PINYL: B) The Story So Far Part 2 (Patreon)

[PATRONS]

As we bring the story up to 1699, this episode covers the point when arguably, everything changed for the Commonwealth. In the space of only a few years, beginning in 1648, Poland began to fracture amidst a Cossack revolt and a war on two fronts with Russia and Sweden. The Golden Age was well and truly over, and the chronic rot which would characterise the 18th century experience was setting in. It makes for bleak listening, as the weaknesses of the Commonwealth were laid bare, and the nobles went into business for themselves. To the north and east, a storm was brewing, and Poland's King was nowhere to be found. If Poland wasn't lost yet, then she was certainly teetering at the edge of the abyss...