Who was this King Stanislas to whom we owe the most beautiful square in the world?

There may be translation errors. Our translator put a lot of rum in his "baba au rhum" (invented by Stanislas).

King of Poland at 26.

The city of LVIV today. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Ruslan-Lytvyn via depositphotos.

A young, cultured and athletic Polish nobleman

Stanislaus was born on October 20, 1677 in Lviv, today in Ukraine, at the time in the Republic of the Two Nations, otherwise known as Poland. A much larger Poland than today, it included not only present-day Poland, but also the Baltic States and Ukraine. The Leszczynski family originated in Bohemia. They settled in Posnania in the 9th century. Stanislas' father, Raphael, was the "staroste", or governor. A noble family, certainly, but far from being one of the great families that shared Poland. In 1696, Stanislas emerged from anonymity to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of King Jean SOBIESKI. He was gifted, well-spoken and amazed the funeral-goers. 2 years later, in 1698, he married Catherine OPALINSKA, who brought him a dowry of several hundred villages (that's how the Polish nobility counted at the time). They had two daughters: Anne, born in 1700, and Marie, born in 1703.

Portrait of Stanislas around 1700 (anonymous painter). Source Monsieurdefrance.com : webart.nationalmuseum.se, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3250854

So he has a good situation. He's curious and cultured. He has, for example, made his "tour of Europe", i.e. a visit to the major European cities. This was common among English nobles, but rarer in Poland. We know that he spent some time in Paris and discovered the city, without knowing that he would return 40 years later to see his daughter. He's a nice guy, too. It's hard to imagine him when you see his statue and the good big man who sits in the middle of the Place named after him in Nancy, but in 1700, when his destiny changed, he was a dashing, very athletic boy, a gourmand (like his mother Anna JABLONOWSKA, a great gourmand before the Eternal) but he didn't drink much, an original in Polish nobility in this respect. Sober (well, almost), athletic and cultured, these three qualities will catch the eye of an extraordinary man. And that's what's going to change his life...

Charles XII "iron head".

King Charles XII (1682-1718) attributed to David von Krafft/ Johan David Schwartz - www.nationalmuseum.se, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=482449 / Illustration chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: www.nationalmuseum.se, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=482449

In 1699, Sweden is ruled by a boy. The king was 17 years old, his name was Charles XII (1682-1718) and he had been king for 2 years when his neighbors decided to take advantage of his inexperience to attack Sweden and take big chunks out of it to enlarge their possessions. So it was that Russia, Denmark and Poland joined forces and attacked Sweden, thinking they could take a bite out of it. But it was not to be. Charles XII was a military genius. Highly cultured (he speaks several languages), extremely hardened (he's athletic, he sleeps in the snow...), he's passionate about war (to the point of renaming chess queens generals). And this young man is not only going to resist, he's also going to outflank his adversaries before launching his assault on impenetrable Russia. A gifted man, Charles XII defeated his adversaries one after the other. First, he attacked Denmark , laying siege to Copenhagen. A treaty was signed. Then he attacked the Russians. The Battle of Narva (November 30, 1700) was a huge victory, as the Swedes, fighting at less than 1 to 4, crushed the Russians, killing 15,000 Russians and 667 Swedes. With his hands free, and determined to push his advantage in Russia further, the 18-year-old Charles XII, nicknamed "Iron Head" for his stubbornness, attacked Poland, which he had already defeated once before at Riga.

The Battle of Narva By Alexander von Kotzebue / Illustration selected by monsieurdefrance.com commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4111346

For Poland, it was King Augustus II who decided to join Denmark and Russia in the assault on Sweden. But it was not to his liking. The Polish armies were turned upside down by Charles XII's troops, who literally pushed them in front of him. Augustus II, also King of Saxony, was forced to flee to his Saxon kingdom, while Charles XII reached the capital, Warsaw, which he was about to conquer. The Poles send a delegation to negotiate. The delegation, led by the Cardinal Primate of Poland, included the young Stanislas. And Charles XII liked Stanislas. They're almost the same age, both athletic and cultured. At the end of the negotiations, Charles XII's conditions were clear. Augustus II must relinquish the Polish crown, there must be a new election, and as Charles had said of young Stanislaus "he will always be my friend", everyone understood that Stanislaus would have to be elected King of Poland. No choice! Augustus II, who had taken refuge in Saxony, signed the treaty. Stanislas 1st was elected King of Poland on July 12, 1704. He was 27 years old.

The coronation of Stanislas in July 1704 / Illustration chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org

The Kingdom of the Two Nations: a monarchy by election.

