The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1733-1795

Richard Butterwick tells the compelling story of the last decades of one of Europe's largest and least understood polities: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Drawing on the latest research, Butterwick vividly portrays the turbulence the Commonwealth experienced. Far from seeing it as a failed state, he shows the ways in which it overcame the stranglehold of Russia and briefly regained its sovereignty, the crowning success of which took place on 3 May 1791--the passing of the first Constitution of modern Europe.
A major new assessment of the "vanished kingdom" of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth--one which recognizes its achievements before its destruction
'Masterly. Butterwick's authoritative and notably well-written account is a major contribution to Polish and European history. As a study of the high politics of the last six decades of Poland-Lithuania's independent existence, it would be difficult to better'.-- Professor Hamish Scott, FBA, Jesus College, Oxford

'Both scholarly and entertaining, this enthralling account of the decline and fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is a major contribution to the history of Europe in the eighteenth century.'--Tim Blanning, author of The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648-1815

'Butterwick has succeeded admirably ... This compelling history weaves political, ecclesiasti-cal, and international affairs together, demonstrating how the principles of Enlightenment shaped a reforming state and society as they faced the Partitions.'--Dr Frank E. Sysyn, Uni-versity of Alberta