View source for Stanisław August Poniatowski

{{Short description|Ruler of Poland–Lithuania from 1764 to 1795}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Stanisław II August
| image        = Stanisław II August Poniatowski in coronation clothes.PNG
| caption      = Stanisław August in [[coronation]] robes, 1764
| signature    = Stanislaus II August of Poland signature.svg
| succession   = [[King of Poland]]<br />[[Grand Duke of Lithuania]]
| reign        = 7 September 1764 – {{nowrap|25 November 1795}}
| coronation   = 25 November 1764<br />[[St. John's Archcathedral, Warsaw]]
| cor-type     = Poland
| full name    = Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski
| predecessor  = [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]]
| successor    = ''[[Partitions of Poland|Monarchy abolished]]''
| issue-link   = #Issue
| issue-pipe   = Details...
| issue        = ''illegitimate''
| house        = [[Poniatowski family|Poniatowski]]
| father       = [[Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762)|Stanisław Poniatowski]]
| mother       = [[Konstancja Czartoryska (1700–1759)|Konstancja Czartoryska]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1732|1|17|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Vowchyn|Wołczyn]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1798|2|12|1732|1|17|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russian Empire]]
| date of burial = 
| place of burial = [[St. John's Archcathedral (Warsaw)|St. John's Archcathedral]], [[Warsaw]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church in Poland|Roman Catholicism]]
}}

'''Stanisław II August'''{{efn|{{IPA|pl|staˈɲiswaf druɡiˈauɡust|pron}}.}} (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski;{{efn|{{IPA|pl|staˈɲiswaf anˈtɔɲi pɔɲaˈtɔfskʲi|pron}}.}} 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name '''Stanislaus II Augustus''', and as '''Stanisław August Poniatowski''' ({{langx|lt|Stanislovas Augustas Poniatovskis}}), was [[King of Poland]] and [[Grand Duke of Lithuania]] from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].

Born into wealthy Polish [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]], Poniatowski arrived as a diplomat at the Russian imperial court in [[Saint Petersburg]] in 1755 at the age of 22<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Gribble |first=Francis |year=1912 |title=The comedy of Catherine the Great |url=https://archive.org/details/comedyofcatherin00grib/page/48/mode/2up?q=lithuanian |location=London |publisher=Eveleigh Nash |page=48}}</ref> and became intimately involved with the future empress [[Catherine the Great]]. With her aid, he was [[royal election in Poland|elected]] King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania by the [[Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Sejm]] in [[1764 Polish–Lithuanian royal election|September 1764]]<ref>Eversley, 1915, p. 39.</ref><ref>''The Partitions of Poland'' by Lord Eversley, London, 1915, pp. 35–39.</ref><ref name="Szyndler-64">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KpBxHzAB1gC&pg=PA64 |title=Racławice 1794 |publisher=Bellona Publishing |year=2009 |access-date=26 September 2014 |author=Bartłomiej Szyndler |pages=64–65 |isbn=9788311116061}}</ref> following the death of [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]]. Contrary to expectations, Poniatowski attempted to reform and strengthen the large but ailing Commonwealth. His efforts were met with external opposition from neighbouring [[Prussia]], Russia and [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], all committed to keeping the Commonwealth weak. From within he was opposed by conservative interests, which saw the reforms as a threat to their traditional liberties and [[Golden Liberty|privileges]] granted centuries earlier.

The defining crisis of his early reign was the [[War of the Bar Confederation]] (1768–1772) that led to the [[First Partition of Poland]] (1772). The later part of his reign saw reforms wrought by the [[Great Sejm|Diet]] (1788–1792) and the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]]. These reforms were overthrown by the 1792 [[Targowica Confederation]] and by the [[Polish–Russian War of 1792]], leading directly to the [[Second Partition of Poland]] (1793), the [[Kościuszko Uprising]] (1794) and the final and [[Third Partition of Poland]] (1795), marking the end of the Commonwealth. Stripped of all meaningful power, Poniatowski abdicated in November 1795 and spent the last years of his life as a captive in Saint Petersburg's [[Marble Palace]].

A controversial figure in [[Polish history|Poland's history]], he is viewed with ambivalence as a brave and skillful statesman by some and as an overly hesitant coward by others, and even as a traitor. He is criticized primarily for his failure to resolutely stand against opposing forces and prevent the [[Partitions of Poland|partitions]], which led to the destruction of the Polish state. On the other hand, he is remembered as a great patron of arts and sciences who laid the foundation for the [[Commission of National Education]], the first institution of its kind in the world, the [[Great Sejm]] of 1788–1792, which led to the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]] and as a sponsor of many architectural landmarks. Historians tend to agree that, taking the circumstances into account, he was a skillful statesman, pointing out that passing the Constitution was a sign of bravery, although his unwillingness to organize a proper nationwide uprising afterward is seen as cowardice and the key reason for the Second Partition and the subsequent downfall of Poland.

==Youth==
[[File:Coat of arms of Stanislovas Augustas Poniatovskis, painted in 1875.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Personal coat of arms]]
[[File:Stanisław Poniatowski.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Aged 14]]
Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski was born on 17 January 1732 in [[Vowchyn|Wołczyn]] (then in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and now [[Vowchyn|Vowchyn, Belarus]]). He was one of eight surviving children, and the fourth son, of [[Konstancja Czartoryska (1700–1759)|Princess Konstancja Czartoryska]] and of [[Stanisław Poniatowski (1676–1762)|Count Stanisław Poniatowski]], [[Ciołek coat of arms]], [[Castellan]] of [[Kraków]]. His older brothers were [[Kazimierz Poniatowski]] (1721–1800), a [[Podkomorzy]] at Court, Franciszek Poniatowski (1723–1749), Canon of [[Wawel Cathedral]] who suffered from [[epilepsy]] and Aleksander Poniatowski (1725–1744), an officer killed in the [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]]. His younger brothers were, [[Andrzej Poniatowski]] (1734–1773), an Austrian [[Feldmarschall]], [[Michał Jerzy Poniatowski]] (1736–94) who became [[Primate of Poland]]. His two older and married sisters were [[Ludwika Maria Poniatowska|Ludwika Zamoyska]] (1728–1804) and [[Izabella Poniatowska|Izabella Branicka]] (1730–1808). Among his nephews was Prince [[Józef Poniatowski]] (1763–1813), son of Andrzej.<ref name="jardetzky"/><ref name="psb612"/> He was a great-grandson of poet and courtier [[Jan Andrzej Morsztyn]] and of Lady Catherine Gordon, [[lady-in-waiting]] to Queen [[Marie Louise Gonzaga]]; thus descended from the [[Marquess of Huntly|Marquesses of Huntly]] and the Scottish nobility.<ref>F. de Callières, ''Sztuka dyplomacji ...'', pp. 12–16</ref><ref>M. Dernałowicz, ''Portret Familii'', p. 7.</ref> The [[Poniatowski|Poniatowski family]] had achieved high status among the Polish nobility ([[szlachta]]) of the time.<ref name="psb612"/><ref name="Prazmowska2011-199"/>

He spent the first few years of his childhood in [[Gdańsk]]. He was temporarily kidnapped as a toddler, on the orders of [[Jozef Potocki|Józef Potocki]], [[Voivode|Governor]] of [[Kiev]], as a reprisal for his father's support for King [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]] and held for some months in [[Kamieniec-Podolsk]]i. He was returned to his parents in Gdańsk. Later he moved with his family to [[Warsaw]]. He was initially educated by his mother, then by private tutors, including [[Ambassadors and envoys from Russia to Poland (1763–1794)|Russian ambassador]] [[Herman Karl von Keyserling]]. He had few friends in his teenage years and instead developed a fondness for books which continued throughout his life.<ref name="psb612"/> He went on his first foreign trip in 1748, with elements of the [[Imperial Russian army]] as it advanced into the [[Rhineland]] to aid [[Maria Theresia]]'s troops during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] which ended with the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)]]. This enabled Poniatowski both to visit the city, also known as [[Aachen]], and to venture into the [[Netherlands]]. On his return journey he stopped in [[Dresden]].<ref name="psb612"/>

==Political career==
[[File:Sir Charles Hanbury Williams by John Giles Eccardt.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Sir [[Charles Hanbury Williams]], Poniatowski's mentor, by [[John Giles Eccardt]]]]
The following year Poniatowski was apprenticed to the office of [[Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski]], the then [[Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania]].<ref name="psb612"/> In 1750, he travelled to [[Berlin]] where he met a British diplomat, [[Charles Hanbury Williams]], who became his mentor and friend.<ref name="psb613"/> In 1751, Poniatowski was elected to the Treasury Tribunal in [[Radom]], where he served as a commissioner.<ref name="psb612"/><ref name="psb613"/> He spent most of January 1752 at the Austrian court in [[Vienna]].<ref name="psb613"/> Later that year, after serving at the Radom Tribunal and meeting King [[Augustus III of Poland]], he was elected deputy of the [[Sejm]] (Polish parliament). While there his father secured for him the title of [[Starosta (Poland)|Starosta]] of [[Przemyśl]]. In March 1753, he travelled to Hungary and Vienna, where he again met with Williams.<ref name="psb613"/> He returned to the Netherlands, where he met many key members of that country's political and economic sphere. By late August, he had arrived in [[Paris]], where he moved among the elites. In February 1754, he travelled on to [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], where he spent some months. There, he was befriended by [[Charles Yorke]], the future [[Lord Chancellor]] of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]].<ref name="psb613"/> He returned to the Commonwealth later that year, however he eschewed the Sejm, as his parents wanted to keep him out of the political furore surrounding the [[Ostrogski family]]'s land inheritance (see: [[Fee tail#Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|fee tail]] – ''Ordynacja Ostrogska'').<ref name="psb613"/> The following year he received the title of ''[[Stolnik]]'' of Lithuania.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name="Poczet polskich rodów arystokratycznych"/>

