[PATRONS]
Has there ever been a King of Poland quite like Stan? Stanislaus Lechynski had already led a fascinating life by 1734, but what happened after he was forced to bow to the inevitable, and abdicate the Crown? Here we investigate Stanislaus' inheritance of the Duchy of Lorraine, and ...
2021-03-15 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Stop me if you think you've heard it. Guy travels incognito to a girl in far off land. Confirms girl will marry him. Girl's father agrees to marriage. Girl's father is actually the King of Spain. Incognito guy is actually King Charles I of Britain, before he lost his head. The who...
2021-03-08 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In late October 1733, France declared war on Austria. Yet that doesn't even tell a fraction of the story of what was really going on Poland in 1733, and why it seemed to matter so much to everyone. The Russian army was on the way, but King Stanislaus was already in place, waiting ...
2021-03-01 06:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
The early 1620's were a period of strange diplomatic behaviour for Britain, trapped as it was between the visions of a perpetual peace forged by marriage, and the realities of European political interest. Here we learn of an individual who went through this experience personally, ...
2021-02-22 06:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
East and West Europe collide as Poland's vacancy is filled, and Stanislaus Lechynski arrives in Poland via a secret carriage ride. Directly disobeying the demands of the Austrians and Russians, King Stan was determined to wrest Poland away from the clique of self-interested nobles...
2021-02-15 06:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
King James of Britain was a complex fellow, and while his son is arguably more infamous, the father had some issues of his own to get through too. Most particularly, in the Spanish Match, the king's quest to balance Europe with a Palatine Protestant marital alliance on one hand an...
2021-02-08 06:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Can't we just leave Poland alone? It would seem not, as summer 1733 progressed, and all eyes focused on that Commonwealth...or did they? The Spanish and French, having settled their differences, presented a fearsome united front to the Habsburgs, but was this Bourbon bloc really o...
2021-02-01 06:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
What happened when the most intensive, bitter conflict Europe had to offer spilled over into the other conflict between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Elector Palatine? The Spanish and Dutch had fought for many decades, but the latest chapter in their war looked set to change everything, as the t...
2021-01-25 08:27:07 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Europe was a mess of conflicting loyalties and interests in the early 1730s. The six main powers: Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Spain all had their own reasons for sticking resolutely to peace, or hoping for war. Out of the corner of Europe's eye, you could argue, ...
2021-01-18 06:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In today's episode we look at the story of the Dutch in a time of peace and tranquility - or at least, peace - and ask what went wrong. The problem was that the United Provinces were not so united after all, and were in fact beset by divisions on numerous levels. A state which had...
2021-01-10 19:52:56 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
How did the three black eagles - Austria, Prussia and Russia - manage to skew the Polish royal election of 1733 their way? How did they come to land on Augustus III, the uninspiring son of Augustus II, after originally deciding on a forgotten Portuguese Prince? The answers are all...
2021-01-04 01:09:49 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In our FINAL EPISODE OF 2020, we continue our fascinating story of how the War of Polish Succession came to be. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thank POD 2020 is nearly over!
In this episode we explore the late 1720's in more detail, and examine how it was that Britain,...
2020-12-21 06:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
After many episodes examining Frederick's woes, here we change our focus and look at that conflict long in the background - the Spanish Dutch War, which was resuming after twelve years of truce, in 1621. What had the truce done for both parties, and why did the Spanish feel partic...
2020-12-14 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
This latest episode is chock full of the diplomacy you love, and researching it was made possible thanks the generous support of my patrons - Go Patrons Go!
Welcome to episode 22! Herein we see why and how Marie Lechynski, a penniless and mostly unremarkable princess, became...
2020-12-07 06:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Welcome to our coverage of the 30 Years War, where we cover the period 1622-23. It was a time of significant defeats and changes, but also of moments of great triump and success for the Holy Roman Emperor.
In the aftermath of his enemy's disaster, Ferdinand was now free to s...
2020-11-30 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
The 1720s were a grim time for the Commonwealth, as King Augustus had spent as much of his credit as he was going to get, and Poland's enemies seemed to be suffocating her in a supposedly warm embrace. Russia, Prussia, and even the Holy Roman Emperor was keen to get in on the acti...
2020-11-23 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In this episode, we examine the years between roughly 1620-22, as Frederick moved into his new home in The Hague, just as the war between Spain and the Dutch was about to resume. Like many others at the time, Frederick believed that the Eighty Years War had the potential to erupt ...
2020-11-16 06:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
The Silent Sejm of 1717 occupies us in this episode, as we explain why it's not quite as awful as you might think, and why it didn't lead automatically to the end of Polish independence. In actual fact, it was one of the last gasps of legislative independence, and while imperfect,...
2020-11-09 06:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In this episode, the Battle of White Mountain shatters Frederick's regime, but how did we get here? Let's roll back the clock a bit....
Frederick’s prospects were fair so long as his allies came to aid him against the Emperor. Yet, once these allies refused to pick up the ...
2020-11-02 06:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In this episode, we have Confederates, unruly Kings and Tsars to contend with, but we're also winding the story back to 1709. My mission here is to understand why the Silent Sejm of 177 happened, and why it was such a big deal. To do that I need to investigate Poland between 1709-...
2020-10-26 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
The Winter King had to carry on, and over November 1619- April 1620, he did just that. Frederick embarked on his royal progress, doing his best to persuade those he met that he was legit, and that his regime was here to stay. He had no other choice - Emperor Ferdinand was gatherin...
2020-10-19 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
After more than twenty years, the Great Northern War was finally coming to an end. It had sucked in most of Europe at one time or another, but by September 1721, the Tsar of Russia, and sole survivor of the conflict, was able to announce that hostilities had come to an end. The co...
2020-10-12 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Episode 17: The Scales of the North examines a pivotal but also a forgotten moment in Polish history. Picture the scene - it's early 1720, and all the Commonwealth's nobility have gathered to attend the latest Sejm. On the books to be debated is a relatively simple question: would...
2020-09-28 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Almost exactly 401 years to the day since Frederick accepted the Bohemian Crown, we return to our 30 Years War narrative, with episode 19!
In this episode, we reach the long-awaited moment when Frederick decided, after all, to accept the Bohemian Crown. Was it a terrible mis...
2020-09-21 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Welcome to our Q&A! Herein we answer loads of questions, including...
Who was the best diplomacy player in the conflict? How many in Bohemia actually wanted Freddy as King? What narrative of the war is my fave? What was the story with the Ottoman-Persian wars which kept ...
2020-09-16 15:41:25 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
Congratulations to the winners of our competition - Chris Borsilli [Facebook] and @DonoghMC [Twitter]. Get in touch with your addresses so I can send a book your way lads!
[PATRONS]
Over three decades, history spat out a wide range of fascinating stories and tales, but in this episode I'm going to focus on one in particular - the incredible story of Frederick V's rise, fall then rise and then fall again! It's a winding tale, but it's also emblematic of the wi...
2020-09-02 05:31:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
We've been on quite a journey over the last 18 episodes, and I think it's time we take stock. In this episode, we do just that. If you're new here or if you're aren't sure whether this topic is for you, then this should be your first stop. I'll explain not only what happens in thi...
2020-08-26 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
[PATRONS]
In this episode, we examine the years 1718-1719, as the Treaty of Vienna group, consisting of George of Hanover, the Holy Roman Emperor and the Elector of Saxony, moved to cement their alliance against the Russians. Peter, it seemed, was alone against this bloc, and the war agains...
2020-08-10 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post