WI: An Eastern Hapsburg/Poland-Lithuania Union in 1672?

Apparently, during the twilight of John II Casimir Wasa's reign in Poland-Lithuania, there was support in Poland for a Hapsburg prince to succeed - even on a hereditary basis.

Is it possible to get the big man himself, Leopold I Emperor of the HRE, made king of Poland-Lithuania?

I've seen various proposals to unite P-L with the German Hapsburg realm, but never one so late. If it is possible, might such a combination be a functional state?

fasquardon
 
Doubtful. Habsburgs in their own lands were pretty much absolute rulers. In PLC they would be bound by numerous laws and the Sejm's opinion. It would be hard for them to keep it that way. Polish noblemen had a lot of fear of absolutist rule as a threat to their "golden liberty" and if Habsburg emperor/king had tried to enforce it or even had gone a little too far, there would have been a rokosz (a kaind of legitimate rebellion aganst king abusing his authority) and civil war.
 
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