The romance of the last Polish king with the Russian Tsarina is no secret. The significance of this romance for the accession to the throne by "King Stas" is not a secret either. How did it happen, however, that a second-rate Polish magnate ended up in the lodge of one of the most powerful women in the world?
First of all, it wasn't his idea. Young Stanisław - like every son of a self-respecting, magnate family - traveled extensively around Europe. During these obligatory journeys, he met the British aristocrat Sir Charles Hanbury-Williams. He made such a good impression on him that Sir Charles offered him a job.
When in 1755 he was appointed the new ambassador of His Majesty in St. Petersburg, he took Stanisław Poniatowski with him as secretary. The boy was then twenty-three years old and they were said to have been bound by a sincere friendship.
Sir Charles Hanbury Williams. It was thanks to him that young Stanisław August Poniatowski became the lover of beautiful Katarzyna.
In the Russian capital, both gentlemen met the true star of the north:Princess Catherine, wife of the heir to the throne of Peter. Sir Charles immediately realized that winning the favor of the twenty-six-year-old duchess - and the future tsarina - could be the key to gaining influence at the St. Petersburg court.
The principals in London suggested to him that he should enter into an affair with Catherine and thus make her the most faithful ally of the British crown. The ambassador had no moral objections to such a solution, but his health stood in the way of seducing the duchess.
With some shame, he explained to the head of British diplomacy: A man my age may be a very good friend, but a poor lover because my scepter no longer rules.
In short, Sir Charles was impotent. Fortunately, he had young Stanisław at hand. He did not complain of any health problems, although he did not have the opportunity to test his condition in practice so far.
Stanisław August Poniatowski as a fighter of love?
Although he lived in what is commonly known as the Age of Debauchery, he remained a virgin until the age of 23 . In his diary, he boasted:
strict upbringing kept me from all dissolute relations, and then (...) the coincidence of all sorts of petty circumstances (...) seemed to keep me whole for the one who would later dispose of my fate.
And the beautiful chosen one of his heart:the future Tsarina Catherine.
The innocent and unsuspecting Stanisław had to be handed over to Katarzyna. One of her court members, Lev Naryshkin, had already done this. Robert reveals the backstage of this case. K. Massie in the book “Katarzyna Wielka. A portrait of a woman ”:
The lion deliberately procured a situation in which Stanisław could not retreat if he did not want to compromise the Grand Duchess. Unaware that everything had been set up, he was led to the door of her private apartment. The door was ajar. Catherine was waiting inside .
Thus, not very handsome, but gazing at the princess like a picture, Stanisław at the same time lost his virtue and became the future tsarina's favorite. What happened next? Sir Charles did indeed find an ally in Catherine, while Stanisław fell for her with a completely unrequited feeling. Soon, the duchess abandoned him for another lover and, only as a consolation, ordered him to wear the crown of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on his head.
Source:
- Robert K. Massie, Catherine the Great. Portrait of a woman , Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak 2012.
The article was originally published in 2012 in the "Bestseller" bulletin distributed during the Book Fair in Krakow.