149 Striving to Follow Their Own Path Załuski was the chairman of the Poznań Tribunal for the beatification Process of Fr. Stanislaus Papczyński. Therefore, the beatification process led by the Marian Fathers had to be temporarily suspended.39 The reforms, especially the equal rights for non-Catholics, led to an unexpected outbreak of opposition. After “ardent prayers and consultations,” a group of nobles formed a confederation in the town of Bar in Podolia on February 29, 1768, to defend the faith and freedom of the country.40 In their founding act, they named themselves the “Confederation of Righteous Roman Catholic Christians.” The Bar Confederation initiated a devastating four-year war with Russia (1768-1772). Adding to the tragedy was the fact that Polish royal regiments fought on the side of Russia. This was because King Stanislaus Poniatowski, deposed by the fierce Bar Confederates, joined the fight against them.41 The neighboring powers cast their greedy eyes on the vast territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Already on February 17, 1772, the first partition agreement between Russia, Prussia, and Austria was signed due to behindthe-scenes negotiations. The Bar Confederates were losing territories, and the ground was slipping from under their feet. Defeated and seeking to escape Russian captivity, the majority crossed the Turkish border. Some of them emigrated to Western Europe. Around five thousand were exiled to Siberia. The Commonwealth lost 30% of its territory and 35% of its population. The small state of Prussia, a Polish fiefdom a short time ago, gained the most by taking over northern Poland’s rich and economically developed territories. Despite the reforms undertaken, the diminished Commonwealth had little chance of defending itself against the greed of its neighboring powers. Heralds of the Revival Despite the significant decline of political thought in Poland in the 18th century, even during the Saxon period, some individuals were aware of the existing problems and saw the necessity of reform. New tendencies of the Enlightenment era began to penetrate Polish society. 39 T. Rogalewski, Stanisław Papczyński, p. 361. 40 W. Konopczyński, Dzieje Polski, p. 189. 41 Ibid, pp. 200-202.
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