Poniatowski owed his rise and influence to his family connections with the powerful [[Czartoryski family]] and their political faction, known as the ''[[Familia (Polish political party)|Familia]]'', with whom he had grown close.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name=h94/> It was the ''Familia'' who sent him in 1755 to Saint Petersburg in the service of Williams, who had been nominated British ambassador to Russia.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name="butterwick"/>

[[File: Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeevna by L.Caravaque (1745, Gatchina museum).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna, 1745, by [[Louis Caravaque]]]]
In Saint Petersburg, Williams introduced Poniatowski to the 26-year-old [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine Alexeievna]], the future empress Catherine the Great. The two became lovers.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name="1755-1756" /> Whatever his feelings for Catherine, it is likely Poniatowski also saw an opportunity to use the relationship for his own benefit, using her influence to bolster his career.<ref name="psb614"/>

Poniatowski had to leave St. Petersburg in July 1756 due to court intrigue.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name="h94"/> Through the combined influence of Catherine, of Russian empress [[Elizabeth of Russia|Elizabeth]] and of chancellor [[Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin|Bestuzhev-Ryumin]], Poniatowski was able to rejoin the Russian court now as ambassador of [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]] the following January.<ref name="psb614"/><ref name="h94"/> Still in St Petersburg, he appears to have been a source of intrigue between various European governments, some supporting his appointment, others demanding his withdrawal. He eventually left the Russian capital on 14 August 1758.<ref name="psb614"/>

Poniatowski attended the Sejms of 1758, 1760, and 1762.<ref name="psb615"/> He continued his involvement with the ''Familia'', and supported a pro-Russian and anti-Prussian stance in Polish politics. His father died in 1762, leaving him a modest inheritance.<ref name="psb615"/> In 1762, when Catherine ascended the Russian throne, she sent him several letters professing her support for his own ascension to the Polish throne, but asking him to stay away from St. Petersburg.<ref name="psb615"/> Nevertheless, Poniatowski hoped that Catherine would consider his offer of marriage, an idea seen as plausible by some international observers. He participated in the failed plot by the ''Familia'' to stage a [[coup d'état]] against [[Augustus III of Poland|King Augustus III]].<ref name="psb615"/> In August 1763, however, Catherine advised him and the ''Familia'' that she would not support a coup as long as King Augustus was alive.<ref name="psb615"/>

==Kingship==
===Years of hope===
[[File:Election of Stanisław August Poniatowski.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Stanisław August's 1764 [[Royal elections in Poland|election]] as king, depicted by [[Bernardo Bellotto]].]]
Upon the death of Poland's King [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus III]] in October 1763, lobbying began for the [[royal elections in Poland|election of the new king]]. Catherine threw her support behind Poniatowski.<ref name="psb616"/> The Russians spent about 2.5m rubles in aid of his election. Poniatowski's supporters and opponents engaged in some military posturing and even minor clashes. In the end, the Russian army was deployed only a few kilometres from the [[election sejm]], which met at [[Wola]] near Warsaw.<ref name="Szyndler2009"/> In the event, there were no other serious contenders, and during [[Convocation Sejm (1764)|the convocation sejm on 7 September 1764]], 32-year-old Poniatowski was elected king, with 5,584 votes.<ref name="Szyndler2009"/><ref name="butterwick1"/><ref name="Prazmowska2011-200"/> He swore the [[Pacta conventa (Poland)|pacta conventa]] on 13 November, and a formal coronation took place in Warsaw on 25 November.<ref name="psb616"/> The new king's "uncles" in the ''Familia'' would have preferred another nephew on the throne, Prince [[Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski]], characterized by one of his contemporaries as "''débauché, si non dévoyé''" (French: "debauched if not depraved"), but Czartoryski had declined to seek office.<ref name="lindemann"/>
[[File:Stanislaw poniatowski bacciarelli.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait by [[Marcello Bacciarelli]], 1786]]
"Stanisław August", as he now styled himself combining the names of his two immediate royal predecessors, began his rule with only mixed support within the nation. It was mainly the small nobility who favoured his election.<ref name="psb616"/> In his first years on the throne he attempted to introduce a number of reforms. He founded the [[Corps of Cadets (Warsaw)|Knights School]], and began to form a diplomatic service, with semi-permanent diplomatic representatives throughout Europe, Russia and the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref name="psb617"/> On 7 May 1765, Poniatowski established the [[Order of Saint Stanislaus|Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus]], in honour of [[Saint Stanislaus of Krakow]], Bishop and Martyr, Poland's and his own patron saint, as the country's second [[order of chivalry]], to reward Poles and others for noteworthy service to the King.<ref name="psb622"/><ref name="bigoszewska"/> Together with the ''Familia'' he tried to reform the ineffective system of government, by reducing the powers of the [[Hetmans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|hetmans]] (Commonwealth's top military commanders) and treasurers, moving them to commissions elected by the Sejm and accountable to the King.<ref name="psb617"/> In his memoirs, Poniatowski called this period the "years of hope."<ref name="psb616"/> The ''Familia'', which was interested in strengthening its own power base, was dissatisfied with his conciliatory attitude as he reached out to many former opponents of their policies.<ref name="psb616"/><ref name="Prazmowska2011-200"/> This uneasy alliance between Poniatowski and the ''Familia'' continued for most of the first decade of his rule.<ref name="psb616"/> One of the points of contention between Poniatowski and the ''Familia'' concerned the rights of religious minorities in Poland. Whereas Poniatowski reluctantly supported a policy of [[religious tolerance]], the ''Familia'' was opposed to it. The growing rift between Poniatowski and the ''Familia'' was exploited by the Russians, who used the issue as a pretext to intervene in the Commonwealth's internal politics and to destabilize the country.<ref name="psb617"/> Catherine had no wish to see Poniatowski's reform succeed. She had supported his ascent to the throne to ensure the Commonwealth remained a virtual [[puppet state]] under Russian control, so his attempts to reform the Commonwealth's ailing government structures were a threat to the ''status quo''.<ref name="Prazmowska2011-200"/><ref name="psb617"/>

===The Bar Confederation and First Partition of Poland===
Matters came to a head in 1766. During the Sejm in October of that year, Poniatowski attempted to push through a radical reform, restricting the disastrous ''[[liberum veto]]'' provision.<ref name="psb618"/> He was opposed by conservatives such as [[Michał Wielhorski (elder)|Michał Wielhorski]], who were supported by the Prussian and Russian ambassadors and who threatened war if the reform was passed. The dissidents, supported by the Russians, formed the [[confederation (Poland)|Radom Confederation]].<ref name="psb618"/> Abandoned by the ''Familia'', Poniatowski's reforms failed to pass at the [[Repnin Sejm]], named after Russian ambassador [[Nicholas Repnin]], who promised to guarantee with all the might of the Russian Empire the [[Golden Liberties]] of the Polish nobility, enshrined in the [[Cardinal Laws]].<ref name="psb618"/><ref name="Jędruch1982-159"/><ref name="bardach297-298"/>

Although it had abandoned the cause of Poniatowski's reforms, the ''Familia'' did not receive the support it expected from the Russians who continued to press for the conservatives' rights. Meanwhile, other factions now rallied under the banner of the [[Bar Confederation]], aimed against the conservatives, Poniatowski and the Russians.<ref name="psb618"/> After an unsuccessful attempt to raise allies in Western Europe, France, Britain and Austria, Poniatowski and the ''Familia'' had no choice but to rely more heavily on the Russian Empire, which treated Poland as a [[protectorate]].<ref name="gospodarcza"/> In the [[War of the Bar Confederation]] (1768–1772), Poniatowski supported the Russian army's repression of the Bar Confederation.<ref name="psb618"/><ref name="zamoyski"/> In 1770, the Council of the Bar Confederation proclaimed him dethroned.<ref name="psb619"/> The following year, he was kidnapped by Bar Confederates and was briefly held prisoner outside of Warsaw, but he managed to escape.<ref name="psb619"/><ref name="Count Casimir Pulaski: From Poland to America, a Hero's Fight for Liberty"/> In view of the continuing weakness of the Polish-Lithuanian state, Austria, Russia, and Prussia collaborated to threaten military intervention in exchange for substantial territorial concessions from the Commonwealth – a decision they made without consulting Poniatowski or any other Polish parties.<ref name="psb619"/>

[[File:Jan_Matejko_-_Upadek_Polski_(Reytan).jpg|thumb|300px|left|[[Tadeusz Rejtan]]'s famous gesture of protest at the [[Partition Sejm]], as depicted by [[Jan Matejko|Matejko]]]]
Although Poniatowski protested against the [[First Partition of Poland|First Partition]] of the Commonwealth (1772), he was powerless to do anything about it.<ref name="zamoyski2"/> He considered [[abdication]], but decided against it.<ref name="psb619"/>

