143 Striving to Follow Their Own Path coronation in Kraków on September 15, 1697, on his way to Warsaw, King Augustus II stopped at New Jerusalem (today Góra Kalwaria), and there he met Fr. Papczyński, who — in a prophetic vision — foretold the length of his reign.8 Augustus II hoped to strengthen his position among the German principalities by accepting the Polish crown. His policy gave priority to the affairs of Saxony but also to his own interests. For this reason, and against the interests of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he became involved in a major conflict between Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, which evolved into a 21-year-long war (1700-1721) known as the Northern War.9 The fight took place mainly on the territories of the Commonwealth, leading to massive destruction of towns and villages, causing impoverishment and depopulation. For instance, the population of Poznań, which was twenty-one thousand in 1640, fell to two thousand by 1710.10 The Northern War led to the loss of sovereign statehood for Poland, which never recovered from this downfall and was increasingly politically constrained by Prussia and Russia. The war turmoil also provoked a civil war in Lithuania. It provided a pretext for the election on July 13, 1704, under cover of “Swedish muskets” of an “anti-king” in the person of Poznań voivode Stanislaus Leszczyński.11 This fact triggered further internal conflicts and caused a rift within the Commonwealth. After victories over the Saxons, Swedish King Charles XII forced Augustus II to capitulate and renounce the Polish crown on September 24, 1705. The political confusion was compounded by the Russians’ crushing defeat inflicted on the Swedes in 1709. The new balance of power compelled King Stanislaus Leszczyński to seek refuge under the protection of France, whose intrigues further complicated the situation in Poland. The Polish throne was occupied again by Augustus II, the king whose “fondness for feasts, festivities, and inebriation kept him company [...] until the last days of his life. What an insatiable desire he had for women!”12 His dissolute lifestyle was imitated by both Saxon and Polish dignitaries and magnates associated with the court and infected the Polish gentry. It was 8 Wyszyński, Stróż, pp. 91, 159-160. 9 Władysław Czapliński, Zarys dziejów Polski do roku 1864, Warszawa 1985, pp. 324-325. 10 Adam Zamoyski, Własną drogą. Osobliwe dzieje Polaków i ich kultury, Kraków, 2002, pp. 216-217. 11 W. Czapliński, Zarys dziejów, pp. 325-326. 12 A. Zahorski, August II, in: Poczet królów, p. 411.
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