The election of the King of Poland is a unique event. On the death of the reigning king, the Polish nobles gathered on the vast Wola plain just outside Warsaw to elect their king. His powers are very limited, but he has control over the treasury and can appoint to important posts. He is rarely Polish, often foreign. Thus, the king who preceded Stanislas (and who would soon take his place) was King of Saxony under the name Frederick-Augustus I, and at the same time King of Poland under the name Augustus II. For the record, there have been French kings of Poland. Henri III (1551-1589) was elected King of Poland on May 11, 1573, thanks to his mother Catherine de Médicis, who wanted a throne for her favorite son, the youngest son of the King of France. He reigned for 2 years and 1 day before sneaking back to France to take the throne vacated by the death of his brother Charles IX. Similarly, the Prince de Conti was elected in 1697, but he dragged his feet and even refused to disembark when he heard the cannons of his rival (already August II) greet him at Danzig (Gdansk today).

The election of Stanislas's rival, Augustus II, on the Wola plain near Warsaw in 1697. Illustration chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: painting by Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine - www.wawel.krakow.pl, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5045474

An election. And not as we imagine it today. A vast field and 40,000 people on it. A huge encampment where you'll come across princely dynasties with their soldiers, servants and the women who cheer up the men for a fee, as well as petty nobles with nothing but their horses. We drink, we talk, we argue. It's even quite risky. Votes can be bought, and the one who waters the voters the most wins. As for Stanislas, it was Charles XII who dictated the outcome, but many nobles remained loyal to Augustus II. Others felt that, even with all his qualities, Stanislas had been elected by outside interference. His throne is fragile. It only holds because Charles XII is victorious. Alas for him, the tide was about to turn in the wrong direction. Charles XII decided to push his advantage and attack Russia. He's gone a little overboard, and it's going to cost him dearly...

Charles XII: the comet that finally crashed.

The Battle of Poltava and the Defeat of Charles XII of Sweden / By Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada - Detail of Diorama of Battle of Poltava - Battle of Poltava History Museum - Poltava - Ukraine - 03, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org

In 1709, Charles XII set out to conquer Russia. And like the two who would follow him (Napoleon 1st and Hitler), he failed. Because Russia is absolutely immense, and the climate is extreme for much of the year. At the head of 45,000 men, he plunged into the Russian empire with the idea of taking Moscow, still Russia's largest city, even though Peter 1st had begun building a new capital, St. Petersburg, a few years earlier. The Russians adopted a scorched-earth strategy , destroying in advance any villages and crops in the path of the Swedish army, which soon ran out of everything, especially food. And 1709 was the year of the "big winter " in France and Europe. The worst winter on record, and still unbeaten to this day. In Versailles, wine froze in glasses. In the countryside, trees cracked from the frost. The port of Marseille is crossed on foot. Birds are literally falling from the sky. Suffice it to say that in Russia, it's appalling. Winter and lack of food decimated the Swedish army when it arrived in Poltava in July 1709 to lay siege to the city . The battle raged on, but the Swedes were no match for the Russians, who beat them to a pulp. Charles XII was forced to flee to Turkey, to the Ottoman Empire, an old enemy of the Russian Empire. He hoped to persuade "the Sublime Porte" (the Turkish government) to help him. In other words, Stanislas's throne was in dire straits. He owed it to Charles XII, and he held on as long as the Swedish king was victorious. With Charles XII defeated, Stanislas' rival Augustus II set out to regain his lost throne. Stanislas had to flee before the Saxon armies. So quickly that little Marie, his youngest daughter, is forgotten in a stable trough. He'll have to come back for her very soon. Lost, and eager to salvage what he could, Stanislas wrote to Charles XII to negotiate, offering to return his crown to Augustus II in exchange for the return of his family's lands. Charles XII refused outright and made Stanislas understand that, if he had made him king, he could also make someone else king. Stanislaus decides to join Charles XII in Turkey to persuade him of the merits of his idea to return the Polish crown...

Stanislas disguised as an officer.

As the Russians are against his protector, Stanislas can't go to Turkey quietly via Russia. He also prefers to be discreet with the Turks. So he decides to disguise himself... As a Frenchman. It's not a bad idea when you consider that his contemporaries, 30 years later, would remark on Stanislas's strong Polish accent when he spoke French. But anyway, disguised as a French officer, he managed to cross quite a few borders until a Turkish official didn't believe him. "Je suis major" Stanislas tells him in Latin. "Majorum Est" replied the Turk, meaning "you're much higher than that". An amusing pun, but one that doesn't detract from the reality: Stanislas is not welcomed but rather taken prisoner by the Turks, who take him to Bender, Moldavia, to join Charles XII , who is locked up in a house there. Locked up because he had tried to escape several times, even attacking the Turks who surrounded him (he caught his spurs in his cape and fell, which made it possible to arrest him), Charles XII was taken prisoner, Stanislaus too, and Augustus II of Poland recovered the crown he had lost.

Bendery fortress, Transnistria / Moldavia. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Byelikova via depositphotos.

In Bender, Stanislas discovered Ottoman culture . He enjoyed wandering around and discovering the architecture, before the conditions of detention became harsher a few months later. It was also here that he discovered the "chibouque", a long pipe, which he learned to smoke (and which would cause his death 50 years later, but we're not there yet).

Life in the Duchy of Zweibrucken.