During the [[Partition Sejm]] of 1773–1775, in which Russia was represented by ambassador [[Otto Magnus von Stackelberg (ambassador)|Otto von Stackelberg]], with no allied assistance forthcoming from abroad and with the armies of the partitioning powers occupying [[Warsaw]] to compel the Sejm by force of arms, no alternative was available save submission to their will.<ref name="Corwin"/><ref name="Smoleński1919"/><ref name="psb620"/> Eventually Poniatowski and the Sejm acceded to the "partition treaty". At the same time, several other reforms were passed.<ref name="psb620"/> The [[Cardinal Laws]] were confirmed and guaranteed by the partitioning powers.<ref name="Smoleński1919"/> Royal prerogative was restricted, so that the King lost the power to confer titular roles, and military promotions, to appoint ministers and senators. [[Starostwo]] territories, and [[Crown land]]s would be awarded by auction.<ref name="Smoleński1919"/><ref name="Sochacki2007"/><ref name="Stone2001"/> The Sejm also created two notable institutions: the [[Permanent Council]], a government body in continuous operation, and the [[Commission of National Education]].<ref name="Jędruch1982-162-163"/> The partitioning powers intended the council to be easier to control than the unruly Sejms, and indeed it remained under the influence of the Russian Empire. Nevertheless, it was a significant improvement on the earlier Commonwealth governance.<ref name="Smoleński1919"/><ref name="Jędruch1982-162-163"/> The new legislation was guaranteed by the Russian Empire, giving it licence to interfere in Commonwealth politics when legislation it favoured was threatened.<ref name="Smoleński1919"/>

The aftermath of the [[Partition Sejm]] saw the rise of a conservative faction opposed to the Permanent Council, seeing it as a threat to their Golden Freedoms. This faction was supported by the Czartoryski family, but not by Poniatowski, who proved to be quite adept at making the Council follow his wishes. This marked the formation of new anti-royal and pro-royal factions in Polish politics.<ref name="psb622"/><ref name="psb620"/> The royal faction was made up primarily of people indebted to the King, who planned to build their careers on service to him. Few were privy to his plans for reforms, which were kept hidden from the conservative opposition and Russia.<ref name="psb622"/> Poniatowski scored a political victory during the Sejm of 1776, which further strengthened the council.<ref name="psb620"/> Chancellor [[Andrzej Zamoyski]] was tasked with the codification of the Polish law, a project that became known as the [[Zamoyski Code]]. Russia supported some, but not all, of the 1776 reforms, and to prevent Poniatowski from growing too powerful, it supported the opposition during the Sejm of 1778. This marked the end of Poniatowski's reforms, as he found himself without sufficient support to carry them through.<ref name="psb621"/>

===The Great Sejm and the Constitution of 3 May 1791===
In the 1780s, Catherine appeared to favour Poniatowski marginally over the opposition, but she did not support any of his plans for significant reform.<ref name="psb621"/> Despite repeated attempts, Poniatowski failed to [[confederated sejm|confederate the sejms]], which would have made them immune to the ''liberum veto''.<ref name="psb622"/> Thus, although he had a majority in the Sejms, Poniatowski was unable to pass even the smallest reform. The [[Zamoyski Code]] was rejected by the Sejm of 1780, and opposition attacks on the King dominated the Sejms of 1782 and 1786.<ref name="psb622"/>

[[File:Konstytucja 3 Maja.jpg|thumb|425px|''[[Constitution of May 3, 1791 (painting)|Constitution of 3 May 1791]]'', by [[Jan Matejko|Matejko]], 1891]]
Reforms became possible again in the late 1780s. In the context of the wars being waged against the Ottoman Empire by both the [[Austro-Turkish War (1787–91)|Austrian Empire]] and the [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–92)|Russian Empire]], Poniatowski tried to draw Poland into the [[Austro-Russian alliance]], seeing a war with the Ottomans as an opportunity to strengthen the Commonwealth.<ref name="Łojek1986-24"/><ref name="psb623"/> Catherine gave permission for the next Sejm to be called, as she considered some form of limited military alliance with Poland against the Ottomans might be useful.<ref name="psb623"/><ref name="Łojek1986-26-31"/>

The Polish-Russian alliance was not implemented, as in the end the only acceptable compromise proved unattractive to both sides.<ref name="psb623"/><ref name="Łojek1986-26-31"/> However, in the ensuing Four-Year Sejm of 1788–92 (known as the [[Great Sejm]]), Poniatowski threw his lot in with the reformers associated with the [[Patriotic Party]] of [[Stanisław Małachowski]], [[Ignacy Potocki]] and [[Hugo Kołłątaj]], and co-authored the [[Constitution of May 3, 1791|Constitution of 3 May 1791]].<ref name="zamoyski3"/><ref name="psb624"/><ref name="psb625"/><ref name="psb626"/> The Constitution introduced sweeping reforms. According to [[Jacek Jędruch]], the Constitution, despite its liberal provisions, "fell somewhere below the [[French Constitution of 1791|French]], above the [[Constitutional Act of 1791|Canadian]], and left the [[General State Laws for the Prussian States]] (in German: ''Allgemeines Landrecht für die Preußischen Staaten'') far behind", but was "no match for the [[Constitution of the United States|American Constitution]]".<ref name="Jędruch1982-178"/>

[[George Sanford (political scientist)|George Sanford]] notes that the Constitution gave Poland "a constitutional monarchy close to the British model of the time."<ref name="Sanford"/> According to a contemporary account, Poniatowski himself described it, as "founded principally on those of England and the United States of America, but avoiding the faults and errors of both, and adapted as much as possible to the local and particular circumstances of the country."<ref name="Constitutions1"/> The Constitution of 3 May remained to the end a work in progress. A new [[civil code|civil]] and [[criminal code]] (provisionally called the "Stanisław Augustus Code") was among the proposals. Poniatowski also planned a reform to improve the situation of [[Polish Jews]].<ref name="psb627"/>

In foreign policy, spurned by Russia, Poland turned to another potential ally, the [[Triple Alliance (1788)|Triple Alliance]], represented on the Polish diplomatic scene primarily by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], which led to the formation of the ultimately futile [[Polish–Prussian alliance]].<ref name="Łojek1986-31-32"/> The pro-Prussian shift was not supported by Poniatowski, who nevertheless acceded to the decision of the majority of Sejm deputies.<ref name="psb625"/> The passing of the Constitution of 3 May, although officially applauded by [[Frederick William II of Prussia]], who sent a congratulatory note to Warsaw, caused further worry in Prussia.<ref name="Łojek1986-325-326"/> The contacts of Polish reformers with the revolutionary [[National Assembly (French Revolution)|French National Assembly]] were seen by Poland's neighbours as evidence of a conspiracy and a threat to their absolute monarchies.<ref name="Carter1994"/><ref name="Davies2005-403"/> Prussian statesman [[Ewald von Hertzberg]] expressed the fears of European conservatives: "The Poles have given the ''coup de grâce'' to the Prussian monarchy by voting in a constitution", elaborating that a strong Commonwealth would likely demand the return of the lands Prussia acquired in the First Partition;<ref name="Bauer167"/> a similar sentiment was later expressed by Prussian Foreign Minister, Count Friedrich Wilhelm von der [[Schulenburg (surname)|Schulenburg-Kehnert]].<ref name="Łojek1986-325-326"/> Russia's wars with the Ottomans and [[Gustav III's Russian War|Sweden]] having ended, Catherine was furious over the adoption of the Constitution, which threatened Russian influence in Poland.<ref name="BideleuxJeffries1998"/><ref name="Schroeder"/><ref name="Lukowski2010-226"/> One of Russia's chief foreign policy authors, [[Alexander Bezborodko]], upon learning of the Constitution, commented that "the worst possible news have arrived from Warsaw: the Polish king has become almost sovereign."<ref name=Bauer167/>

===War in Defence of the Constitution and fall of the Commonwealth===
[[File:Rzeczpospolita Rozbiory 3.png|thumb|The three Partitions of [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland-Lithuania]]: [[Russian Partition|Russian]] (purple and red), [[Austrian Partition|Austrian]] (green), [[Prussian Partition|Prussian]] (blue)]]
Shortly thereafter, conservative Polish nobility formed the [[Confederation of Targowica|Targowica Confederation]] to overthrow the Constitution, which they saw as a threat to the traditional freedoms and privileges they enjoyed.<ref name="zamoyski4"/><ref name="Prazmowska2011-207"/> The confederates aligned themselves with Russia's Catherine the Great, and the Russian army entered Poland, marking the start of the [[Polish–Russian War of 1792]], also known as the War in Defence of the Constitution. The Sejm voted to increase the Polish Army to 100,000 men, but due to insufficient time and funds this number was never achieved.<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/> Poniatowski and the reformers could field only a 37,000-man army, many of them untested recruits.<ref name="bardach317"/> This army, under the command of the King's nephew [[Józef Poniatowski]] and [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]], managed to defeat the Russians or fight them to a draw on several occasions.<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/> Following the victorious [[Battle of Zieleńce]], in which Polish forces were commanded by his nephew, the King founded a new order, the [[Order of Virtuti Militari]], to reward Poles for exceptional military leadership and courage in combat.<ref name="wspolnota"/>

