Saxon pro-government circles and Saxon public opinion towards the Constitution of 3 May

Abstract

The article presents a complicated picture of diplomatic relations during the Great Sejm, the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May, and the wars waged in its defence. The axis of the deliberations presented in the paper cover the policy of the Saxon court between 1788 and 1792, which was particularly interested in the situation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This interest stemmed from the fact that the Prince-elector of Saxony, in accordance with the arrangements and the wording of the Constitution, was the heir to the throne and was to take power after the death of Stanisław August. However, the Saxon diplomacy of the period was meandering and indecisive, especially when confronted with the brutal policy of the partitioning powers, especially Russia. The paper, on the basis of a rich source base, shows the causes and analyzes the effects of the Saxon policy, the highly ambiguous attitude of this court and the Saxon diplomacy towards the events in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as well as the main authors who played a leading role in the desperate situation of the contemporary Commonwealth, which was approaching the spectre of partitions and the prospect of losing its independence.