I know next to nothing about the Commonwealth. Feel free to nerd out about it to me, I feel like getting educated!
TopMulberry6573 on
You either die a nation or live long enough to become a meme
TheHistoryMaster2520 on
**Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Petro Doroshenko, Karl IX of Sweden, Vasily IV of Russia, Dmitry Pozharsky, and Kuzma Minin are typing…**
Nyctfall on
Poland fought *for ending* slavery with Polish mercenaries in Haiti.
> In return, the Poles would find support from the people of Haiti who sympathized with their shared mistreatment at the hands of the French. One fervent supporter of the Poles was Boisrond-Tonnerre. He would come to believe that both the Poles and the Haitians shared a history of fighting against tyranny. The shared value of liberty would lead Boisrond-Tonnerre to refer to the Poles as “the white negroes of Europe”. Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski, who was half-black, was one of the Polish generals but died of yellow fever soon after reaching Saint-Domingue. Polish soldiers are credited with contributing to the establishment of the world’s first free black republic and the first independent Caribbean state.
>…
>Haiti’s first head of state Jean-Jacques Dessalines would join Boisrond-Tonnerre in calling the Polish people “the White Negroes of Europe” in recognition of their plight. About 160 years later, in the mid-20th century, François Duvalier, the president of Haiti who was known for his black nationalist and Pan-African views, used the same concept of “European white Negroes” while referring to Polish people and glorifying their patriotism.
—[Polish Haitians – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Haitians)
Poland and Japan have deep ties of friendship. Both supporting each other through all the horrors their people endured internationally.
In WWII, The Polish Government in Exile declared war on Japan, and this is how Japan responded:
>Japan rejected the declaration of war. Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō’s answer was: “We don’t accept the Polish declaration of war. The Poles, fighting for their freedom, declared war under the British pressure”
—[Declarations of war during WWII – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarations_of_war_during_World_War_II)
There is a common saying that Japan named Poland as “Honorary Samurai”. However, I was not able to find a source for Poland receiving any title of “Honorary Samurai” from Japan. (If anyone can confirm a valid source, please inform me)
The Polish-Lithuanians had markedly neutral-positive relations with the Native Americans, such as Alaskans, and to a certain degree the Kalina Caribs of Tobago (sometimes). A massive accomplishment for a colonial European power.
See [Polish-Lithuanian Couronian “New Courland” Colony of Tobago – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couronian_colonization_of_the_Americas).
Main reference used by Wikipedia: [Sooman, Imbi; McFarlane, Jesma; Tēraudkalns, Valdis; Donecker, Stefan (2013). “From the Port of Ventspils to Great Courland Bay: The Couronian Colony on Tobago in Past and Present”. Journal of Baltic Studies. 44 (4): 503–526. doi:10.1080/01629778.2013.835464](https://www.jstor.org/stable/43213172).
PLC was probably the worst possible European empire. They are basically Austria-Hungary of early modern age. Extremely corrupt and lackluster political system, combined with diverse populations, both in terms of religion and ethnicity.
Not to mention the reason why it fell in the first place – an army that defied all laws of progress and grew *weaker* with time. This, plus their inability to form any meaningful alliances with their neighbors, led to them losing spectacularly on multiple occasions.
Overall, it is hardly something to aspire or look up to. They’ve played the game, and they’ve lost, like many before and after them.
5 Comments
I know next to nothing about the Commonwealth. Feel free to nerd out about it to me, I feel like getting educated!
You either die a nation or live long enough to become a meme
**Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Petro Doroshenko, Karl IX of Sweden, Vasily IV of Russia, Dmitry Pozharsky, and Kuzma Minin are typing…**
Poland fought *for ending* slavery with Polish mercenaries in Haiti.
> In return, the Poles would find support from the people of Haiti who sympathized with their shared mistreatment at the hands of the French. One fervent supporter of the Poles was Boisrond-Tonnerre. He would come to believe that both the Poles and the Haitians shared a history of fighting against tyranny. The shared value of liberty would lead Boisrond-Tonnerre to refer to the Poles as “the white negroes of Europe”. Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski, who was half-black, was one of the Polish generals but died of yellow fever soon after reaching Saint-Domingue. Polish soldiers are credited with contributing to the establishment of the world’s first free black republic and the first independent Caribbean state.
>…
>Haiti’s first head of state Jean-Jacques Dessalines would join Boisrond-Tonnerre in calling the Polish people “the White Negroes of Europe” in recognition of their plight. About 160 years later, in the mid-20th century, François Duvalier, the president of Haiti who was known for his black nationalist and Pan-African views, used the same concept of “European white Negroes” while referring to Polish people and glorifying their patriotism.
—[Polish Haitians – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Haitians)
Poland and Japan have deep ties of friendship. Both supporting each other through all the horrors their people endured internationally.
In WWII, The Polish Government in Exile declared war on Japan, and this is how Japan responded:
>Japan rejected the declaration of war. Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō’s answer was: “We don’t accept the Polish declaration of war. The Poles, fighting for their freedom, declared war under the British pressure”
—[Declarations of war during WWII – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarations_of_war_during_World_War_II)
There is a common saying that Japan named Poland as “Honorary Samurai”. However, I was not able to find a source for Poland receiving any title of “Honorary Samurai” from Japan. (If anyone can confirm a valid source, please inform me)
See: [Japan-Poland Relations – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Poland_relations), and
[Poland Japan relationship – Japan Forward](https://japan-forward.com/poland-is-one-of-the-most-pro-japanese-nations-heres-why/).
The Polish-Lithuanians had markedly neutral-positive relations with the Native Americans, such as Alaskans, and to a certain degree the Kalina Caribs of Tobago (sometimes). A massive accomplishment for a colonial European power.
See [Polish-Lithuanian Couronian “New Courland” Colony of Tobago – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couronian_colonization_of_the_Americas).
Main reference used by Wikipedia: [Sooman, Imbi; McFarlane, Jesma; Tēraudkalns, Valdis; Donecker, Stefan (2013). “From the Port of Ventspils to Great Courland Bay: The Couronian Colony on Tobago in Past and Present”. Journal of Baltic Studies. 44 (4): 503–526. doi:10.1080/01629778.2013.835464](https://www.jstor.org/stable/43213172).
See also: [Polish-Native American Relations](https://www.redwoodvoice.org/down-the-rabbit-hole-of-polands-indianist-movement/), and
an [additional source](https://www.sas.rochester.edu/psc/CPCES/newsletter/2015/article3.html).
Centuries prior Poland was the only region [spared from the worst of the Black Death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death_in_Poland). In part because of the help of their [Jewish population that they supported](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Poland).
They also sent their [Polish Winged Hussars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hussars) to help win the largest cavalry charge in history during the [Siege of Vienna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna) against the invading Ottomans!
And Winged Hussars look a lot like the meme!
Lmao.
PLC was probably the worst possible European empire. They are basically Austria-Hungary of early modern age. Extremely corrupt and lackluster political system, combined with diverse populations, both in terms of religion and ethnicity.
Not to mention the reason why it fell in the first place – an army that defied all laws of progress and grew *weaker* with time. This, plus their inability to form any meaningful alliances with their neighbors, led to them losing spectacularly on multiple occasions.
Overall, it is hardly something to aspire or look up to. They’ve played the game, and they’ve lost, like many before and after them.