When Diplomacy Fails Podcast
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PINYL: #6: "A Commonwealth Divided"
🕑 Added 2020-03-23 06:01:00 +0000 UTC[PATRONS]
After trouncing his enemies in Denmark and Russia, where would Charles strike next? The answer, predictably enough, was Poland. In this ep we track the movements of Charles XII from roughly 1701-06.
Following the disaster which was the battle of Narva, it would take some time for Peter to rebuild, but while he did so in December 1700, he was aware that Charles XII was considering carefully his next move – should he move with a vengeance against his Saxon cousin, and sort out this confusing business with the Polish Commonwealth, or should he turn his attention to Russia and finish her off? While insisting that all must not lose their heads, Peter indeed feared that the triumphant Swedish king would focus his attentions on him. Considering this, Peter moved his agents abroad, particularly to The Hague and Vienna, while Augustus was moved to talk properly with his Commonwealth nobles.
These nobles suspected that Charles would take offence to the shielding of Augustus’ Saxon forces, when the Polish Commonwealth’s status in the war had not been confirmed, and they were right. All these events and overlapping concerns were compounded by the news that the utterly miserable Carlos II of Spain had recently died, and in his will had left all of Spain’s goods to Louis XIV’s grandson Philip. With Western Europe gearing up for a response, it seemed that conflict might reign everywhere. Still, camped in his Baltic provinces, the person of Charles XII remained resolute, as he determined where to focus his wrath next. That wrath was destined for Poland, as the next chapter in the Swedish-Polish relationship beckoned...
