Charles XII de Suède et Stanislas Leszcynski, roi de Pologne, dans les lettres de Nicolas Mavrocordatos
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Abstract
Following the disastrous defeat inflicted upon his army by the
Russians at Poltava on June 27, 1709, Charles XII, king of Sweden, and
the remnants of his army fled into Ottoman territory. The initial admiration with which his hosts greeted him turned soon into embarassment and despair. Indeed, the king of Sweden had no intention of
leaving the Ottoman Empire, unless it joined him in a new war against
Peter I of Russia. In order to force the recalcitrant Ottoman Government to follow his policies, he established, from his camp, a powerfull
political network in Constantinople, which was joined even by the
mother of the Sultan. Charles’s persistance bore him fruits: in July 1711, at Pruth, Peter’s army was checked by the Ottoman troops. However, Turkish failure to pursue the victory enraged Charles and from that moment his relations with the Ottoman administration soured. During the same period the
behaviour of his troops, refugees from Poltava like him, worsened and
turned disastrous. Lack of discipline and contempt for the locals soon
created an unbearable situation in Moldavia. Nicholas Mavrokordatos,
who returned to his position on September 25, 1711, has provided substantial, but until now overlooked and unexplored, information about
the events, in five letters addressed to his friends. According to his
painful descriptions of the situation, the Swedes behaved like wild beasts,
destroying, stealing, raping, killing, and finally paralyzing Moldavia.
Shaken by Mavrokordatos’s reports, which drew Charles’s ire when he
found out about them, the Sultan decided to intervene, in order to put an
end to the depredations. Indeed, following a bloody fight, the king of
Sweden and his unruly troops were arrested in February 1713.
Mavrokordatos’s letters also clarify the issue of Stanislaus Leszcynski’s arrival in the Empire in early 1713. According to the Prince’s letter of February 20, 1713, to Iakovos Manos, Stanislaus had no intention of returning the Polish crown to his protector Charles, as Voltaire, who received his information from Stanislaus, and subsequent historians suggest. Instead, he intended to join the Swedish king and, with him, ask the Ottoman Government to restore him to the throne by
launching an invasion of Poland. Indeed, Mavrokordatos says that
Stanislaus wrote one letter to the Grand Vizir Suleyman Pasha and
another to the Tatar khan, in which he asked them to help him recover
his throne. However, Charles’s arrest put an end to Stanislaus’s projects.
Mavrokordatos undertook a serious effort to extricate him from the
bottleneck, into which he had placed himself, by coming to the Empire
at such an inopportune time. The Ottoman administration was indeed disgusted with the antics of Charles, now considered mad, and of his
friend, the king of Poland, who continued to entertain the idea of provoking the invasion of Poland by the Ottoman army. The only thing
that the Porte wanted desperately, was to get rid of both of them.
Stanislaus left the Empire in May 1714, while his friend, Charles, was
forced to leave in October of the same year.
Russians at Poltava on June 27, 1709, Charles XII, king of Sweden, and
the remnants of his army fled into Ottoman territory. The initial admiration with which his hosts greeted him turned soon into embarassment and despair. Indeed, the king of Sweden had no intention of
leaving the Ottoman Empire, unless it joined him in a new war against
Peter I of Russia. In order to force the recalcitrant Ottoman Government to follow his policies, he established, from his camp, a powerfull
political network in Constantinople, which was joined even by the
mother of the Sultan. Charles’s persistance bore him fruits: in July 1711, at Pruth, Peter’s army was checked by the Ottoman troops. However, Turkish failure to pursue the victory enraged Charles and from that moment his relations with the Ottoman administration soured. During the same period the
behaviour of his troops, refugees from Poltava like him, worsened and
turned disastrous. Lack of discipline and contempt for the locals soon
created an unbearable situation in Moldavia. Nicholas Mavrokordatos,
who returned to his position on September 25, 1711, has provided substantial, but until now overlooked and unexplored, information about
the events, in five letters addressed to his friends. According to his
painful descriptions of the situation, the Swedes behaved like wild beasts,
destroying, stealing, raping, killing, and finally paralyzing Moldavia.
Shaken by Mavrokordatos’s reports, which drew Charles’s ire when he
found out about them, the Sultan decided to intervene, in order to put an
end to the depredations. Indeed, following a bloody fight, the king of
Sweden and his unruly troops were arrested in February 1713.
Mavrokordatos’s letters also clarify the issue of Stanislaus Leszcynski’s arrival in the Empire in early 1713. According to the Prince’s letter of February 20, 1713, to Iakovos Manos, Stanislaus had no intention of returning the Polish crown to his protector Charles, as Voltaire, who received his information from Stanislaus, and subsequent historians suggest. Instead, he intended to join the Swedish king and, with him, ask the Ottoman Government to restore him to the throne by
launching an invasion of Poland. Indeed, Mavrokordatos says that
Stanislaus wrote one letter to the Grand Vizir Suleyman Pasha and
another to the Tatar khan, in which he asked them to help him recover
his throne. However, Charles’s arrest put an end to Stanislaus’s projects.
Mavrokordatos undertook a serious effort to extricate him from the
bottleneck, into which he had placed himself, by coming to the Empire
at such an inopportune time. The Ottoman administration was indeed disgusted with the antics of Charles, now considered mad, and of his
friend, the king of Poland, who continued to entertain the idea of provoking the invasion of Poland by the Ottoman army. The only thing
that the Porte wanted desperately, was to get rid of both of them.
Stanislaus left the Empire in May 1714, while his friend, Charles, was
forced to leave in October of the same year.
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