Treaty of Labiau

Last updated
Treaty of Labiau
Laibau Schloss.jpg
Labiau castle
TypeLegal status of the Duchy of Prussia
Signed20 November 1656
Location Labiau castle (now Polessk)
Signatories Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Frederick William I of Brandenburg
Parties Swedish Empire
House of Hohenzollern
LanguageLatin

The Treaty of Labiau was a treaty signed between Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg and Charles X Gustav of Sweden on 10 November (O.S.) [1] / 20 November (N.S.) 1656 in Labiau (now Polessk). With several concessions, the most important being the elevation of Frederick William I from a Swedish vassal to a full sovereign in the Duchy of Prussia and in Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia), Charles X Gustav strove to "buy Frederick William's support" in the ongoing Second Northern War. [2]

Contents

Background

When the Second Northern War broke out in 1654, Charles X Gustav of Sweden offered an alliance to Frederick William I, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia. [3] As the price for this alliance would have been the surrender of the Prussian ports of Pillau (now Baltiysk) and Memel (now Klaipėda) to Sweden, Frederick William I refused and instead signed a defensive alliance with the Dutch Republic in 1655. [3]

The Duchy of Prussia (yellow) in a map of 1576, 1645 reprint. Labiau indicated as "Labiaw" PRVSSIA1576Casparo Henneberg.png
The Duchy of Prussia (yellow) in a map of 1576, 1645 reprint. Labiau indicated as "Labiaw"

Following Swedish military successes, including an invasion of Prussia, [4] Frederick William I was forced to take Prussia as a fief from the Swedish king in the Treaty of Königsberg [5] on 7 January (O.S.) / 17 January (N.S.) 1656. [6] Before, Frederick William I had held that duchy as a fief of the Polish king. [5] In Königsberg, the "Great Elector" further had to meet the Swedish demands for Pillau and Memel, promise financial and military aid, and surrender half of the port duties to Sweden. [4]

On 15 June (O.S.) / 25 June (N.S.) 1656, Charles X Gustav and Frederick William I concluded a formal alliance in the Treaty of Marienburg after Swedish advances in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had stalled. [7] Sweden offered conquered Polish territories, and Frederick William I went to support Charles X Gustav with his newly formed army in the Battle of Warsaw on 28–30 July, which marked "the beginning of Prussian military history". [8]

Though victorious, the subsequent entry into the war of the Russian tsar, the Holy Roman Emperor and the Dutch navy left Sweden in an unfavourable condition, and dependent on further Brandenburgian support. [7] This enabled Frederick William I to raise the price for remaining a Swedish ally, and Charles X Gustav met his demands in the treaty of Labiau. [8]

Terms

Flink, Govaert - Friedrich Wilhelm I - Schloss Charlottenburg.jpeg
King Charles X Gustavus (Sebastien Bourdon) - Nationalmuseum - 19702.tif
Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg (left) and Charles X Gustav of Sweden (right)

Charles X Gustav granted Frederick William I full souvereignity in the Duchy of Prussia [7] and Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia). [5] For his Prussian possessions, Frederick William I was elevated from the status of a duke to a princeps summus & Suverenus. [9] Article III specifies that this applies also to Frederick William I's successors, who likewise would have the status of principes summi & absoluti Suverenii. [10]

Sweden further relinquished her rights to collect custom dues in Prussian ports, [7] in turn, Frederick William I was to satisfy Sweden with 120,000 riksdalers. [11] A Calvinist himself, he also obliged himself to grant religious freedom to the Lutherans in his Prussian territories, confirming the similar articles IV and XVII of the treaties of Marienburg and Königsberg, respectively. [6]

In addition to these terms, the treaty also included secret articles: therein, Frederick William I accepted Swedish claims to the Baltic coastal areas between Prussia and Swedish Livonia, namely Courland, Lithuania, Samogitia and Semigallia. [12]

Consequences

The Duchy of Prussia as a Polish fief before the Second Northern War and as a Swedish fief after the Treaty of Konigsberg. Sweden granted sovereignty in Labiau and Poland-Lithuania in the Treaty of Wehlau-Bromberg. Prussia during the Second Northern War.png
The Duchy of Prussia as a Polish fief before the Second Northern War and as a Swedish fief after the Treaty of Königsberg. Sweden granted sovereignty in Labiau and Poland–Lithuania in the Treaty of Wehlau-Bromberg.