With his enemies now laying siege to Sweden's lands, Charles XII negotiated his release with the Turks and left in 1714 to defend his kingdom. In the meantime, the Swedish king offered Stanislaus the Duchy of Two Bridges, in present-day Germany, which belonged to Sweden in the 18th century. Stanislas settled there immediately, reunited with his wife and two daughters, whom he had not seen for several years. He read a lot and took up construction, which was to become one of his great passions. He built the "tchiflik", inspired by the Turkish tchiflik, which were large agricultural estates. In Zweibrucken, Stanislas' tchiflik is a small castle consisting of several separate buildings and espalier gardens. It is very popular with his new subjects. It has to be said that it's really nice. So much so, in fact, that one of the mercenaries sent by his rival, Augustus II, to kidnap him and put him in prison, blows the whistle and denounces the plot to Stanislas, saying that it's odd to hold such a likable man in such contempt. The people of Lorraine would recognize this, too, a little over 20 years later.

Zweibrucken a few years after Stanislas passed through. 19th-century engraving / Via wiki commons / Wikipedia.

It was here that Stanislas lost his eldest daughter, Anne Leszczynska (1699-1717). She died at the age of 18, a victim of pneumonia and also, alas, of the many doctors called to her bedside by her father, who killed more often than they saved. She was buried in Gräffinthal Abbey , leaving her parents inconsolable. Stanislas even made Marie, his youngest daughter, swear never to utter Anne's name in his presence. She kept this promise so well that Louis XV, her husband, only learned later that she had an older sister. This tragedy brought Stanislas and his daughter Marie much closer, and their almost fused relationship became legendary.

Anne Leszczynska (1699-1718) By Johan Starbus / Source de Monsieurdefrance.com : webart.nationalmuseum.se, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14954433

A few months later, in 1718, Charles XII died. A bullet went through his head, piercing his hat, as he advanced to inspect his lines of attack from a ditch. There's a great mystery surrounding his death, because we don't know which side the bullet came from. Officially from the Russian side. Unofficially, many historians wonder whether the bullet came from Charles XII's own camp, fired by Swedes who had had enough of the war and Charles XII's character. A few years earlier, when the Swedish Diet, or Parliament, had asked the King to return home, Charles XII had sent one of his boots to preside over the Diet. With Charles XII dead, his heirs made peace and rushed to save what could still be saved. They threw Stanislas out of his small Duchy of Deux-Ponts. He was left homeless and ruined. So ruined, in fact, that he was forced to pawn his wife's jewels to a moneylender in Lunéville, Lorraine, on his way to Alsace. On learning of this, the Duke of Lorraine, Leopold 1st, had the jewels repurchased from the moneylender and returned to Stanislas. Little did the two men know that they would be living in the same château at two different times. Calling on France for help, Stanislas is told by Regent Philippe d'Orléans (1674-1723) that "France has always been the asylum of unhappy kings". He was given a small pension and lodgings in a middle-class house in Wissembourg, Alsace . It seemed that Stanislas's life, having passed the age of 40, should end there, reading and hunting, and being told all day by his wife Catherine that he was a loser. Even so, an assassination attempt is made on him by his rival Auguste II, who has the tobacco in his long pipe poisoned. It didn't work (the Americans tried the same trick with Fidel CASTRO's cigars 2 centuries later, and it didn't work either). A dull life, then. But... Once again, a king turns his life upside down, especially that of his daughter, Marie.

Stanislas: father-in-law of Louis XV, King of France.

Marie Lezckzinska 1 year after her marriage to King Louis XV of France. Illustration chosen by monsieurdefrance: painting By Alexis Simon Belle - www.zamek-krolewski.pl, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=424431

A young king of France to marry.

In 1715, on the eve of his death, Louis XIV (1638-1715) had only one descendant , and France was struggling to recover from the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1700, this war was launched against France by many European countries when Louis XIV decided to support the rights of his grandson, Philippe d'Anjou (1683-1746), to the Spanish throne. A Bourbon on the Spanish throne was intolerable for many powers, who did not accept that the Bourbon dynasty could hold the thrones of France and Spain. In 1713, after a major conflict, a compromise was reached. Philippe d'Anjou could retain the Spanish throne on the express condition of renouncing the throne of France should it fall to him. Illness (smallpox, measles...) and accidents (a fall from a horse) had decimated Louis XIV's other descendants to such an extent that by 1715, the king had only one heir. A 5-year-old boy, Louis Duc d'Anjou, the future Louis XV. The boy, who was only the youngest, was not treated by doctors when he was stricken with measles, unlike his older brother. And in those days, doctors killed more often than they cured. It was thanks to Madame de VENTADOUR, the child's nurse, who closed all doors, that Louis XV was saved... He was alive, of course, but death was common among children in the 18th century. If the child, Louis XIV's only direct heir in France, also dies, there will be war, because the King of Spain will have a legitimate claim to the French crown, even if he has renounced it in writing, because the fundamental laws of the kingdom forbid renouncing the crown, and because he will not let the Orleans family, descended from Philippe d'Orléans, Louis XIV's brother, take the throne. To avoid this, the young king had to be in good health and, above all, have children. So it was decided to marry him off.