Despite Polish requests, Prussia refused to honour its alliance obligations.<ref name="Łojek1986-325-326"/> In the end, the numerical superiority of the Russians was too great, and defeat looked inevitable.<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/> Poniatowski's attempts at negotiations with Russia proved futile.<ref name="psb628"/> In July 1792, when Warsaw was threatened with siege by the Russians, the king came to believe that surrender was the only alternative to total defeat. Having received assurances from Russian ambassador [[Yakov Bulgakov]] that no territorial changes would occur, a [[cabinet of ministers]] called the [[Guard of Laws]] (or Guardians of Law, {{langx|pl|Straż Praw}}) voted eight to four in favor of surrender.<ref name="psb628"/> On 24 July 1792, Poniatowski joined the Targowica Confederation.<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/> The Polish Army disintegrated. Many reform leaders, believing their cause lost, went into self-exile, although they hoped that Poniatowski would be able to negotiate an acceptable compromise with the Russians, as he had done in the past.<ref name="psb628"/> Poniatowski had not saved the Commonwealth, however. He and the reformers had lost much of their influence, both within the country and with Catherine.<ref name="psb629"/> Neither were the Targowica Confederates victorious. To their surprise, there ensued the [[Partitions of Poland#Second Partition|Second Partition of Poland]].<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/> With the new deputies bribed or intimidated by the Russian troops, the [[Grodno Sejm]] took place.<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185"/><ref name="Jędruch1982-186-187"/> On 23 November 1793, it annulled all acts of the Great Sejm, including the Constitution.<ref name="volumina"/> Faced with his powerlessness, Poniatowski once again considered abdication; in the meantime he tried to salvage whatever reforms he could.<ref name="psb639"/><ref name="psb631"/>

==Final years==
[[File:Vigee Stanislaw Augustus.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Portrait by [[Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun]], 1797]]
Poniatowski's plans had been ruined by the [[Kościuszko Uprising]].<ref name="psb631"/> The King had not encouraged it, but once it began he supported it, seeing no other honourable option.<ref name="psb631"/> Its defeat marked the end of the Commonwealth. Poniatowski tried to govern the country in the brief period after the fall of the Uprising, but on 2 December 1794, Catherine demanded he leave Warsaw, a request to which he acceded on 7 January 1795, leaving the capital under Russian military escort and settling briefly in [[Grodno]].<ref name="psb632"/> On 24 October 1795, the Act of the final, [[Third Partition of Poland]] was signed. One month and one day later, on 25 November, Poniatowski signed his abdication.<ref name="psb632"/><ref name="psb633"/><ref name="forberg"/>
Reportedly, his sister, Ludwika Maria Zamoyska and her daughter also his favourite niece, [[Urszula Zamoyska]], who had been threatened with confiscation of their property, had contributed to persuading him to sign the abdication: they feared that his refusal would lead to a Russian confiscation of their properties and their ruin.<ref>Biogram został opublikowany w 1976 r. w XXI tomie Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego</ref>

Catherine died on 17 November 1796, succeeded by her son, [[Paul I of Russia]]. On 15 February 1797, Poniatowski left for Saint Petersburg.<ref name="psb633"/> He had hoped to be allowed to travel abroad, but was unable to secure permission to do so.<ref name="psb633"/> A virtual prisoner in St. Petersburg's [[Marble Palace]],<ref name="butterwick5"/> he subsisted on a pension granted to him by Catherine.<ref name="psb633"/> Despite financial troubles, he still supported some of his former allies, and continued to try to represent the Polish cause at the Russian court.<ref name="psb633"/> He also worked on his memoirs.<ref name="psb633"/>

[[File:Death of Stanisław August Poniatowski.PNG|thumb|Poniatowski on his deathbed, 1798, by [[Marcello Bacciarelli|Bacciarelli]]]]
Poniatowski died of a stroke on 12 February 1798.<ref name="psb638"/> Paul I sponsored a royal state funeral, and on 3 March he was buried at the [[Catholic Church of St. Catherine (Saint Petersburg)|Catholic Church of St. Catherine]] in St. Petersburg.<ref name="psb638"/> In 1938, when the [[Soviet Union]] planned to demolish the Church, his remains were transferred to the [[Second Polish Republic]] and interred in a church at [[Vowchyn|Wołczyn]], his birthplace.<ref name="psb638"/> This was done in secret and caused controversy in Poland when the matter became known.<ref name="psb638"/> In 1990, due to the poor state of the Wołczyn church (then in the [[Byelorussian SSR]]), his body was once more exhumed and was brought to Poland, to [[St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw|St. John's Cathedral]] in Warsaw, where on 3 May 1791 he had celebrated the adoption of the Constitution that he had coauthored.<ref name="psb638"/><ref name="butterwick6"/> A third funeral ceremony was held on 14 February 1995.<ref name="psb638"/>

==Legacy==
===Patron of culture===
[[File:Coat of arms of Stanislaw August Poniatowski with Lithuanian Vytis (Waykimas), Polish Eagle and his personal coat of arms, 1780.png|thumb|150px|Artwork with the [[Coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], 1780]]
Stanisław August Poniatowski has been called the [[Polish Enlightenment]]'s most important patron of the arts.<ref name="Meer2002-225"/> His cultural projects were attuned to his socio-political aims of overthrowing the myth of the [[Golden Freedoms]] and the traditional ideology of [[Sarmatism]].<ref name="psb634"/><ref name="Meer2002-224"/> His weekly "[[Thursday Dinners]]" were considered the most scintillating social functions in the Polish capital.<ref name="Meer2002-223"/><ref name="psb635"/>
He founded [[National Theatre, Warsaw|Warsaw's National Theatre]], Poland's first public theatre, and sponsored an associated [[Ballet schools|ballet school]].<ref name="Meer2002-223"/><ref name="psb635"/><ref name="Miłosz1983"/><ref name="Meer2002-51"/> He remodeled [[Ujazdów Castle|Ujazdów Palace]] and the [[Royal Castle, Warsaw|Royal Castle]] in Warsaw, and erected the elegant [[Łazienki Palace|Łazienki (Royal Baths) Palace]] in Warsaw's [[Lazienki, Park|Łazienki, Park]].<ref name="psb636"/> He involved himself deeply in the detail of his architectural projects, and his eclectic style has been dubbed the "Stanisław August style" by Polish art historian [[Władysław Tatarkiewicz]].<ref name="psb636"/> His chief architects included [[Domenico Merlini]] and [[Johann Christian Kammsetzer|Jan Kammsetzer]].<ref name="psb636"/>

He was also patron to numerous painters.<ref name="psb636"/> They included Poles such as his protégée, [[Anna Rajecka]] and [[Franciszek Smuglewicz]], Jan Bogumił Plersch, son of [[Jan Jerzy Plersch]], Józef Wall, and [[Zygmunt Vogel]], as well as foreign painters including, [[Marcello Bacciarelli]], [[Bernardo Bellotto]], [[Jean Pillement]], [[Ludwik Marteau]], and [[Per Krafft the Elder]].<ref name="psb636"/><ref name="psb637"/> His retinue of sculptors, headed by [[André-Jean Lebrun]], included Giacomo Monaldi, Franz Pinck, and [[Tommaso Righi]].<ref name="psb636"/> Jan Filip Holzhaeusser was his court engraver and the designer of many commemorative medals.<ref name="psb636"/><ref name="psb637"/> According to a 1795 inventory, Stanisław August's art collection, spread among numerous buildings, contained 2,889 pieces, including works by [[Rembrandt]], [[Rubens]], and [[van Dyck]].<ref name="psb637"/> His plan to create a large gallery of paintings in Warsaw was disrupted by the [[Partitions of Poland|dismemberment of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. Most of the paintings that he had ordered for it can now be seen in London's [[Dulwich Picture Gallery]].<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1385543|desc=Dulwich Picture Gallery and Mausoleum|access-date=18 December 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="butterwick7"/> Poniatowski also planned to found an [[Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw|Academy of Fine Arts]], but this finally came about only after his abdication and departure from Warsaw.<ref name="psb637"/>

Poniatowski accomplished much in the realm of education and literature.<ref name="Meer2002-223"/><ref name="dictionary" /> He established the [[School of Chivalry]], also called the "Cadet Corps", which functioned from 1765 to 1794 and whose alumni included [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]]. He supported the creation of the [[Commission of National Education]], considered to be the world's first Ministry of Education.<ref name="Meer2002-223"/><ref name="ND"/> In 1765 he helped found the ''[[Monitor (Polish newspaper)|Monitor]]'', one of the first Polish newspapers and the leading periodical of the Polish Enlightenment.<ref name="Meer2002-223"/><ref name="psb635"/><ref name="Miłosz1983"/><ref name="Meer2002-51"/> He sponsored many articles that appeared in the ''Monitor''.<ref name="psb635"/> Writers and poets who received his patronage included, [[Stanisław Trembecki]], [[Franciszek Salezy Jezierski]], [[Franciszek Bohomolec]] and [[Franciszek Zabłocki]].<ref name="psb635"/> He also supported publishers including, Piotr Świtkowski, and library owners such as Józef Lex.<ref name="psb635"/>

