The Prussian King of Poland

While I was reading about the Seven Years War I found this interesting person: Prince Henry of Prussia. A younger brother of Frederick II, he was a successful general of the Prussian Army (he never lost a battle) who was also always at odds with the king. As a diplomat he helped to plan the First partition of Poland. However, interesting enough, he also tried to become king of Poland, but was opposed by his brothers.

So, how could we give him a chance to be the Polish king? And how would his reign look like? The POD can be at any time from the beggining of the Seven Years War until his death in 1802.
 
Henry can not become king of Poland right after first partition - that would have been too much for Poles to swallow. However, let's say Stanisław August dies in some accident in late 1780s. PLC at that time had good relations with Prussia and progressive wing in Polish Sejm was decisively anti-Russian. Let's say that Frederick William II sees it as a chance to get PLC on Prussian side against Russia and Austria. Prince Henry promises the progressives some reforms (but not as progressive as Polish Constitution IOTL was) and gets elected king of Poland (question is - would he convert to catholicism?). PLC starts reforming and organizing bigger army. Russia, occupied with Ottoman Empire can not yet intervene - not against combined forces of Poland and Prussia. That gives the Poles time to augment and train their forces.
In early 1790s we have an interesting battle: King Henry's Polish-Prussian army against Suvorov's Russians.
 
This is an interesting idea. However, what would happen once the Russo-Turkish war ends in 1792, Russia will not be distracted any longer. Thus an independence-minded Poland - previously viewed as a de facto Russian client state - will not be long tolerated. Also, I think at this point Prussia's army had decayed far enough from the pinnacle of Frederick the Great to make it probably that Prussia and Poland will lose the coming war.
 
This is an interesting idea. However, what would happen once the Russo-Turkish war ends in 1792, Russia will not be distracted any longer. Thus an independence-minded Poland - previously viewed as a de facto Russian client state - will not be long tolerated. Also, I think at this point Prussia's army had decayed far enough from the pinnacle of Frederick the Great to make it probably that Prussia and Poland will lose the coming war.

Britain might become involved though. I've seen it on the board in some areas that Pitt the younger wanted an indpendent Poland for Baltic timber.
 

Maur

Banned
For all intents and purposes, PLC was a puppet of Russian Empire these times. I don't see how non-Russian friendly king (S.August was Catherine lover, for Christ sake!) could be elected. Moreover, since the king was pretty much powerless, it wouldn't actually change much.
 
The early 1790s was the time when Russia, busy with Ottoman Empire, withdrew most of its forces from Poland. That gave the progressives a chance to push the Constitution through the Sejm (although they broke most of rules doing that). Electing a new king, an anti-Russian king, would have been much harder, but theoretically possible. The conservatives would have reacted as they did IOTL in case of the Constitution - they would have called the Great Mommy (Catherine) for help. However, Prussian and Polish armies combined might have had a decent chance to stop the Russians until Poles mobilize and train bigger forces. IOTL during the war in defence of teh Constitution small Polish army fought quite well. Add to it a talented commander like Henry and well trained and equipped Prussian troops (although not as goos as they had been before) and that could be enough against Russians.
 
I was wondering about an earlier POD: if Catherine the Great isn't able to dethrone Peter III, could we see the Prussophile Tsar allowing Henry to become king of Poland instead of Stanislaw Poniatowski?
 
I was wondering about an earlier POD: if Catherine the Great isn't able to dethrone Peter III, could we see the Prussophile Tsar allowing Henry to become king of Poland instead of Stanislaw Poniatowski?
This might be a step to far for Russia (if not Peter) to tolerate. Probably need a different war to make this possible.

That said, this may actually be a bit easier than the option in the OP.
 
This might be a step to far for Russia (if not Peter) to tolerate. Probably need a different war to make this possible.

That said, this may actually be a bit easier than the option in the OP.

Well, the OP says that the POD could be anytime from the beggining of the Seven Years War.;) So a different war is allowed.
 
Well, the OP says that the POD could be anytime from the beggining of the Seven Years War.;) So a different war is allowed.
So the question is, how does the war need to chance to make this a possibility?

Obviously, Peter needs to stay in control. I would say that Prussia needs to come out with a stronger performance overall, but given how badly they were being beaten in OTL before Elizabeth died, I'm not really sure how to do this. Maybe the war is simply an indecisive draw for all concerned?

Here's a thought: Have 1759 go in some very different directions. A french victory at Lagos (say that de la Clue is able to take advantage of Boscawen's divided command, defeating him in detail) causes some butterflies, cumulating in an attempted invasion of Britain (different analogue for Quiberon as well, perhaps?). The french score major successes, pushing the british to the limit, but are unable to knock them out of the war. Meanwhile, Kunersdorf is a drawn battle, and the french continue to have poor luck in germany. Maybe knock the Swedes out of Pomerania as well. Instead of the Prussian near-collapse, their war with austria and russia continues to be an indecisive duel, while France, due to distractions regarding england and poor showings in Germany, cannot decisivly intervene. By the time Elizabeth dies, England is in serious trouble, enough that it cannot really keep its allies and itself going, France is still powerful there but weak in germany and weary in general, Prussia is on its last legs but still relatively intact, Russia and Austria are unable to decisively defeat Frederick in the field, and the Swedes are in some way or other out of the war. Peter's desire to end the war may well result in a general peace by exhaustion.
 
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