The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. The Diplomatic Dispute on Charles Christian Wettin’s Reign 1759‒1763. Analysis of Selected Aspects

Abstract

The paper presents a case study of the eighteenth-century diplomatic struggle between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire over the legal status of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and its ruling house. The main purpose of the research is to analyse the circumstances leading to the enthronement of Charles Christian Wettin as the Duke of Courland (1759‒1763), discover the tools of Russian international policy and review goals and resources of both Polish–Saxon and Russian sides of the conflict. History, Law and International Relations combine in the interdisciplinary research on the ‘Couronian Question’. From this perspective, Courland and its Duke remain the objects, and the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia – the subjects of the study.