[[File:LazienkiPark.jpg|thumb|right|[[Łazienki Park]]: monument to [[John III Sobieski]], meant to recall anti-Ottoman sentiment during the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]]]]
He supported the development of the sciences, particularly [[cartography]]; he hired a personal cartographer, Karol de Perthees, even before he was elected king.<ref name="psb634"/> A plan he initiated to map the entire territory of the Commonwealth, however, was never finished.<ref name="psb634"/> At the [[Royal Castle in Warsaw]], he organized an [[astronomical observatory]] and supported astronomers [[Jan Śniadecki]] and [[Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt]].<ref name="psb634"/><ref name="psb635"/> He also sponsored historical studies, including the collection, cataloging and copying of historical manuscripts.<ref name="psb635"/> He encouraged publications of biographies of famous Polish historical figures, and sponsored paintings and sculptures of them.<ref name="psb635"/>

For his contributions to the arts and sciences, Poniatowski was awarded in 1766 a royal [[Fellow of the Royal Society|Fellowship of the Royal Society]], where he became the first royal Fellow outside British royalty.<ref name="psb634"/><ref name="Nauk1973"/> In 1778 he was awarded fellowship of the [[Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences]], and in 1791 of the [[Prussian Academy of Sciences|Berlin Academy of Sciences]].<ref name="psb634"/><ref name="Nauk1973"/>

He also supported the development of industry and manufacturing, areas in which the Commonwealth lagged behind most of Western Europe.<ref name="psb634"/><ref name="dictionary"/> Among the endeavours in which he invested were the manufacture of cannons and firearms and the mining industry.<ref name="psb634"/>

Poniatowski himself left several literary works: his memoirs, some political brochures and recorded speeches from the Sejm.<ref name="psb638"/> He was considered a great orator and a skilled conversationalist.<ref name="psb638"/>

===Conflicting assessments===
[[File:Próba szóstak 1766 FS.jpg|thumb|left|Polish coin bearing the coat of arms of King Stanisław II August, {{circa|1766}}]]
King Stanisław Augustus remains a controversial figure.<ref name="psb639"/><ref name="Zahorski1988-7"/> In Polish [[historiography]] and in popular works, he has been criticized or marginalized by authors such as, [[Szymon Askenazy]], [[Joachim Lelewel]], [[Jerzy Łojek]] (whom [[Andrzej Zahorski]] describes as Poniatowski's most vocal critic among modern historians), [[Tadeusz Korzon]], Karol Zyszewski and Krystyna Zienkowska; whereas more neutral or positive views have been expressed by [[Paweł Jasienica]], [[Walerian Kalinka]], [[Władysław Konopczyński]], [[Stanisław Mackiewicz]], [[Emanuel Rostworowski]] and Stanisław Wasylewski.<ref name="Zahorski1988-413"/><ref name="psb639"/>

In a work by De Daugnon, an anecdote is quoted that happened to his mother, Constance, in 1732. An Italian named Antonio Formica appears before her, who was assumed to be an astrologer. Seeing the child born on 17 January of that year, he predicted that he would be king of the Poles. The prediction came true many years later, and fortunately there are records of the existence of a Sicilian physician Dr. Antonio Formica, who lived in Poland during those years, closely linked to the Polish aristocracy. Curiously enough, it is said that it could be the same person.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |last=F. F. de Daugnon |url=https://archive.org/details/gliitalianiinpo01dauggoog/page/n264/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Gli italiani in Polonia dal IX secolo al XVIII: note storiche con brevi ... |date=1907 |publisher=Plausi e Cattaneo |others=Harvard University |language=Italian}}</ref>

[[File:Manuscript of the Constitution of the 3rd May 1791.PNG|thumb|right|Manuscript of the Constitution of 3 May 1791]]
When elected to the throne, he was seen by many as simply an "instrument for displacing the somnolent Saxons from the throne of Poland", yet as the British historian, [[Norman Davies]] notes, "''he turned out to be an ardent patriot, and a convinced reformer.''"<ref name="Davies2005-310"/> Still, according to many, his reforms did not go far enough, leading to accusations that he was being overly cautious, even indecisive, a fault to which he himself admitted.<ref name="psb638"/><ref name="Zahorski1988-8"/> His decision to rely on Russia has been often criticized.<ref name="Zahorski1988-8"/> Poniatowski saw Russia as a "lesser evil" – willing to support the notional "independence" of a weak Poland within the Russian sphere of influence. However, in the event Russia imposed the [[Partitions of Poland]] rather than choose to support internal reform.<ref name="Zahorski1988-8"/><ref name="Zahorski1988-446-449"/> He was accused by others of weakness and subservience, even of treason, especially in the years following the [[Second Partition of Poland|Second Partition]].<ref name="psb639"/><ref name="psb631"/> During the [[Kościuszko Uprising]], there were rumours that [[Polish Jacobins]] had been planning a [[coup d'état]] and Poniatowski's assassination.<ref name="psb632"/> Another line of criticism alleged poor financial management on his part.<ref name="psb637"/> Poniatowski actually had little personal wealth. Most of his income came from [[Crown Estate]]s and monopolies.<ref name="psb637"/> His lavish patronage of the arts and sciences was a major drain on the royal treasury. He also supported numerous public initiatives, and attempted to use the royal treasury to cover the state's expenses when tax revenues were insufficient.<ref name="psb637"/> The Sejm promised several times to compensate his treasury to little practical effect.<ref name="psb637"/> Nonetheless contemporary critics frequently accused him of being a spendthrift.<ref name="psb638"/>

[[Andrzej Zahorski]] dedicated a book to a discussion of Poniatowski, ''The Dispute over Stanisław August'' (''Spór o Stanisława Augusta'', Warsaw, 1988).<ref name="psb639"/> He notes that the discourse concerning Poniatowski is significantly coloured by the fact that he was the last King of Poland – the King who failed to save the country.<ref name="Zahorski1988-7"/> This failure, and his prominent position, rendered him a convenient scapegoat for many.<ref name="Zahorski1988-9-10"/> Zahorski argues that Poniatowski made the error of joining the Targowica Confederation. Although he wanted to preserve the integrity of the Polish state, it was far too late for that – he succeeded instead in cementing the damage to his own reputation for succeeding centuries.<ref name="Zahorski1988-446-449"/>

===Remembrance===
[[File:Stanislaw August Poniatowski (275333).jpg|thumb|left|Poniatowski: pencil drawing by [[Jan Matejko]]]]
Poniatowski has been the subject of numerous biographies and many works of art.<ref name="psb639"/> [[Voltaire]], who saw Poniatowski as a model reformist, based his character, [[King Teucer]] in the play ''Les Lois de Minos'' (1772) on Poniatowski.<ref name="psb634"/> At least 58 contemporary poems were dedicated to him or praised him.<ref name="Meer2002-225"/> Since then, he has been a major character in many works of [[Józef Ignacy Kraszewski]], in the ''Rok 1794'' trilogy by [[Władysław Stanisław Reymont]], in the novels of [[Tadeusz Łopalewski]], and in the dramas of Ignacy Grabowski, [[Tadeusz Miciński]], [[Roman Brandstaetter]] and Bogdan Śmigielski.<ref name="psb639"/> He is discussed in [[Luise Mühlbach]]'s novel ''Joseph II and His Court'',<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3793|title=Joseph II. and His Court: An Historical Novel|first=L. (Luise)|last=Mühlbach|date= 2003|accessdate=30 July 2022|via=[[Project Gutenberg]]}}</ref> and appears in [[Jane Porter]]'s 1803 novel, ''[[Thaddeus of Warsaw]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Laskowski|first=Maciej|url=https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/jspui/bitstream/10593/2424/1/rozprawa%20doktorska.pdf|title=Jane Porter's ''Thaddeus of Warsaw'' as evidence of Polish–British relationships|publisher=Instytucie Filologii Angielskiej|location=Poznan|date=2012|access-date=3 December 2014|language=pl}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6566/pg6566.html.utf8|title=Thaddeus of Warsaw|first=Jane|last=Porter|via=[[Project Gutenberg]]|accessdate=30 July 2022}}</ref>

On screen he has been played by [[Wieńczysław Gliński]] in the 1976 ''3 Maja'' directed by Grzegorz Królikiewicz.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trzeci Maja|url=http://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?film=521140|access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> He appears in [[Catherine the Great (TV series)|a Russian TV series]].<ref>Trailer with English subtitles at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbRQhvkups8</ref>

Poniatowski is depicted in numerous portraits, medals and coins.<ref name="psb639"/> He is prominent in [[Jan Matejko]]'s work, especially in the 1891 painting, ''[[Constitution of May 3, 1791 (painting)|Constitution of 3 May 1791]]'' and in another large canvas, ''[[Rejtan (painting)|Rejtan]]'', and in his series of portraits of Polish monarchs.<ref name="K3Mid"/><ref name="psb639"/> A bust of Poniatowski was unveiled in [[Łazienki Palace]] in 1992.<ref name="psb639"/> A number of cities in Poland have streets named after him, including [[Kraków]] and [[Warsaw]].<ref name="psb639"/>

==Family==
Poniatowski never married. In his youth, he had loved his cousin [[Elżbieta Czartoryska (1736–1816)|Elżbieta Czartoryska]], but her father [[August Aleksander Czartoryski]] disapproved because he did not think him influential or rich enough. When this was no longer an issue, she was already married. His ''[[Pacta conventa (Poland)|pacta conventa]]'' specified that he should marry a Polish noblewoman, although he himself always hoped to marry into some [[royal family]].<ref name="psb639"/>