Louis XIV poses in 1710 with his son, the Dauphin (standing and blond), his grandson, the Duc de Bourgogne, and his great-grandson, the Duc de Bretagne, elder brother of the future Louis XV. None of them outlived the king.They were carried off in the following 5 years, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=153698

A hasty marriage

At first, however, politics took over. The regent, Philippe d'Orléans, decided to betroth the young Louis XV to Marie-Anne-Victoire of Spain (1718-1781). The king was 11, and the future queen only 3. In other words, children were a long way off. Louis XV cries a lot when he hears the news. He didn't speak to his future wife when she arrived in Paris, entrusted to the French court by the Spanish court to raise her until she was fit to marry the young king. The young queen-to-be is led to believe that the king's silence is a sign of affection, and that he doesn't speak when he loves someone. One day, to a courtier whom the king doesn't look at because he's in disgrace, the young child says "the king loves you very much, he hasn't spoken to you at all". Why marry so far apart and wait at least 12 years for an heir? Politics! The Regent managed to place one of his daughters, who went to marry the future King of Spain in exchange for the King's marriage. All that changed when the Regent died in 1723, after one of those fine dinners he was so good at.

Louis XV in 1721 (1710-1774) was the only French descendant of Louis XIV. He had to marry and have children, otherwise France would become Spanish. Source Monsieurdefrance.com : wikipedia.

Wedding-related indigestion

In 1723, the Duc de Bourbon became de facto prime minister to the young King Louis XV. He was the grandson of Louis XIV on the left hand (his mother was one of the king's daughters, along with his mistress, the Marquise de Montespan) and of the Grand Condé on his father's side. Ugly, lame, one-eyed, he was nevertheless the object of all the care of his mistress, the Marquise de Prie, who was looking for a woman for him to marry. A discreet woman who, being of humble extraction, has no choice but to accept that Madame de Prie is not only present in the prince's life, but also runs his House. His choice was Marie, Stanislas's daughter. She was the daughter of a king, albeit an elected one, and a very poor one at that, living in a bourgeois house in Alsace on the subsidies France was willing to grant her father in exile. Talks begin with Stanislas. But the marriage was not to be. The young king's health was giving cause for concern.

Louis XV in 1723, 2 years before his wedding. Painting by Jean-Baptiste van Loo / Image selected by monsieurdefrance.com: GAH85hB-TeU40w - Google Arts & Culture, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13397810

Indeed, 13-year-old Louis XV is very athletic . He spent hours hunting on horseback. At the time, sport was considered very bad for his health. Pierre CHIRAC (1657-1732) was not far from thinking that such an athletic regime could kill the king. And if the king died before having children, war could ensue. Speaking of diet, what finally decides the Duc de Bourbon is indigestion. Endowed with the very good appetite of the Bourbon family (Louis XIV had the appetite of an ogre), Louis XV fell ill in 1725. Indigestion confined him to bed , and worried the doctors. And we see the Duc de Bourbon wandering the corridors of Versailles, very worried about the king and therefore his place as minister. "I've made up my mind," he is quoted as saying. What's certain is that, even with the king healed and hunting again,the Duc de Bourbon decided to change everything. He cancelled the king's engagement to the young Spanish infanta, who was sent home. Much loved for her kindness, she was simply told that her parents wanted to see her again, and the 7-year-old headed for Madrid. She eventually marries a Portuguese king. We come within a hair's breadth of war with Spain, which breaks off all diplomatic relations (she'll be forced to go back, since she has no allies). And the search begins for a wife for the king.

A woman to have children right away.

The Marquise de Prie is said to be behind the proposal to make Marie the wife of Louis XV. Image chosen by monsieurdefrance: after Carl Van LOO via wikicommons / wikipedia.

What's certain is that the future queen must be fit to have children right away. So a list was drawn up. There were 98, and it was said that Madame de Prie had Marie Lezscksinska added at the last minute. 99 princesses who could marry Louis XV. In front of the young king, the list of suitors was drawn up and eliminated. Those who weren't Catholic or whose conversion to Catholicism would be complicated were eliminated. French women are eliminated, because it would be too much to raise a French family. We eliminate those with whom we're at odds. And the choice begins to get complicated. And we begin to see Marie in a new light. After all, even if her family is of low nobility compared to the King of France and all the great families of Versailles, even if her father is dethroned and poor, and even if he was elected, which makes his title less strong in an age when everything is based on birth, Marie is still a king's daughter. And as her father did not reign, France was in no danger of being drawn into a war should the Queen's country of origin, and therefore allied to France, enter into conflict, as was often the case in the 18th century. If he regained his throne, you never know, France would be reunited with a long-standing ally: Poland, which poses an excellent threat to the rear of her hereditary enemy, the Habsburg family who rule Austria and the Holy Roman Empire. Admittedly, Marie was 25, the age limit for marriage at the time, and was considered almost old. She's in good health, rides a horse with her father, is of good complexion (we went to check discreetly), is cultured (but who cares at Versailles?) and is available, since Stanislas refused to let her marry a certain Marquis de Courtanvaux, whom he didn't think was high enough for her and for whom he demanded a ducal title to imagine a marriage (impossible, in other words). The Duc de Bourbon could have married her, but he preferred to deal with the most urgent matters: the king was due to become a father soon, and she could have children right away. The decision was finally made. A messenger was sent to Alsace.