After the treaty, Frederick William I first continued his military support for Charles X Gustav by detaching some forces to join the latter's Polish campaigns in early 1657. [7] However, after Denmark entered the war and Charles X Gustav left the Polish theater to campaign in Denmark, Frederick William I withdrew his forces from Poland and entrenched them in his Prussian territories. [7]

When an envoy of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor proposed Polish acceptance of Hohenzollern sovereignty in Prussia in turn for Frederick William I joining the anti-Swedish camp and supporting the Habsburg candidate in the next imperial elections, the "Great Elector" signaled his willingness to change sides. [2] Thereupon, Polish king John III Sobieski concluded the secret [2] Treaty of Wehlau on 19 September 1657, [13] wherein the Hohenzollern sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia, but not Ermland, was confirmed [7] in turn for an "eternal alliance" between Brandenburg-Prussia and Poland [13] and religious freedom for the Catholics in Prussia. [6]

The terms of Wehlau was confirmed by the Treaty of Bromberg in November, after which Brandenburg actively campaigned against Sweden. [14] Frederick William I also gave his vote to the Habsburg candidate, after the emperor on 29 February 1658 agreed to another treaty providing Frederick William I with 10,000 forces to support his campaign in Swedish Pomerania. [14]

On 18 January 1701, based on the sovereignty of the Prussian duchy, Frederick I of Prussia crowned himself "King in Prussia." [15]

See also

Sources

Related Research Articles

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Elector of Brandenburg

Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "the Great Elector" because of his military and political achievements. Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously. His shrewd domestic reforms gave Prussia a strong position in the post-Westphalian political order of north-central Europe, setting Prussia up for elevation from duchy to kingdom, achieved under his son and successor.

Frederick I of Prussia King in Prussia

Frederick I, of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia (1701–1713). From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel. He was also the paternal grandfather of Frederick the Great.

Charles X Gustav of Sweden King of Sweden

Charles X Gustav, also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who bore his son and successor, Charles XI. Charles X Gustav was the second Wittelsbach king of Sweden after the childless king Christopher of Bavaria (1441–1448) and he was the first king of the Swedish Caroline era, which had its peak during the end of the reign of his son, Charles XI. He led Sweden during the Second Northern War, enlarging the Swedish Empire. By his predecessor Christina, he was considered de facto Duke of Eyland (Öland) before ascending to the Swedish throne.

Duchy of Prussia Historical state (1525–1701)

The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the State of the Teutonic Order during the Protestant Reformation in 1525.

Brandenburg-Prussia Former country

Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession upon the latter's extinction in the male line in 1618. Another consequence of the intermarriage was the incorporation of the lower Rhenish principalities of Cleves, Mark and Ravensberg after the Treaty of Xanten in 1614.

Deluge (history) Devastating series of invasions of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by foreign powers, especially by the Swedish Empire

The term Deluge denotes a series of mid-17th-century campaigns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a wider sense it applies to the period between the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648 and the Truce of Andrusovo in 1667, thus comprising the Polish theatres of the Russo-Polish and Second Northern Wars. In a stricter sense, the term refers to the Swedish invasion and occupation of the Commonwealth as a theatre of the Second Northern War (1655–1660) only; in Poland and Lithuania this period is called the Swedish Deluge, or less commonly the Russo–Swedish Deluge due to the Russo-Polish War. The term "deluge" was popularized by Henryk Sienkiewicz in his novel The Deluge (1886).

Prussia Country in Europe, 1525 to 1871, then a state in Germany

Prussia was a historically prominent German state that originated in 1525 with a duchy centered on the region of Prussia on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It was de facto dissolved by an emergency decree transferring powers of the Prussian government to German Chancellor Franz von Papen in 1932 and de jure by an Allied decree in 1947. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organised and effective army. Prussia, with its capital first in Königsberg and then, when it became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, in Berlin, decisively shaped the history of Germany.

Second Northern War Conflict in northern and northeastern Europe from 1655 to 1660

The Second Northern War (1655–60), also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Moscow Tsardom (1656–58), Brandenburg-Prussia (1657–60), the Habsburg Monarchy (1657–60) and Denmark–Norway. The Dutch Republic often intervened against Sweden in an informal trade war but was not a recognized part of the Polish–Danish alliance.

King in Prussia Title used by the Prussian kings from 1701 to 1772

King in Prussia was a title used by the Prussian kings from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King of Prussia.

Treaty of Bromberg 1657 alliance between Poland–Lithuania and Brandenburg

The Treaty of Bromberg or Treaty of Bydgoszcz was a treaty between John II Casimir of Poland and Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia that was ratified at Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) on 6 November 1657. The treaty had several agreements, including the Treaty of Wehlau, signed on 19 September 1657 by the Brandenburg–Prussian and Polish–Lithuanian envoys in Wehlau. Thus, the Treaty of Bromberg is sometimes referred to as treaty of Wehlau-Bromberg or Treaty of Wehlau and Bromberg.

State of the Teutonic Order State formed by the Teutonic Order during the 13th century Northern Crusades

The State of the Teutonic Order, also called Deutschordensstaat or Ordensstaat was a medieval crusader state, located in Central Europe along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the 13th century Northern Crusades in the region of Prussia, and was disestablished in 1525. At its greatest territorial extent, in the early 15th century, it encompassed Chełmno Land, Courland, Gotland, Livonia, Neumark, Pomerelia, Prussia and Samogitia, i.e. territories nowadays located in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

Battle of Warsaw (1656) Battle of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Crimean Khanate, against Sweden and Brandenburg

The Battle of Warsaw took place near Warsaw on July 28–July 30 [O.S. July 18–20] 1656, between the armies of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden and Brandenburg. It was a major battle in the Second Northern War between Poland and Sweden in the period 1655–1660, also known as The Deluge. According to Hajo Holborn, it marked "the beginning of Prussian military history".

