Stanislas I Leszczyński

Stanislas I Leszczyński (1677-1766), king of Poland (1704-1709; 1733-1735). A member of an influential old Polish noble family, Stanislas became king in 1704 with the support of Charles XII of Sweden, in opposition to Frederick Augustus of Saxony (Augustus II of Poland, 1670-1733), who was backed by Russia. In 1709, when the armies of Charles XII were defeated by the Russians, Stanislas went into exile. His daughter Maria Leszczyńska married Louis XV of France in 1725. This alliance enabled Stanislas to obtain re-election to the Polish throne when Augustus died in 1733. Russia and Austria intervened against him, and despite French aid he was again expelled from Poland in 1735 (see Polish Succession, War of the). Stanislas was given the duchies of Lorraine and Bar, and he maintained a royal court at Lunéville and Nancy until his death. He was a celebrated patron of learning and literature.