Upon his accession to the throne, he had hopes of marrying [[Catherine II]], writing to her on 2 November 1763 in a moment of doubt, "If I desired the throne, it was because I saw you on it." When she made it clear through his envoy [[Rzewuski family|Rzewuski]] that she would not marry him, there were hopes of an Austrian archduchess,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zamoyski|first1=Adam|title=The last king of Poland}}</ref> [[Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1743–1808)]].  A marriage to Princess [[Sophia Albertina of Sweden]] was suggested despite the religious differences, but this match was opposed by his sisters, [[Ludwika Maria Poniatowska]] and [[Izabella Poniatowska]], and nothing came of it.<ref>Biogram został opublikowany w 1936 r. w II tomie Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego.</ref>  The ceremonial role of queen and hostess of his court was played by his favourite niece, [[Urszula Zamoyska]].<ref>Biography in ''PSB'' (1976), vol. 21 – tom XXI Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego</ref>

[[File:Lampi Elżbieta Grabowska.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Elżbieta Szydłowska]] Grabowska, by [[Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder]]]]

A few historians believe that he later contracted a secret marriage with [[Elżbieta Szydłowska]]. However, according to [[Wirydianna Fiszerowa]], a contemporary who knew them both, this rumour only spread after the death of Poniatowski, was generally disbelieved, and moreover, was circulated by Elżbieta herself, so the marriage is considered by most to be unlikely.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fiszerowa |first=Wirydianna |date=1998 |title=Dzieje Moje Własne I OsóB Postronnych: WiąZanka Spraw PoważNych, Ciekawych I Błahych |location=Warsaw |publisher=Świat Książki |isbn=9788371292736 |oclc=40907892}}</ref> He had several notable lovers, including [[Elżbieta Branicka]], who acted as his political adviser and financier,<ref>Biogram został opublikowany w 1994 r. w XXXV tomie Polskiego Słownika Biograficznego.</ref> and had children with two of them. With [[Magdalena Agnieszka Sapieżyna]] (1739–1780), he became the father of Konstancja Żwanowa (1768–1810) and Michał Cichocki (1770–1828).<ref name="psb639"/> With [[Elżbieta Szydłowska]] (1748–1810), he became the father of Stanisław Konopnicy-Grabowski (1780–1845), [[Michał Grabowski]] (1773–1812), Kazimierz Grabowski (1770–?),{{Ref_label|a|a|none}} Konstancja Grabowska{{Ref_label|a|a|none}} and Izabela Grabowska (1776–1858).<ref name="psb639"/>

In a work by De Daugnon, an anecdote is quoted that happened to his mother, Constance, in 1732. An Italian named Antonio Formica appears before her, who was assumed to be an astrologer. Seeing the child born on 17 January of that year, he predicted that he would be king of the Poles. The prediction came true many years later, and fortunately there are records of the existence of a Sicilian doctor Dr. Antonio Formica, who lived in Poland during those years, closely linked to the Polish aristocracy. Curiously enough, it is said that it could be the same person.<ref name="auto"/>

===Issue===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Catherine the Great]]'''''
|-
|[[Catherine the Great#Issue|Anna Petrovna]]||9 December 1757||8 March 1758||Her legal father was Catherine's husband, [[Peter III of Russia]]; but most historians assume that Anna Petrovna's biological father was Poniatowski<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ilWlLmsIukC&q=Stanis%C5%82aw+Poniatowski+Anna+Petrovna|title=Catherine the Great|first=Christine|last=Hatt|date= 2017|publisher=World Almanac Library|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9780836855357}}</ref>
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Magdalena Agnieszka Sapieżyna]]'''''
|-
|{{ill|Konstancja Żwanowa|pl|Konstancja Żwanowa}}||1768||1810||married Karol Żwan; no issue (divorced)
|-
|{{ill|Michał Cichocki|fr|Michał Cichocki}}||September 1770||5 May 1828||
|-
|colspan=4|'''''By [[Elżbieta Szydłowska]]'''''
|-
|Konstancja Grabowska||?||?||married Wincenty Dernałowicz. Not all sources agree she was Poniatowski's child.{{Ref_label|a|a|none}}
|-
|[[Michał Grabowski]]||1773||17 August 1812||[[brigadier general (Poland)|Brigadier general]] of the Army of the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]; died in  [[Battle of Smolensk (1812)]]; no issue
|-
|Izabela Grabowska||26 March 1776||21 May 1858||married Walenty Sobolewski; had three daughters
|-
|Stanisław Grabowski||29 October 1780||3 October 1845||married twice
|-
|Kazimierz Grabowski||?||?||Not all sources agree he was Poniatowski's child.{{Ref_label|a|a|none}}
|}

==Titles, honours and arms==
[[File:Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with colland of Order of White Eagle.PNG|thumb|upright|Coat of Arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski with colland of [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of White Eagle]]]]

The English translation of the Polish text of the 1791 Constitution gives his title as ''Stanisław August, by the grace of God and the will of the people, King of [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland]], Grand Duke of [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuania]] and Duke of [[Ruthenia]], [[Royal Prussia|Prussia]], [[Duchy of Masovia|Masovia]], [[Duchy of Samogitia|Samogitia]], [[Kiev]], [[Volhynia]], [[Podolia]], [[Podlasie]], [[Duchy of Livonia|Livonia]], [[Smolensk]], [[Severia]] and [[Chernihiv]].''<ref name="Polish democratic thought from the Renaissance to the great emigration: essays and documents"/>

===National===
* {{flagcountry|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|1764}}: [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] (1756)
* {{flagcountry|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|1764}}: [[Order of Saint Stanislaus]] (1765){{r|oob}}
* {{flagcountry|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|1764}}: [[Order of Virtuti Militari]] (1792)<ref>{{Cite book |author = Krzysztof Filipow |title = Falerystyka polska XVII–XIX w |publisher = Muzeum Wojska w Białymstoku |date = 2003 |page = 73|author-link = Krzysztof Filipow }}</ref>

===Foreign===
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1750-1801).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]: [[Order of the Black Eagle]] (5 April 1764)<ref>''Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler'' (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich II. ernannte Ritter" [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10362193?page=19 p. 9]</ref>
* {{flag|Russian Empire}}: [[Order of Saint Andrew]] (1764)<ref name=oob>''Kawalerowie i statuty Orderu Orła Białego 1705–2008''. Zamek Królewski w Warszawie: 2008, p. 186.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Poland}}
* [[History of Poland (1569–1795)]]
* [[Poles in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

'''a''' {{Note_label|a|a|none}} Sources vary as to whether Konstancja Grabowska and Kazimierz Grabowski were Poniatowski's children. They are listed as such by several sources, including [[Jerzy Michalski]]'s article on Stanisław August Poniatowski in the ''[[Polish Biographical Dictionary]]''.<ref name="psb639"/> However, [[Maria Minakowska]]'s [http://www.sejm-wielki.pl/ website] on descendants of [[Great Sejm]] participants lists neither Kazimierz Grabowski nor Konstancja Grabowska as Poniatowski's children; and for Elżbieta Szydłowska, it lists only Kazimierz Grabowski as [[Jan Jerzy Grabowski]]'s child.<ref name="sejm-wielki"/><ref name="sejm-wielki1"/>

==References==
<references>
<!--  <ref name="last-king">[[:pl:Stanisław August Poniatowski]]</ref>-->
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<ref name="sejm-wielki1">{{cite web|url=http://www.sejm-wielki.pl/b/7.8.72 |title=Elżbieta Szydłowska z Wielkiego Szydłowa h. Lubicz (M.J. Minakowska, Genealogia potomków Sejmu Wielkiego) |publisher=Sejm-wielki.pl |access-date=16 June 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="Zahorski1988-413">{{cite book|author=Andrzej Zahorski|title=Spór o Stanisława Augusta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QclBAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 May 2012|year=1988|publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy|isbn=978-83-06-01559-1|page=413}}</ref>

<ref name="Zahorski1988-446-449">{{cite book|author=Andrzej Zahorski|title=Spór o Stanisława Augusta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QclBAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 May 2012|year=1988|publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy|isbn=978-83-06-01559-1|pages=446–449}}</ref>

<ref name="Zahorski1988-7">{{cite book|author=Andrzej Zahorski|title=Spór o Stanisława Augusta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QclBAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 May 2012|year=1988|publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy|isbn=978-83-06-01559-1|page=7}}</ref>

<ref name="Zahorski1988-8">{{cite book|author=Andrzej Zahorski|title=Spór o Stanisława Augusta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QclBAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 May 2012|year=1988|publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy|isbn=978-83-06-01559-1|page=8}}</ref>

<ref name="Zahorski1988-9-10">{{cite book|author=Andrzej Zahorski|title=Spór o Stanisława Augusta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QclBAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 May 2012|year=1988|publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy|isbn=978-83-06-01559-1|pages=9–10}}</ref>
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<ref name="bardach297-298">Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, ''Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego'' Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, pp. 297–298</ref>

<ref name="bardach317">Juliusz Bardach, Boguslaw Lesnodorski, and Michal Pietrzak, Historia panstwa i prawa polskiego (Warsaw: Paristwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1987, p. 317</ref>