"My daughter, you are Queen of France"

The historic center of Wissembourg in Alsace, where Stanislas lived when he learned of his daughter's marriage to Louis XV. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: DaLiu via depositphotos.

It was during a hunt, while riding in a horse-drawn carriage through the Alsatian countryside, that Stanislas saw a messenger arrive on horseback, handing him two letters, one from the Duc de Bourbon, the other from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Stanislas realized that his daughter's marriage to the Duke of Bourbon, which had been under negotiation for several months, was about to take place. So he first opened the Duke's letter, read it, stood up, then passed out in the carriage. Revived a few moments later, he rushed home, climbed the stairs four by four and opened the door to his daughter's room. In the room, Marie and her mother, Catherine, are doing some needlework. The king exclaims, "My daughter! Let us fall on our knees and thank God!". Marie says, "Father? Would you be recalled to the throne of Poland?" Stanislas replied: "No, my daughter, Heaven has granted us something even better: you are Queen of France!

Cinderella's wedding

The marriage of Louis XV and Marie Leszckzinska as seen by a period engraving. Source de Monsieurdefrance.com : Gallica.fr / BNF

This marriage is truly a fairy tale. One is a rich king, the other a poor princess. Louis XV reigned over the largest country in Europe. By far the most populous, with 25,000,000 inhabitants, compared to Great Britain's paltry 10,000,000. France is the arbiter of Europe. Versailles makes monarchies dream. Paris was already the City of Light. Marie, on the other hand, has practically nothing. Not even a pair of shoes to match her wedding reception in Strasbourg by Cardinal de ROHAN. Literally everything had to be bought for her. From Versailles, we send her jewelry. In Paris, the news caused a stir, and the French were furious. They didn't think Marie was worthy of a French king, let alone a 15-year-old king adored by Paris. They thought she was too poor. They thought her father wasn't king enough. People write libels. Criticism. Some even claimed that Marie had webbed feet. The attacks on her physique and health were so numerous that Versailles discreetly sent doctors to check on the future queen's health and form. Elisabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Lorraine and niece of Louis XIV, summed up the feelings of the Versailles court when she wrote: "I confess that for the King, whose blood had remained the only pure blood in France, it is surprising that he should be made to make such a misalliance and marry a simple Polish maiden, for [...] she is no more, and her father was king for only twenty-four hours.

Marie in 1726, a year after her marriage. Queen of France. Image chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com: Tableau Par François Stiémart/ D'après Jean-Baptiste van Loo/ formerly attributed to Pierre Gobert/ Maurice-Quentin de La Tour Château de Versailles. http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11861590

Méré, sent by Versailles, reassured the court, writing "She has a beautiful, colorful complexion, with fresh water and sometimes snow water doing all her blushing [...]. In winter, she gets up between 8 and 9 o'clock, puts on her toilet and then goes to the apartment of her queen mother. She speaks German, French very well, without an accent [...] she has a supple mind, which will take any shape and form you wish". This is a fairly accurate portrait. Marie was cultured, intelligent, religious and of a kindness that won the hearts of the French to the point of making her the archetype of the Queen of France; discreet, elegant, generous. It is to her that the first ladies of France today owe their role as fashionable figures of their time, and as heads of charitable associations.

The chapel of the Château de Fontainebleau, where the wedding of Louis XV and Marie Lezckzinska took place in 1725. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: isogoodvia depositphotos.

The first ceremony took place in Strasbourg Cathedral, which was packed to the rafters on August 15, 1725, the day of the Assumption and the day chosen by Mary. The Queen then left for Fontainebleau, where the ceremony was to take place in the presence of the King. The journey was appalling for the huge caravan of carriages and carts transporting the queen and her furniture across eastern France. It rained torrents of water, so much so that the Queen's carriage tipped over into a ditch and she had to be pulled out by the arms. The ladies-in-waiting move their silverware from a van to a seat with dry feet and the comfort of straw, rather than waterlogged carriages. Everyone sulks, except Marie, who has seen it all in Poland when she fled from the armies of her father's competitor.

Louis XV in coronation costume in 1730, aged 20. Image chosen by monsieurdeFrance.com: talbleau Hyacinthe Rigaud - Source unknown, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1751541

The Queen arrives at Fontainebleau when the rain stops. A carpet is thrown in front of her to keep her dry. The King approaches. She goes to kneel but he holds her back. He is happy. So is she. The wedding is celebrated the next day. Several hours of preparation were needed to perfect the Queen's extremely heavy outfit, which she nevertheless supported without fail. Louis XV, impatient, had things accelerated. They proceeded to the bedtime ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding and, as the Duc de Bourbon wrote to Stanislas a few days later, it was consummated, since the young Louis XV had "given 7 proofs of tenderness to the Queen during the night" . Their marriage was to be a prolific one, with Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska having 10 children, including twin daughters. 7 of them reached adulthood.

