Treaty of Alliance between Poland and Russia
alliance targeting France. Portugal was to send a division of its
troops to aid the Spanish army in Catalonia.
2.1109 Treaty of Alliance between Poland and
Russia
Alliance Members:Poland and Russia
Signed On:October 5, 1793, in the city of Grodno (Poland)
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 52, p. 165.
SUMMARY
Poland and Russia signed an alliance in October 1793 coinciding with
the ongoing Grodno Sejm’s decision for a second partition of Poland.
The Grodno Sejm, which convened in the fall of 1793, passed the
alliance that, in essence, completely conceded Poland’s sovereignty to
Russia. The coinciding second partition of Poland ceded nearly half of
its territory to Russia.
Soon after, in 1794, Tadeusz Ko ́sciuszko tried in vain to lead an upris-
ing to liberate Poland from Russian dominance. The failure of the
uprising resulted in a third partition of Poland in 1795. The Polish-
Lithuanian Commonwealth was divided up completely, terminating
its almost 225-year tenure as a European power.
Description of Terms
The treaty provided that Poland and Russia would form an eter-
nal partnership for mutual security. The Russians were granted
bases in Poland and free passage of forces across Polish terri-
tory. Poland pledged not to sign any other alliances without
prior Russian approval; further, Polish foreign missions would
be sent only in conjunction with Russian missions and only
after Russian approval of the Polish presence.
2.1110 Treaty between Austria and Russia
Alliance Members:Austria and Russia
Signed On:December 23, 1794, in the city of St. Petersburg
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 52, p. 285.
SUMMARY
Poland’s uprising in 1794 led all parties to the previous partitions to
believe that only the complete eradication of the Polish state would
lead to regional pacification. Austria, Prussia, and Russia joined in a
series of negotiations on how to effectively carve up the remnants of
Poland, negotiations that were complicated by the fact that the new
partitions would ultimately result in territorial contiguity and new
issues of mutual borders. Austria, which was not a participant in the
second partition, coveted Krakow on the Austrian border, which had
been occupied by Prussians since 1794. Russia, in turn, was suspicious
of Prussia and its excessive demands for Poland, and Russia sided with
Austria on the matter.
The inability to move negotiations forward in a trilateral manner and
Prussia’s excessive demands led Austria and Russia to develop their
own plan, which was solidified in a December 1794 treaty that also
served as an alliance against Prussia.
The alliance signed here played an important role in forcing Prussia
out of the First Coalition. With war a possibility on its eastern front,
Prussia opted out of the war against France in a peace agreement
signed at Basel. Prussia ultimately relented to most of the Austrian and
Russian demands as it was unwilling to risk war. The final partition of
Poland followed in October 1795, eliminating Poland from the world
map for the next 123 years.Description of Terms
With this secret convention, both parties pledged mutual assis-
tance to secure the peace and noninterference in each other’s
affairs. The treaty also divided the remaining Polish territories
according to the relative geographical boundaries of each ally
and Prussia, with a pledge to guarantee the new distribution of
territory as soon as Prussia acceded to the division.
By a separate declaration the two countries affirmed the sec-
ond partition of Poland, but for Austria this guarantee was only
with regard to the Russian court.
A second declaration pledged that both parties would
employ all their forces against a “common enemy” if either
country were attacked.2.1111 Particular Convention for the Neutral-
ization of Certain Territories
Alliance Members:France and Prussia
Signed On:May 17, 1795, in the city of Basel (Switzerland)
Alliance Type:Neutrality Pact (Type II)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 52, p. 393.SUMMARY
Prussia in 1792 was one of the first states to declare war against the
French Republic during the First Coalition of the French Revolution-
ary Wars. However, after the Dutch Republic fell to the French in 1795,
the Prussians no longer saw it in their interest to continue fighting
France. France and Prussia agreed to neutrality at the Peace of Basel,
with Prussia ceding over the left bank of the Rhine to France. Prussia
then remained neutral for the duration of the French Revolutionary
Wa r s.
The immediate effect the peace had was freeing Prussia to focus on its
eastern front, specifically pertaining to Poland. With the Ko ́sciuszko
uprising successfully quelled, Prussia, Russia, and Austria focused on
carving up the remainder of the Polish state. The third partition of
Poland followed soon after, after which Poland ceased to exist as an
independent state for the next 123 years.Description of Terms
This “neutralization of certain territories” was between France
and Prussia. The parties agreed that the war would move from
the borders of Prussia to conserve the tranquility of the north of
Germany and to reestablish commerce between France and this
part of the Empire. The treaty provided a very long, compli-