feliks' hair from his face and said goodnight, Feliks wished with all his heart that he could do something- anything!- to show Krakow that he was still there, that he did understand, that he would do anything to come back...