Duchy of Magdeburg Duchy in Central Europe between 1680–1807

The Duchy of Magdeburg was a province of Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1680 to 1701 and a province of the German Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1807. It replaced the Archbishopric of Magdeburg after its secularization by Brandenburg. The duchy's capitals were Magdeburg and Halle, while Burg was another important town. Dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars in 1807, its territory was made part of the Province of Saxony in 1815.

Treaty of Königsberg (1656) 1656 treaty between Sweden and Brandenburg

The Treaty of Königsberg was concluded on 7 January (O.S.) / 17 January (N.S.) 1656 during the Second Northern War. Frederick William I, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia, was forced to join the Swedish camp and became a Swedish vassal for the Duchy of Prussia and Ermland. In a second treaty, negotiated on 24 February 1656 in Königsberg (Królewiec), Frederick William I concluded a defensive alliance with France.

First Silesian War 18th-century war between Prussia and Austria

The First Silesian War was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia from Austria. The war was fought mainly in Silesia, Moravia and Bohemia and formed one theatre of the wider War of the Austrian Succession. It was the first of three Silesian Wars fought between Frederick the Great's Prussia and Maria Theresa's Austria in the mid-18th century, all three of which ended in Prussian control of Silesia.

Königsberg Historic Prussian name of Kaliningrad, Russia

Königsberg was the name for the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement Twangste by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. A Baltic port city, it successively became the capital of their monastic state, the Duchy of Prussia (1525–1701) and East Prussia. Königsberg remained the coronation city of the Prussian monarchy, though the capital was moved to Berlin in 1701.

Denmark–Sweden relations Diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Sweden

Denmark–Sweden relations relate to Denmark and Sweden. These two countries have a very long history of interaction. The inhabitants of each speak related North Germanic languages, which have a degree of mutual intelligibility. Both countries formed part of the Kalmar Union between 1397 and 1523, but there exists an inherited cultural competition between Sweden and Denmark. From 1448 to 1790 the two kingdoms went to war against each other at nearly every opportunity; in more than one case a new king tried to prove his worth by waging war on the other country for little or no political reason. Eleven Dano-Swedish wars took place between 1521 and 1814.

Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679) 1679 peace treaty between France and Brandenburg

The Treaty or Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 19 June (OS) or 29 June (NS) 1679 was a peace treaty between France and the Electorate of Brandenburg. It restored to France's ally Sweden her dominions Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania, lost to Brandenburg in the Scanian War. Sweden ratified the treaty on 28 July 1679.

Treaty of Marienburg 1656 treaty between Sweden and Brandenburg

The treaty of Marienburg, concluded on 29 June 1656, was a Brandenburg-Prussian – Swedish alliance during the Second Northern War.

1656 in Sweden

Events from the year 1656 in Sweden

References

  1. ↑ Quaritsch (1986), p. 85
  2. 1 2 3 Sturdy (2002), p. 215
  3. 1 2 Shennan (1995), pp. 19-20
  4. 1 2 Shennan (1995), p. 20
  5. 1 2 3 Vierhaus (1984), p. 169
  6. 1 2 3 Evans (1997), p. 54
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shennan (1995), p. 21
  8. 1 2 Holborn (1982), p. 57
  9. ↑ Quaritsch (1986), pp. 85, 86
  10. ↑ Quaritsch (1986), p. 86
  11. ↑ Roberts (1988), p. 41
  12. ↑ Roberts (2003), p. 139
  13. 1 2 Wilson (1998), p. 36
  14. 1 2 Wilson (1998), p. 37
  15. ↑ Holborn (1982), p. 104

Bibliography

  • Evans, Malcolm (1997). Religious liberty and international law in Europe . Cambridge studies in international and comparative law. 6. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-55021-1.
  • Holborn, Hajo (1982). A History of Modern Germany: 1648-1840 . A History of Modern Germany. 2. Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-00796-9.
  • Quaritsch, Helmut (1986). Souveränität. Entstehung und Entwicklung des Begriffs in Frankreich und Deutschland vom 13. Jh. bis 1806. Schriften zur Verfassungsgeschichte (in German). 38. Duncker & Humblot. ISBN   3-428-06118-7.
  • Roberts, Michael (1988). Swedish diplomats at Cromwell's court, 1655-1656: the missions of Peter Julius Coyet and Christer Bonde . Camden fourth series. 36. Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-86193-117-3.
  • Roberts, Michael (2003). From Oxenstierna to Charles XII. Four Studies. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-52861-5.
  • Shennan, Margaret (1995). The Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia. Routledge. ISBN   0-415-12938-9.
  • Sturdy, David J. (2002). Fractured Europe, 1600-1721. Blackwell history of Europe. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN   0-631-20513-6.
  • Vierhaus, Rudolf (1984). Deutschland im Zeitalter des Absolutismus (1648-1763). Deutsche Geschichte (in German). 6 (2 ed.). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN   3-525-33504-0.
  • Wilson, Peter Hamish (1998). German armies. War and German politics, 1648-1806. Warfare and history. Routledge. ISBN   1-85728-106-3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.