PINYL #14: 'Sweden the Deal' (Patreon)

[PATRONS]

Oh what a tangled web these kings, dukes and Tsars managed to weave! In short, 1716-1720 was an absolute mess, but as we'll see here, it's a fascinating mess. Thanks to the eruption of war with Spain in 1718, those members of the Quadruple Alliance - Britain, the Dutch, the Holy Roman Emperor and France - would be supremely distracted from taking part in the Tsar's final assault on Sweden. As if that wasn't bad enough, those suspicious stares which had once greeted the tremendously tall Tsar had mutated into conspiracy. After such a succession of triumphs, Peter found that the allies no longer trusted the ruler of this mysterious, ferociously powerful and constantly expanding Empire. What was more, they had begun to actively plot against her.

It was a busy time for all involved, even, surprisingly enough, the oft-forgotten Poland. And yes, she's supposed to be the star of our show, but by the second decade of the eighteenth century,  it must have been hard for anyone to imagine Poland being the star of anything. She was, in many respects, an appendage of Russia. And yet, as we'll see here, that arrangement had more to do with King Augustus' relationship with the Tsar than the strategic facts of the day. Poland was weakened, yes, but it was very far indeed from lost. The question then began to do the rounds, in 1717, whether King Augustus might re-orientate Polish policy away from Russia, and towards more anti-Russian, Western allies, such as Britain. 

It may have seemed like too great a leap to be believed, but the Tsar himself certainly believed that there was Polish evil afoot, and was determined to do all he could to reign his vassal/friend back in. Could he be successful, and could that attack on Sweden to finish her off finally be launched? All the while, in the background, was Goertz, a German diplomat of the first calibre, who was empowered by the Swedish King to turn his Empire's position around. Like an eighteenth century Bismarck, Goertz set about doing just that, throwing a further wrench into the proceedings, and complicating what should have been Tsar Peter's victory parade. To the Tsar, all of these victories were starting to feel very much like the beginning of a disastrous defeat, which could return the initiative to Sweden...