Mission accomplished. After several daughters, Marie gave birth to the Dauphin in 1729. Image chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com, painting by Alexis Simon Belle - http://www.photo.rmn.fr/LowRes2/TR1/V3I0G/89-000310-02.jpg, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=424438

And Chambord for Stanislas

For Stanislas, it was decided that the French king's father-in-law couldn't stay in his Alsatian home, and the Château de Chambord was offered to him . François 1er's immense château, with its 365 windows. A poisoned gift, since the marshes surrounding the royal residence are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and malaria is ravaging the Sologne region. Several members of Stanislas's exiled court were affected by the disease, and some died. Stanislas was 48 years old. He resumed his daily routine, coming to Versailles once a year to congratulate his daughter on giving birth. He reads and writes. His wife grumbles. His mother, Anna, gives herself indigestion. We keep ourselves busy as best we can. But once again, fate caught up with Stanislas. Poland is back in the headlines. Why was this? Because Augustus II, his lifelong rival and enemy, is dead. The Crown of Poland is once again free...

Stanislas Duc de Lorraine: success at 60.

Stanislas at the age of 63. Engraving. Source de Monsieurdefrance.com : Limedia.fr https://galeries.limedia.fr/ark:/31124/dc1207mj4l7z7g81/

Stanislas reclaims his lost throne.

Who said life was over after 60? Not Stanislas, who set out again to tempt Providence in 1733. His aim was to win back his throne, lost 24 years earlier. His rival had "finally" died. With Augustus II dead, the throne was up for grabs, even though Augustus' son intended to become King of Poland in his turn, and the Russians had their own candidate. France supported Stanislas in his claims. It has to be said that we have never really recovered from having as queen the daughter of a king without a crown. It was a very risky gamble for Stanislas, who was literally risking his life; the Russians or Poles loyal to the King of Saxony would not miss him if he was caught. And prison would be the mildest option in this case. This danger explains the tears of Marie, his daughter, when he came to greet her one last time at the court of Versailles in July 1733. He was welcomed with great pomp, and it was still with a large crew that he made his way to Brest to board a ship bound for Poland. A very unobtrusive departure. And it was deliberate...

One more disguise for Stanislas.

The port of Brest in the 18th century By Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe. Image selected by monsieurdefrance.com via wikipedia/Wikicommons.

On the ship bound for Brest, he's known as "the frock coat", because he's so rarely seen from afar. A rather strong man, he only went out on the quarterdeck for a walk, and returned to his cabin immediately afterwards. The small contingent of soldiers who embarked with Stanislas came to nickname him "la redingote" (King Stanislas the frock coat), as they could only make out his outfit in the distance. The ship sailed slowly, wary of the English ships, always capable of boarding her as the English have (already) taken it into their heads to be the only ones to decide who can sail the seas and who cannot. The ship continues on its way to Poland, while overland - and this is much faster - a small coach carries a merchant and his valet as fast as it can. A rather loud valet, who doesn't speak much when spoken to, who reaches Warsaw in just a few weeks. In fact, it 's this discreet little coach that carries Stanislas, the real one... The feint enabled him to reach Poland much faster, while a look-alike, the Chevalier de TIHANGE, took his place in full view of the public, making it look as if he had left by boat. The real Stanislas went the other way, disguised as the valet of the Comte d'Andlau, a loyal follower of his daughter. And so, safe and sound, and happy to have pulled off quite a surprise, Stanislas entered Warsaw, where the Polish nobles had gathered to elect the king. The 50,000 voters proclaimed him king 4 days after his arrival, on September 12, 1733. He received the keys to the city, took possession of the Royal Palace and then went to hear a thanksgiving mass in the cathedral. Stanislas' 2nd reign began. It will last.... 10 days.

The siege of Danzig.

The city of Danzig, now Gdansk in Poland. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Patryk_Kosmider via depositphotos.

The Prussians, Russians and Austrians were determined to impose their candidate, the son of Augustus II, Frederick-Augustus of Saxony (1696-1763). Much closer and more motivated than the French, the Russians lined up 20,000 men who arrived in Warsaw and imposed the election of Frederick-Augustus, who became Augustus III of Poland in January 1734.

Augustus III, King of Poland, finally defeated Stanislas. Funnily enough, his daughter married Stanislas' grandson, the Dauphin of France, and it was from this marriage that Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X, kings of France, were born. Portrait selected by Monsieurdefrance.com: By Raphaël Mengs - www.kunstkopie.de, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7303625

Stanislas was forced to flee to Danzig, which was immediately besieged by the Russians. The city was bombarded but held out (much to the surprise of Stanislas, no aristocrat for nothing, and convinced that simple merchants would have no courage, as if courage were reserved for the nobility...). France declares war on Austria in the name of the insult to the king's father-in-law, and attacks Austria, as always, through the Austrian Netherlands (today's Belgium). Other troops set off through the Holy Roman Empire and Italy. In Versailles, Cardinal de Fleury, Louis XV's prime minister, had no intention of helping Stanislas any further. However, he had his ear to the ground and sent a squadron of 3 ships and a few hundred men to support the King of Poland . The squadron passed through Copenhagen, where it was received by the Comte de Plélo, French ambassador to Denmark. So few men and so little French honor angered him.