<ref name="Bauer167">{{cite book|author=Krzysztof Bauer|title=Uchwalenie i obrona Konstytucji 3 Maja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLNGAAAAIAAJ|access-date=2 January 2012|year=1991|publisher=Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne|isbn=978-83-02-04615-5|page=167}}</ref>

<ref name="BideleuxJeffries1998">{{cite book|author1=Robert Bideleux|author2=Ian Jeffries|title=A history of eastern Europe: crisis and change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Eh9KQTrOckC&pg=PA160|access-date=11 September 2011|date=1998|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-16111-4|page=160}}</ref>

<ref name="bigoszewska">''[http://www.swstanislaw.eu/html/o_gb.html Historical modifications of the Order of Saint Stanislaus] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130213093540/http://www.swstanislaw.eu/html/o_gb.html |date=13 February 2013 }}''. Konfraternia Orderu Św. Stanisława. Written on the basis of „Polish Orders and Decorations" by Wanda Bigoszewska. Last accessed on 26 April 2012.</ref>

<ref name="butterwick">{{Harvnb|Butterwick|1998|p=92}}</ref>

<ref name="butterwick1">{{Harvnb|Butterwick|1998|p=156}}</ref>

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<ref name="butterwick7">{{Harvnb|Butterwick|1998|p=218}}</ref>

<ref name="Carter1994">{{cite book|author=Francis W. Carter|title=Trade and urban development in Poland: an economic geography of Cracow, from its origins to 1795|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-XdByzq85zMC&pg=PA192|access-date=18 August 2011|year=1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-41239-1|page=192}}</ref>

<ref name="Constitutions1">{{cite book|author=Joseph Kasparek-Obst|title=The constitutions of Poland and of the United States: kinships and genealogy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nu-CQgAACAAJ|access-date=6 July 2011|date=1980|publisher=American Institute of Polish Culture|isbn=978-1-881284-09-3|page=40}}</ref>

<ref name="Corwin">{{citation | author-link = Edward Henry Lewinski Corwin | first = Edward Henry | last = Lewinski Corwin | title = The Political History of Poland  | pages = 310–315 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9foDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA310 | publisher = Google Print | year = 1917}}</ref>

<ref name="Count Casimir Pulaski: From Poland to America, a Hero's Fight for Liberty">{{cite book|author=Annmarie Francis Kajencki|title=Count Casimir Pulaski: From Poland to America, a Hero's Fight for Liberty|year=2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/countcasimirpula0000kaje/page/20 20]|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=1-4042-2646-X|url=https://archive.org/details/countcasimirpula0000kaje/page/20}}</ref>

<ref name="Davies2005-310">{{cite book|author=Norman Davies|title=God's Playground: A History of Poland in Two Volumes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b912JnKpYTkC&pg=PA310|access-date=26 April 2012|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-925339-5|page=310}}</ref>

<ref name="Davies2005-403">{{cite book|author=Norman Davies|title=God's Playground: The origins to 1795|url=https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0|url-access=registration|access-date=18 August 2011|date= 2005|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-12817-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0/page/403 403]}}</ref>

<ref name="dictionary">{{cite book |author1=Jerzy Jan Lerski |author2=Piotr Wróbel |author3=Richard J. Kozicki |title=Polish Historical dictionary of Poland, 966–1945|year=1996|page=565|chapter=Volume 289|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0-313-26007-9}}</ref>

<ref name="forberg">{{Harvnb|Schulz-Forberg|2005|p=162}}</ref>

<ref name="gospodarcza">Andrzej Jezierski, Cecylia Leszczyńska, ''Historia gospodarcza Polski'', 2003, p. 68.</ref>

<ref name="h94">{{Harvnb|Butterwick|1998|p=94}}</ref>

<ref name="jardetzky">{{cite book|author-link1=Oleg Jardetzky|author=Oleg Jardetzky|title=The Ciolek of Poland|year=1992|page=176|publisher=Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt|isbn=3-201-01583-0}}</ref>

<ref name="Jędruch1982-159">{{cite book|author=Jacek Jędruch|author-link=Jacek Jędruch|title=Constitutions, elections, and legislatures of Poland, 1493–1977: a guide to their history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmx8QgAACAAJ|access-date=13 August 2011|year=1998|publisher=EJJ Books|isbn=978-0-7818-0637-4|page=159}}</ref>

<ref name="Jędruch1982-162-163">{{cite book|author=Jacek Jędruch|author-link=Jacek Jędruch|title=Constitutions, elections, and legislatures of Poland, 1493–1977: a guide to their history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmx8QgAACAAJ|access-date=13 August 2011|year=1998|publisher=EJJ Books|isbn=978-0-7818-0637-4|pages=162–163}}</ref>

<ref name="Jędruch1982-178">{{cite book|author=Jacek Jędruch|author-link=Jacek Jędruch|title=Constitutions, elections, and legislatures of Poland, 1493–1977: a guide to their history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmx8QgAACAAJ|access-date=13 August 2011|year=1998|publisher=EJJ Books|isbn=978-0-7818-0637-4|page=178}}</ref>

<ref name="Jędruch1982-184-185">{{cite book|author=Jacek Jędruch|author-link=Jacek Jędruch|title=Constitutions, elections, and legislatures of Poland, 1493–1977: a guide to their history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmx8QgAACAAJ|access-date=13 August 2011|year=1998|publisher=EJJ Books|isbn=978-0-7818-0637-4|pages=184–185}}</ref>

<ref name="Jędruch1982-186-187">{{cite book|author=Jacek Jędruch|author-link=Jacek Jędruch|title=Constitutions, elections, and legislatures of Poland, 1493–1977: a guide to their history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rmx8QgAACAAJ|access-date=13 August 2011|year=1998|publisher=EJJ Books|isbn=978-0-7818-0637-4|pages=186–187}}</ref>

<ref name="K3Mid">{{cite book|author1=Marek Wrede|author2=Hanna Małachowicz|author3=Paweł Sadlej|title=Konstytucja 3 Maja. Historia. Obraz. Konsweracja|year=2007|publisher=Zamek Królewski w Warszawie|isbn=978-83-7022-172-0|pages=26–31}}</ref>

<ref name="lindemann">{{Harvnb|Lindemann|2006|p=236}}</ref>

<ref name="Lukowski2010-226">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Lukowski|title=Disorderly liberty: the political culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the eighteenth century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAgRHvulnnUC&pg=PA226|access-date=23 September 2011|date=2010|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-4411-4812-4|page=226}}</ref>

<ref name="Łojek1986-24">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Łojek|title=Geneza i obalenie Konstytucji 3 maja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbpFAAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 December 2011|year=1986|publisher=Wydawn. Lubelskie|isbn=978-83-222-0313-2|page=24}}</ref>

<ref name="Łojek1986-26-31">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Łojek|title=Geneza i obalenie Konstytucji 3 maja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbpFAAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 December 2011|year=1986|publisher=Wydawn. Lubelskie|isbn=978-83-222-0313-2|pages=26–31}}</ref>

<ref name="Łojek1986-31-32">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Łojek|title=Geneza i obalenie Konstytucji 3 maja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbpFAAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 December 2011|year=1986|publisher=Wydawn. Lubelskie|isbn=978-83-222-0313-2|pages=31–32}}</ref>

<ref name="Łojek1986-325-326">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Łojek|title=Geneza i obalenie Konstytucji 3 maja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbpFAAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 December 2011|year=1986|publisher=Wydawn. Lubelskie|isbn=978-83-222-0313-2|pages=325–326}}</ref>

<ref name="Meer2002-223">{{cite book|author=Jan IJ. van der Meer|title=Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-98Z_F7SWroC&pg=PA233|access-date=26 April 2012|year=2002|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-0933-2|page=233}}</ref>

<ref name="Meer2002-224">{{cite book|author=Jan IJ. van der Meer|title=Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-98Z_F7SWroC&pg=PA234|access-date=26 April 2012|year=2002|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-0933-2|page=234}}</ref>

<ref name="Meer2002-225">{{cite book|author=Jan IJ. van der Meer|title=Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-98Z_F7SWroC&pg=PA235|access-date=26 April 2012|year=2002|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-0933-2|page=235}}</ref>

<ref name="Meer2002-51">{{cite book|author=Jan IJ. van der Meer|title=Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-98Z_F7SWroC&pg=PA51|access-date=26 April 2012|year=2002|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-0933-2|page=51}}</ref>

<ref name="Miłosz1983">{{cite book|author=Czesław Miłosz|title=The History of Polish Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R-MkT9vavwIC&pg=PA162|access-date=26 April 2012|date= 1983|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-04477-7|page=162}}</ref>

<ref name="Nauk1973">{{cite book|author=Polska Akademia Nauk|title=Nauka polska|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bfs5AQAAIAAJ|access-date=26 April 2012|year=1973|publisher=Polska Akademia Nauk|page=151}}</ref>

<ref name="ND">[[Norman Davies]], ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', [[Columbia University Press]], 2005, {{ISBN|0-231-12819-3}}, [https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0/page/167 <!-- quote=first ministry of education Poland. --> Google Print, p. 167]</ref>

<ref name="Poczet polskich rodów arystokratycznych">{{cite book |author=Teresa Zielińska|title=Poczet polskich rodów arystokratycznych|year=1997|page=239|chapter=Volume 1|publisher=Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne|isbn=83-02-06429-7|language=pl}}</ref>

