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| 1734, June 2 |
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| Capitulation of Danzig; Stanislas fled to Prussia. The war was ended by the Treaty of Vienna (Oct. 5, 1735, ratified 1738), which assured the victory of the Russian-Austrian policy in Poland. | 1 |
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| 173463 |
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| AUGUSTUS III, king. He spent a little time in Poland and did little to prevent Russian encroachment, especially during the Seven Years' War. Growing agitation for reform in Poland after 1740; two parties, led by the Potocki and Czartoryski families. The former looked to France for support and aimed at the establishment of an aristocratic constitution; the latter, relying on Russian support, envisaged strengthening of the royal power, abolition of the liberum veto, and so on. However, most reforms were private rather than public. | 2 |
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| 1740 |
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| The Collegium Nobilium founded by the educator Stanislaw Konarski. | 3 |
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| 1740s |
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Michal Ogi ski built canals. | 4 |
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| 1748 |
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| Public library opened in Lunéville. The library was plundered by the Russians in 1795 and sent to St. Petersburg. | 5 |
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| 1760ff |
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| Andrezej Zamoysky abolished serfdom on his estates. | 6 |
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| 1764 |
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| The Sejm created a Commission of Finance to develop a modern customs system. Prussia responded by creating a fortress at Marienwerder to terrorize Polish trade. | 7 |
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| 176668 |
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| Eastern Orthodox Catholics and Protestants granted equal rights with Roman Catholics at the insistence of Russia and Prussia. This raised a storm of protest in Poland and led (1768) to the formation of the Confederation of Bar, an anti-Russian association that soon enjoyed the active support of France. | 8 |
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| 1772, Aug. 5 |
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| THE FIRST PARTITION OF POLAND. Poland lost about a third of its territory and about half of its inhabitants (See 1772, Aug. 5). | 9 |
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| 1773 |
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| The Polish Diet, forced to accept the partition, began to effect reforms (council of state, divided into five ministries, to govern when the diet was not in session). | 10 |
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| 1775 |
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| Land possession made a requirement for all new nobles. Before this, nobility had been ascribed to one's role in society rather than to economic position. | 11 |
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| 1776 |
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| Royal decree ended witch hunts. | 12 |
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