East Central Europe 1837 CE

What is happening in East Central Europe in 1837CE

The “First Partition of Poland” shook the Polish ruling class to its core, and, under king Stanislaw II, a raft of reforms were carried through – including the introduction of the first modern written constitution in Europe (1791), establishing a parliamentary monarchy. Disastrously, this provoked Prussia and Russia into the “Second Partition”, and in 1795 the “Third Partition” between Prussia, Russia and Austria wiped Poland off the map as an independent state.

The whole of central Europe was caught up in the maelstrom of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars between 1789 and 1815. In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was abolished, and the Hapsburg domains were re-designated the Austrian Empire. Austria emerged from the long wars as one of the leading European powers.

During the wars, Poland briefly reappeared as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, under French control. In the 1815 settlement, Poland was reconstituted as a kingdom, but under firm Russian control. An uprising by the Poles was put down by the Russians (1830), who then began carrying out a policy of Russification.

In the Austrian Empire, the end of the war saw the chancellor, Metternich, very much in the driving seat. He has set about creating, both within the empire and throughout Europe, a conservative climate that seeks to preserve traditional authority and check revolutionary movements. In Hungary, there have been widespread calls for social and political reform since 1815, but to little effect.

Next map, Central Europe in 1871