The death of the Comte de Plélo in 1734 as seen by Paul Philippoteaux in the 19th century. Source de Monsieurdefrance.com : Wikicommons / Wikipedia.

Louis de Bréhan, comte de Plélo (1699-1734) was French ambassador to Denmark. A great intellectual, he was passionate about literature (the Bibliothèque Nationale de France owes most of its collections of northern works to him) and science (he conducted chemical experiments with his wife, and even nearly perished several times from explosions). He's also Madame de Sévigné's grandnephew, and has a biting wit. And this man is stunned to see how little Versailles cares for Stanislas. He considers the small military convoy that was supposed to help Danzig withstand the Russian siege a disgrace. He went to great lengths to find more arms and ammunition and, contrary to his orders, even committed himself to the soldiers, forcing them to return to Danzig when, judging the game to be lost in advance, and without Versailles' order to intervene, they were planning to head back to Brest. Plélo took matters into his own hands and brought everyone back to Danzig. He even attacked the Russian troops in the front line. This cost him his life. His body was returned to the French a few hours after the battle, riddled with bayonet blows. He fought for nothing, since he was sure to lose the battle, and even to die, but he died for the honor of France. The Empress Anne 1st of Russia was not mistaken. She hung the Count's portrait in her bedroom. He was the first French officer in history to fall victim to Russian bullets. In France, his widow Louise, whom he nicknamed "le chat" (the cat), died of sadness a few years later (they were very much in love), leaving an orphan.

Stanislas' escape

For Stanislas, the situation is terrible. Taking refuge in the French embassy, out of range of the Russian guns, he knows that if he's caught, he'll die, since the Russians have put a price on his head. So he had to escape. Impossible by sea. Impossible to make a military exit. So we opt for... Disguise. Stanislas had already done it twice in his life, and this time would be the last. The king was disguised as a small shopkeeper and left the embassy on the sly before retracing his steps. He needs worn boots - his are too new, he'll be spotted. So a drunken French soldier is robbed of his boots and the king leaves town. It took him several days to get out of the inextricable network of marshy paths that surrounded Danzig at the time. Nearly caught several times (he found himself perched at the top of a barn while Russian soldiers searched below), recognized but never denounced by the Poles, he succeeded in risking his life to reach the lands of the King of Prussia, on the back of a cart, on June 27, 1734.

Engraving of the Siege of Danzig / Image selected by monsieurdefrance.com: By anonymous plate - http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/zwoje43/text12p.htm, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2454454

In Paris, people were laughing. We read in the streets libels like this one: "Is he king, isn't he, this prince we deplore? Does he flee? Does he go into battle? That's what we don't know. Where is poor Stanislas? At Versailles, Marie and her mother, Catherine, are so wracked with anguish that a false gazette has been fabricated for the Queen. A gazette containing only false and reassuring news, so that she, who is pregnant, need not worry. In Koenigsberg, King Frederick William first tries to sell Stanislaus to the Russians in exchange for some land, before changing his mind and treating him as royally as possible to please France, with whom he is becoming reconciled. It has to be said that the two men got on well. They have good appetites and, between two jugs of beer, they chat. Frédéric-Auguste had an idea for Stanislas: Poland was finished. So why not Lorraine?

A love marriage.

Duke François Etienne de Lorraine et de Bar and his wife Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche in 1747. Photograph chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Franz Karl Palko - Personal photograph im Heeresgeschichtliches Museum von Pappenheim, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17734702

Let's leave Poland for a moment and head for Austria. In 1734, the Duc de Lorraine was living in Vienna. François III Etienne duc de Lorraine et de Bar (1708-1765) was born at the Château de Lunéville. He was the 9th and one of the few surviving children of the couple formed by Duke Leopold I the Great (1679-1729) and Duchess Elisabeth-Charlotte d'Orléans (1676-1744), daughter of "Monsieur" Philippe d'Orléans, the brother of Louis XIV. Leopold literally rebuilt his duchies of Lorraine and Bar, hard hit by the 30 Years' War and occupied by France for almost 60 years. He reclaimed them under the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, and even had to repopulate them as war and plague claimed so many victims (one out of every two Lorrainers died in the 17th century). Leopold, who had turned his duchy into a flourishing state, resumed the policy that had kept Lorraine independent: a marriage to the left, a marriage to the right, in other words, a marriage on the French side and a marriage on the German side. Having married a Frenchwoman, he placed his son in Vienna with his cousin the Emperor of Austria, so that he could receive the education befitting a sovereign prince. And love did its work. Marie-Thérèse (1717-1780), the Emperor's daughter, fell in love with the young François de Lorraine. And they wanted to marry in 1734, even though François had become Duke of Lorraine and Bar on the death of his father in 1729. An impossible marriage, since France would not tolerate Lorraine becoming Austrian through the marriage of its duke, which would turn it into an Austrian cannon in the middle of French soil. The situation, blocked until now, could well be unblocked by Stanislas's setbacks in Poland. And why not end the war with a marriage, not a life annuity?

