The Partitions of Poland: How a Nation Vanished

The Story of Poland: A Nation That Refused to Disappear — Fexingo History · Sep 9, 2026 · 7m · transcript

By the late eighteenth century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was no longer just struggling; it was being dismantled piece by piece. In this episode, we trace the brutal geometry of the First Partition in 1772, where Russia, Prussia, and Austria sat down to carve up a sovereign state without asking its people for permission. We explore the diplomatic maneuvering of Catherine the Great, who used the pretext of protecting Orthodox Christians to justify her expansion, and Frederick the Great of Prussia, who initially hesitated but ultimately seized the fertile lands of Royal Prussia. You…