SEER, 96, 3, JULY 2018 574 Czubaty, Jaroslav. The Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1815: A Napoleonic Outpost in Central Europe. Translated by Ursula Phillips. Bloomsbury Studies in Central and Eastern European History. Bloomsbury Academic, London and New York, 2016. vii + 246 pp. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index.£65.00. Although it has always been a staple of romantic versions of Polish history, there have been surprisingly few scholarly studies of the Duchy of Warsaw. Up until now, only two key works have stood out, Fryderyk Skarbeck’s history of 1860 and Barbara Grochulska’s, published in 1966. Yet the Duchy’s short but eventful life offers important insights both into the nature and workings of the Napoleonic empire, and into the slow process by which Poland was ultimately reconstituted after her disappearance from the map in 1795. For many Poles then and now, the mere fact of the Duchy’s existence, however ephemeral, was the stepping-stone to a greater and more permanent revival of their country in the future. In the poetic words of Adam Czartoryski: ‘As the ghost of a former Poland, the Duchy of Warsaw conjures up an inexpressible spell; it is as though, having lost a dear friend, his shadow stood before us and prophesied his imminent resurrection.’ In its broadest aspect, the Duchy’s history sheds light on the perennial question of whether the new states the Emperor created were anything more than cynical exercises in French hegemony. One cannot discount the possibility that Napoleon had genuine sympathy for Polish national aspirations. It is more likely, however, that he saw the Duchy in more instrumental terms: as a source of manpower and tax revenue for his armies and treasury, and as a useful bargaining chip in his complex relationship with Russia. The human and financial cost of this policy is very clear. Fully aware that the key to Napoleon’s favour was the size of their contribution to the Grande Armée, the Duchy’s authorities supplied between 160,000 and 180,000 soldiers between 1806 and 1813, or 4.2 per cent of the population, a significantly greater proportion than other French satellites such as Westphalia and the Kingdom of Italy. Of these, up to 100,000 were killed, wounded, taken prisoner or died of disease or starvation. The cost of maintaining this swollen army in a poor and predominantly agriculturalcountryswiftlydestroyedtheDuchy’sfinances.By1811thenational debt had reached 55.5 million zlotys, roughly the same size as the annual budget, and bankruptcy loomed. Although its effects seem to have varied, the continental blockade did little to help. While overland trade increased and the removal of British competition boosted sectors of the economy, many staple exports lost their most important markets, especially after Russia closed her borders to Polish goods in 1811. Czubaty’s conclusion on the Duchy’s economy is sombre: ‘it is hard to question the vision of total disaster descending on the REVIEWS 575 country as a result of wars, the rigours of the continental blockade, high taxation, the cost of expanding the army, and the general financial crisis’ (p. 105). Thisgloomypicturewas,however,redeemedbyshaftsoflight.Czubatymakes a convincing case that political life in the Duchy was much more vigorous than in other Napoleonic protectorates. In a reaction against the perceived political anarchy of the old Polish Commonwealth, the new bicameral Sejm formed in July 1807 was much more streamlined than its predecessor and also, befitting a Napoleonic creation, had strictly limited powers. Nonetheless, a lively opposition soon developed, criticizing high taxation and the introduction of the Code Napoléon, and demanding detailed budgets from the government. These protests culminated in 1811, when the Sejm, going well beyond its powers, presented the Duchy’s ruler, King Frederick Augustus of Saxony, with a letter advocating radical reform to avert the imminent collapse of the state. Remarkably, Frederick Augustus did not reject it. More broadly, there is much evidence that, as across so much of Europe, Napoleon’s legal and social reforms hastened the emergence of the modern Polish state. The introduction of equality before the law, the career open to talent and personal freedom were developments of epoch-making importance. They created a civil service based on merit...
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Nov 1, 2018
Augusta Hardy 
Open Access