AHC: Superpower/Greatpower Poland

Sobieski working to gain Silesia? Hmm... that got me thinking to something I read a while ago what I thought maight be a good PoD for a great power Poland.

Apparently in 1683 Louis XIV was working towards increasing French influence in the states of the HRE, something he found himself in competition with Austria. To achieve his aims, he looked east towards Poland, as a possible ally against Austria, ruled at the time by Sobieski. He proposed an alliance between the two and was quite strongly pressing for it. Sobieski was hesitant - on the one hand Austria was an ally against Turkey and not so long ago against Sweden, as well as the Habsburg’s being very catholic like him, on the other, Sobieski had ambitions to regain the Duchy of Prussia, which had its vassalage lifted earlier, something Brandenburg and Austria were opposed to. The negotiations went well for the two, but France didn’t know that and over did it. French ambassador Marquise Nicholas-Marie de Vitry began a plot to dethrone Sobieski in case of a failure, but the Polish counter-intelligence found out about it by bribing the ambassadors secretary, leading to the king obtaining copies of the ambassadors reports. Talks broke down, the ambassador had to flee and Poland broke off relations with France, signing an alliance with Austria.

Now, I don’t know if the story is true, it’s something out of an article from a magazine, so it would be nice if someone could confirm it, as it looks like a good PoD. Let’s suppose the alliance somehow comes to life. Maybe the plot isn’t started or isn’t uncovered, leading to Poland demanding Prussia goes back to being a fief of Poland (this demand was supposedly justified by Prussia not abiding by the terms of agreement which gave it independence, as it was required to pay annual tribute until 1700, something it was either late with or didn’t do at all). Frederick William refuses, in which turn Poland invades Prussia (the polish nobles were also supposedly supportive of it, hoping to get some wealth out of it, and the Prussian nobles wanted the same privileges the Poles had). Brandenburg goes against Poland, which in turn leads to France stepping in against Brandenburg (The Hohenzollerns being the aggressors, as Prussia was not part of the HRE). Austria responds with protecting the HRE against France, leading to war on German soil in which time Poland makes short work of Prussia, and then turns against Austria to take Silesia. Sobieski introduces his son as the hereditary Duke of Prussia, giving him a good bid to the Polish throne after his father’s death.

End result is Prussia being completely eliminated, Austria being broken by France and Turkey (Poland doesn’t aid it in 1683, Vienna falls). This eliminates two out of the three partitioners. With Sobieski’s son as Duke of Prussia, his noble house becomes the de facto hereditary ruling house of Poland, allowing for royal rule to be strengthened, reforming the state. Also, without a Wettin on the throne, the Great Northern War may be butterflied away, further saving Poland.

Possible?
In fact one of the last Sobieskis were dukes of Olawa, but I think Poland has a chance to regain all of Silesia during the Age of Nationalisms if it still occurs and majority of both Lower and Upper Silesia are polish speaking during the Age of Nationalism(which requires all of Silesia to remain Catholic) but in the Age of Nationalism Ruthenia might be lost and Poland-Lithuania will only be left with Poland proper with Silesia and Lithuania proper.

When the Vasa got extinct the Silesian Piasts tried to regain the Polish throne before they got extinct as I remember..
 
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You could get Poland aquire the low countries, maybe. Or an enclave somewhere else in the Atlantic, maybe Hannover?
 
If the Commonwealth retains Ruthenia and it's black sea coast, maybe somehow installing a client in Istambul? control of the straights would give Poland viable power projection in the Med to match it's large Balctic coastline. It would also need to retain all of Prussia of course, and probably gain Pomerania to make the Baltic a lake.
 
My personal favourite is Władysław III surviving the battle of Varna (preferably the battle ending in a draw) and living for another 40 years. Has a single son that rules for another 30 years. In a way creating a Jagiello monarchy as an eastern counterpart of the Habsburgs in the west. The Jagiello monarchy would be made out of Poland, Lithuania, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Moldova and Valachia and would be coloquialy known as the Three Coasts Monarchy.
 
Cross-posting this from the map thread.

Oh, we can do better than that.

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Still WIP though.
 

MSZ

Banned
What, nowhere in North America? How about having them plant a 17th-century colony in between the Dutch and Swedish ones? 'New Pomerania' = OTL New Jersey, with 'Polonia Sylvania' inland to its west... :D

If it's "Polish colonies", shouldn't those be Madagascar and Cameroon?:D
 
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