 | |
| Type | Peace treaty |
|---|---|
| Signed | 13 October 1706 (1706-10-13) |
| Location | Altranstädt |
| Parties | |
| Language | Latin |
TheTreaty of Altranstädt was concluded betweenCharles XII of Sweden andAugustus the Strong ofSaxony andPoland–Lithuania, on 13 October 1706, during theGreat Northern War. Augustus had to renounce his claims to thePolish throne and hisalliance with Russia.
On behalf of Charles XII, who had occupied much of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Great Northern War,Stanisław Leszczyński was crowned king of Poland on 4 October 1705.[1] A faction of the commonwealth, organized in theSandomierz Confederation, remained loyal toSaxon electorAugustus the Strong, Polish king since 1697 and allied against Charles XII withRussian tsarPeter the Great.[2]
The resultingcivil war in Poland (1704-1706) did not go well for August. His attempt to regain control in Poland–Lithuania was thwarted by Charles XII in theBattle of Grodno and byCarl Gustav Rehnskiöld in theBattle of Fraustadt, both in the first months of 1706.[3] As a consequence of Fraustadt, the Saxon electorate was virtually undefended, and when Charles XII combined his forces with Rehskiöld and moved throughSilesia to occupy it,he met no resistance.[3]
Augustus the Strong made peace with theSwedish Empire.[4] He renounced his claims to thePolish crown, acceptedStanisław Leszczyński as the Polish king and had to congratulate him.[4]
Augustus' alliance with Russia, formalized in theTreaty of Preobrazhenskoye and theTreaty of Narva, was declared void.[4] All Russians under Augustus' command were to be handed over to the Swedish as prisoners.[4]Johann Patkul was declared a criminal and likewise taken in Swedish custody.[4]
The treaty was concluded in secrecy.[4]
The diplomat and politicianJohann Patkul was executed.[4]
When the treaty was revealed to him,Peter the Great was disappointed.[5] His diplomats, though aware of the possibility of a separate peace between Saxony and Sweden[4] and actually negotiating a separate peace for Russia since 1703,[6] had been unable to intervene.[4] Furthermore, Peter had regarded Augustus not just as an ally, but as a close friend.[4] With Augustus resigned, Peter unsuccessfully offered the yet to be conquered Polish crown to Hungarian rebel princeFrancis II Rákóczi, to British generalJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, to PolishJakub Sobieski, to Savoyan commander in Habsburg serviceEugene of Savoy, and to others.[5]
In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the treaty had improved Stanisław Leszczyński's position. He subsequently gained the loyalty of part of the lesser gentry.[5]
By theTreaty of Thorn (1709), Augustus the Strong was restored as Polish king and renewed the alliance with Russia which was made possible by Peter the Great's victory over Charles XII in theBattle of Poltava 27 June 1709.[7]