Thaler

In the history of the Republic of Poland, the era of Stanisław was a period of attempts to reform and bring Poland out of the regress of the Saxon era. King Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski (1732-1798) wanted to consolidate his power, as well as to carry out political and social reforms. He wanted to achieve that with a constitution, that he co-authored. However, the Constitution of 3 May 1791 was a blow to the conservative wing of the Polish nobility, who were accustomed to independence from the central power, and to Russia and Prussia, who perceived the rise of Poland to be a threat to their power. 1792 saw the Targowica Confederation – the confederates requested a Russian military intervention, allegedly to protect the system and the freedoms, which were now under threat. To commemorate this event, a special commemorative and propaganda coin was minted, commonly known as the Targowica thaler. It was designed by Józefina Amelia Potocka (nee Mniszech) (1752-1798), wife of Szczęsny Potocki (1751-1805), one of the leaders of the Targowica Confederation. The inscriptions on the coin were suggested by a diplomat from Courland, Swedish and Russian agent in Warsaw, Karol Henryk Heyking (1752-1809). On the obverse there was a  Latin inscription: To the citizens whose love of country made them defend the Polish freedom destroyed by the conspiracy of 3 May 1791, the Rising Republic of Poland. Around the edge, there is a motto: Gratitude to fellow citizens. Example for posterity. Initially, 30,000 of these thalers were to be minted, to replace thalers with the image of King Stanisław August Poniatowski in circulation, despite the fact that he formally joined the confederation. Eventually, 1699 thalers were minted in 1793. The Targowica Confederation became a synonym of national treason, but also of naivete of the conservative part of Polish political class.

Mieszko Pawłowski