The imperial couple and their children. They were the parents of Marie-Antoinette, who went on to marry Louis XVI, Stanislas's great-grandson. Painting selected by monsieurdefrance.Com Martin van Meytens - [1], Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1619608

Stanislas becomes Duke of Lorraine and Bar

The life annuity idea may well have been the brainchild of Frederick Augustus of Prussia, or perhaps of Cardinal de Fleury, who, according to some historians, foresaw all this and only supported Stanislas so that he would screw up and agree to take Lorraine, but nothing is less certain. In any case, this is what will resolve the European situation and put an end to the War of the Polish Succession. It was agreed that François III Etienne de Lorraine et de Bar would marry Marie-Thérèse of Austria (a happy and prolific marriage with 16 children!) and that he would receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on the death of the last of the Medici (which would happen on July 9, 1737). In exchange, he gave Stanislas the duchies of Lorraine and Bar. On Stanislas's death, they reverted to the French crown, as the king had only Marie as heir. For France, this was an excellent operation, as it was finally able to legally lay its hands on rich Lorraine and join Alsace, conquered in the 17th century by Louis XIV. In 1737, after more than 3 years of war, the Meudon Convention was signed. Stanislas was persuaded to accept. He wrote to his daughter, "In the absence of Poland, I agree with you that Lorraine is the only thing I can accept" (these people talked about a duchy as one would talk about a car...). The War of Polish Succession ended in 1737, just as Stanislas' reign in Lorraine began.

Phantom king, then beloved.

Stanislas from a 1740 engraving Imageselected by monsieurdefrance via Limedia.fr.

The people of Lorraine surprised the whole of Europe by reacting very badly to the news. This was surprising, because the 18th century was not at all accustomed to listening to the people, and no one had asked themselves what the people of Lorraine thought of the idea of sticking a new duke with no connection to them. Many of them followed the carriage of Elisabeth Charlotte, mother of François III de Lorraine, as she left the Château de Lunéville for the Château de Commercy, which had been made a principality so that she would not have to live under the reign of Stanislas. She died there in 1744. When Stanislas arrived in Nancy, the welcome was frosty. Duke François had taken the Meudon convention at its word. He left absolutely nothing. No furniture at all. Stanislas was obliged to sleep for a few weeks in the Beauvau family mansion in Nancy (now the Nancy Court of Appeal), while waiting for the completely empty Château de Lunéville to be fitted out. Even the lead frieze on the roof of the ducal palace was dismantled. Nothing remains.

Stanislas makes Antoine de la Galaizière his chancellor. Painting by Jean Girardet. Image chosen by monsieurdefrance via Limedia.fr.

Stanislas also had to accept that he was just a duke without power. France did not want him to consider himself a full sovereign, and wanted to start bringing the Duchy of Lorraine into line with the Kingdom of France. So a sort of prefect was imposed on the king, leaving him free to give it any title he liked. The man's name is Antoine Martin Chaumont de la Galaizière. He was given the title of chancellor and shared power with Stanislas (and the king's mistress, the Marquise de Boufflers). The king was endowed with a comfortable civil list, enabling him to indulge himself by building extensively and also by setting up things for his subjects, such as charity workshops to provide the poor with work and thus income to eat. Hated by the people of Lorraine on his arrival, he was universally lamented 30 years later, on his death in 1766. A long reign, when everyone expected that Stanislas would only reign for a few years, having passed the age of 60. Life annuity sometimes holds surprises for the future owner...

Place Stanislas. Nancy owes what it is today to the "good King Stanislas" who sits on the most beautiful square in the world. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Shutterstock.

Stanislas died by accident on February 20, 1766. At the ripe old age of 88, sitting alone in front of his fireplace, with little sight (when he fished, servants who loved him dearly dived in to hook fish for him, since he could not see them), the king wore the warm nightdress his daughter Marie had given him. He leans over the fireplace to draw a firebrand to rekindle his famous chibouque, the long pipe he got into the habit of smoking 40 years ago when he was a prisoner in Moldavia. He doesn't see that, too close to the flames, his robe catches fire. It was only later that he understood, got up to put it out and called, and fell into the blaze that was warming him. He died a week later, but not without a last word of wisdom. Looking at a maid who was looking after him, he said to her, "Madame, was it necessary for me to burn with such fire for you?". He was laid to rest in the Church of Notre Dame de Bonsecours, which he had entirely rebuilt in 1737 as his tomb. In Nancy, which he made superb with the complex of three squares that was born of his will, and which is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with the jewel in the crown, Place Stanislas, bearing his name since 1831.