<ref name="Polish democratic thought from the Renaissance to the great emigration: essays and documents">{{cite book |author1=Mieczysław B. Biskupski |author2=James S. Pula |title=Polish democratic thought from the Renaissance to the great emigration: essays and documents|year=1990|page=168|chapter=Volume 289|publisher=East European Monographs|isbn=0-88033-186-0}}</ref>

<ref name="Prazmowska2011-199">{{cite book|author=Professor Anita J. Prazmowska|title=A History of Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_0-BjHIkh4C&pg=PT199|access-date=29 April 2012|date= 2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-34537-9|page=199}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

<ref name="Prazmowska2011-200">{{cite book|author=Professor Anita J. Prazmowska|title=A History of Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_0-BjHIkh4C&pg=PT199|access-date=29 April 2012|date=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-34537-9|page=200}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

<ref name="Prazmowska2011-207">{{cite book|author=Professor Anita J. Prazmowska|title=A History of Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_0-BjHIkh4C&pg=PT207|access-date=29 April 2012|date= 2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-34537-9|pages=206–207}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

<ref name="psb612">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 612</ref>

<ref name="psb613">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 613</ref>

<ref name="psb614">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 614</ref>

<ref name="psb615">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 615</ref>

<ref name="psb616">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 616</ref>

<ref name="psb617">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 617</ref>

<ref name="psb618">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 618</ref>

<ref name="psb619">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 619</ref>

<ref name="psb620">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 620</ref>

<ref name="psb621">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 621</ref>

<ref name="psb622">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 622</ref>

<ref name="psb623">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 623</ref>

<ref name="psb624">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 624</ref>

<ref name="psb625">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 625</ref>

<ref name="psb626">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 626</ref>

<ref name="psb627">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 627</ref>

<ref name="psb628">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 628</ref>

<ref name="psb629">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 629</ref>

<!-- Unused citations
<ref name="psb630">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 630</ref>
-->

<ref name="psb631">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 631</ref>

<ref name="psb632">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 632</ref>

<ref name="psb633">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 633</ref>

<ref name="psb634">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 634</ref>

<ref name="psb635">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 635</ref>

<ref name="psb636">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 636</ref>

<ref name="psb637">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 637</ref>

<ref name="psb638">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 638</ref>

<ref name="psb639">Jerzy Michalski, ''Stanisław August Poniatowski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, T.41, 2011, p. 639</ref>

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<ref name="Sanford">{{cite book|author=George Sanford|author-link=George Sanford (political scientist)|title=Democratic government in Poland: constitutional politics since 1989|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOaXi0hX1RAC&pg=PA11|access-date=5 July 2011|year=2002|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-333-77475-5|pages=11–12}}</ref>

<ref name="Schroeder">{{cite book|author=Paul W. Schroeder|author-link=Paul W. Schroeder|title=The transformation of European politics, 1763–1848|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BS2z3iGPCigC&pg=PA84|access-date=5 July 2011|year=1996|publisher=Oxford University Press, US|isbn=978-0-19-820654-5|page=84}}</ref>

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<ref name="Sochacki2007">{{Citation|author=Włodzimierz Sochacki|title=Historia dla maturzystów: repetytorium|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0kB2QlHqIXYC&pg=PA274|access-date=5 September 2011|year=2007|publisher=Wlodzimierz Sochacki|isbn=978-83-60186-58-9|pages=274–275}}</ref>

<ref name="Stone2001">{{Citation|author=Daniel Stone|title=The Polish-Lithuanian state, 1386–1795|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&pg=PA274|access-date=5 September 2011|date=2001|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-295-98093-5|pages=274–275}}</ref>

<ref name="Szyndler2009">{{cite book|author=Bartłomiej Szyndler|title=RacŁawice 1794|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-KpBxHzAB1gC&pg=PA64|access-date=18 June 2012|date= 2009|publisher=Bellona|isbn=978-83-11-11606-1|page=64}}</ref>

<ref name="volumina">Volumina Legum, t. X, Poznań 1952, p. 326.</ref>

<ref name="wspolnota">{{cite web |url=http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=h22061792 |title=22 czerwca 1792 roku – ustanowienie Orderu Wojennego Virtuti Militari |work=www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl |access-date=28 February 2009|language=pl}}</ref>

<ref name="zamoyski">{{Harvnb|Zamoyski|1992|p=171}}</ref>

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== Bibliography ==
* [[Marek Żukow-Karczewski]], [http://mbc.malopolska.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=12440&from=publication&tab=1 "Stanisław August w Petersburgu" ("Stanisław August in Saint Petersburg")] {{in lang|pl}}, ''Życie Literackie'', No. 43, 1987, pp. 1, 6.

==Further reading==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Stanislaus II. Augustus |volume= 25 |last= Bain |first= Robert Nisbet |author-link= Robert Nisbet Bain | page = 776 |short=1}}
* {{cite book|first=Richard |last=Butterwick|author-link=Richard Butterwick|title=Poland's Last King and English Culture: Stanisław August Poniatowski, 1732–1798 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySzrq3JwjBEC|access-date=29 April 2012|date= 1998|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=978-0-19-820701-6}}
* {{cite book|first=Richard |last=Butterwick |chapter=The Enlightened Monarchy of Stanisław August Poniatowski, 1764–1795 |year=2001 |editor-first=Butterwick |editor-last= Richard |title= The Polish-Lithuanian Monarchy in European Context, c. 1500–1795 |pages=192–217 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Basingstoke and London |isbn=978-0-333-99380-4}}
* {{Cite book | editor-last=Dembiński |editor-first=Bronisław | title=Stanisław August i książe Józef Poniatowski w świetle własnej korespondencyi |trans-title=Stanislaw and Prince Joseph Poniatowski in the Light of Their Private Correspondence | publisher=Nakład Towarzystwa dla Popierania Nauki Polskiej [[Lviv]]| year=1904 |language=pl}}
* {{Cite book | last=Kiliński |first=Jan | title=Drugi pamiętnik, nieznany, o czasach Stanisława Augusta |trans-title=Recollections of the Times of Stanislaw August | publisher=Aleksander Kraushar| orig-year=1818 |year=1899 |language=pl| author-link=Jan Kiliński }}
* {{cite book |first=Marek |last=Kwiatkowski |title=Stanisław August, Król-Architekt (Stanisław August, King-Architect)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iFVXAAAAIAAJ|access-date=29 April 2012|year=1983|publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich|isbn=978-83-04-00850-2|language=pl}}
* {{cite book |last = Lindemann| first =Mary| title =Liaisons dangereuses: sex, law, and diplomacy in the age of Frederick the Great| year = 2006| publisher =JHU Press|isbn =08-01883-17-2}}
* {{cite book |first=Jerzy |last=Łojek |title=Stanisław August Poniatowski i jego czasy (Stanisław August Poniatowski and His Times)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nqy7AAAACAAJ|access-date=29 April 2012|year=1998|publisher=Wydawn. Alfa|isbn=978-83-7179-023-2|language=pl}}
* {{cite book |last = Schulz-Forberg| first =Hagen| title = Unravelling Civilisation: European Travel and Travel Writing| year = 2005| publisher =Peter Lang|isbn =90-52012-35-0}}
* {{cite book |last = Zamoyski| first = Adam| author-link = Adam Zamoyski|title = The Last King of Poland| year = 1992| publisher = Jonathan Cape|isbn =0-224-03548-7}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
{{EB1911 poster|Stanislaus_II._Augustus}}
* [http://www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl/en,King-Stanisaw-August.html Biography at www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl] (Official page of the Royal [[Łazienki]] Museum in Warsaw)
* [http://geo-ciolek.wikidot.com/system:page-tags/tag/poniatowski Poniatowski, in: The Historical Geography of the Ciołek clan AD 950–1950].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061016172323/http://gnu.univ.gda.pl/~emcz/stanaugust.html Stanisław August w Gdańsku]
* [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/doccontent?from=rss&id=138339 Poniatowski's memoirs]
* [https://polona.pl/search/?query=Stanis%C5%82aw_August_Poniatowski&filters=creator:%22Stanis%C5%82aw_August_Poniatowski_(kr%C3%B3l_Polski_;_1732--1798)%22,creator:%22Stanis%C5%82aw_August_Poniatowski_(kr%C3%B3l_Polski_;_1732--1798)_Autor%22,public:1,hasTextContent:0 Works by Stanisław August Poniatowski] in digital library [[Polona]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Poniatowski|House of Poniatowski]]|17 January|1732|12 February|1798|}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|rows=5|before=[[Augustus III]]}}
{{s-ttl|rows=4|title=[[King of Poland]]|years=1764–1795}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor]]|as=[[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|King of Galicia and Lodomeria]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Frederick Augustus I of Saxony]]|as=[[Duchy of Warsaw|Duke of Warsaw]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Frederick William III of Prussia]]|as=[[Grand Duchy of Posen|Grand Duke of Posen]]}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Alexander I of Russia]]|as=[[Congress Poland|King of Poland]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of rulers of Lithuania|Grand Duke of Lithuania]]|years=1764–1795}}
{{s-end}}

{{Monarchs of Poland}}
{{Monarchs of Lithuania}}
{{Age of Enlightenment}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poniatowski, Stanislaw August}}
[[Category:1732 births]]
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[[Category:Czartoryski family|Stanislaw Poniatowski]]
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