Stanislaw Poniatowski

*"Legend, or nothing"*

**Stanislaw Poniatowski**(???-1715), also known as "The Polish Tzar", "Conqueror of Berlin" and "Butcher of Albion" is one one of the most famous and infamous figures in the history of the Commonwealth. One of the best commanders of his age, he fought for king and republic, taking his troops in campaigns all across the old continent of Europe before finally dying while trying to besiege the city of London in 1715.

While seen by many historians as one of the best commanders of his time and a daring general, Poniatowski was both a blessing and a curse for the government of the old Commonwealth. Always hungry for glory and never satisfied, no matter the recognitions and prizes he earned, he often disobeyed his nation's orders, even coming dangerously close to start a civil war within the Commonwealth after executing a series of agents sent to keep an eye on his movements. His campaign of scorched earth across the islands of Great Britain also helped to fuel the "dark legend" of one of the Commonwealth's best generals, as Poniatowski ordered his men to burn and loot to their hearts content, leaving a trace of destruction and death which would take many generations to heal.

Despite this controversy, many amongst the citizens and military minds of the current Commonwealth praise the general, using his name to baptize weaponry and warships used by the nation's armed forces.

## Youth and service under Augustus

Little is known about the birth place of Stanislaw Poniatowski, or who his parents were (some believe the general himself made sure all records were destroyed as he was ashamed of his humble origins). What was known was that Stanislaw was a man of noble birth, who soon found himself leading cavalry patrols on the Southern frontier of the Polish realm. A daring officer, sometimes seen as foolish by his superiors, he often crossed swords with Ottoman and Cossack raiders at the frontier, seeing many of his friends and maybe a brother die during these quick yet bloody fights.

Serving under the command of King Augustus of Poland, Poniatowski led the nation's main army as the Holy Roman Empire sent his forces to conquer the king's homeland of Saxony. Having few men and resources, the young commander used speed and surprise to take several territories of the HRE and its ally, Prussia. The best known of these victories is the Siege of Berlin, where outnumbered by a superior foe, Poniatowski managed to take the capital for a short while before having to give it back during the peace negotiations which followed Poland's surrender.

### The General and the Assembly

Enraged by the lack of support during his campaign, and the lost chance to make a big name for himself, Poniatowski was easy prey for the agents of the then-clandestine Assemly of merchants, republicans and army officers wanting to turn the kingdom of Poland into a modern Republic, where nobles and priests would no longer bleed the nations as they wished.

While not taking part in the Battle of Rzymski road, Poniatowski was "unable" to stop several regiments of line and horse of his army to join the rebel forces as they took the capital and installed the Polish Republic. The general was quick to ride to Warsaw and give his sword to the new government, an action which was imitated by many of the officers in his army.

## General of the Republic

### Protector

The birth of the new republic was not well-seen by some of the powers surrounding the still weak nation of Poland. Fighting alongside other ex-royalist generals, Poniatowski pushed back many invasions by land and sea. German principates like Hannover saw their armies crushed, their sudden naval invasions quickly repulsed by Poniatowski's highly-mobile army.

Apart from showing his tactical skills and improving them with every battle, the first wars of the newly born republic turned Poniatowski's army of recruits and tired patrol squads into a highly-experienced and deadly force which would soon become the best in the Commonwealth. In 1702, Poniatowski would take this force back to Berlin, taking it once more, only this time for good.

### The great Northern war

The war against the Kingdom of Sweden would not only be one of the bloodiest conflicts ever recorded in Polish history, but also the chance Poniatowski was seeking to earn even more fame and glory. Marching across the mist and marshes of Finland, the commander took the city of Saint Petersburg from his Northern foe, despite the reported use of "demonic creatures" by the Swedish forces. Officers of his army later reported these creatures were bested thanks in no small part to the help of a mysterious, white-bearded hunter of strange eyes.

The city taken, Poniatowski allowed other commanders and forces to garrison it before leaving to continue with its conquest of those Russian lands taken by the Swedish, royal forces. Despite the near-suicidal bravery of his foes, the Commonwealth general bested his rivals, taking the bridge which led to the very gates of Moscow.

It was during this capture that the dark legend of Poniatowski was born. Finding out about the spies sent by the Commonwealth to track his movements, the general swiftly executed the agents and many of the capital's noblemen, making thus sure only his royal forces remained to take care of the newly-occupied territory.

## Rogue general

### The Polish Tzar

   A tense situation followed the execution of Commonwealth agents at the general's hands. Busy with their enemies in the North, the government could not dispatch forces to capture Poniatowski, less so knowing the general's loyal army would try hard to stop anyone daring to harm their beloved leader.

A tense peace followed, with Stanislaw Poniatowski ruling over his new territories in the name of the Commonwealth, yet with the powers of a king and growing wealth of a king. While stunned, few of his officers dared to question Poniatowski's orders, many of them having risen from the ranks while fighting under his command since the times of king Augustus.

Learning the language and putting on some of the local clothes, Poniatowski soon resembled a boyard, or at least a warrior prince, riding a pureblood dark horse gifted to them by the steppe tribes he managed to subdue or befriend as he slowly ensured control over his realm.

Of course, not all Russians were eager to serve a "foreign tzar", not when they had already suffered under Swedish occupation and taxation. Several armies fought and were easily bested by Poniatowski's army, any losses taken during battle swiftly replaced by Russian recruits eager to join in the glory and wealth of the Rebel general.

### Meeting with Stolarski

Both the general and Commonwealth knew however that this "false peace" would not last forever. General Stolarski, survivor of the bloody siege of Stockholm and future president of the Republic, met Poniatowski on the frontier between the Commonwealth and Poniatowski's own little realm. While dissapointed, the government was willing to forgive Poniatowski and allow him to return to Warsaw as a hero. In exchange, the general would once more obey their orders and join the conquered territories to the nation's own.

After days of waiting, Poniatowski agreed to the demands. Maybe dissapointed by the endless hours needed to properly manage an empire, the general returned as a hero, with very few citizens being aware of how close they had all been to a civil war between the armies of the Commonwealth.

## Butcher of Albion

Peace did not sit well with Poniatowski. Unwilling to spend his days teaching in academies to new generations of Commonwealth officers, the general instead jumped for the chance of more glory as the nation entered a major war against rival nations, including the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice and the Empire of Great Britain.

Instead of fighting in the continent however, Poniatowski "acquired" a small fleet of boats and sailed to the North of the British isles with his veteran force. Moving without the knowledge or support of the Commonwealth, the general began his march to London, burning and sacking any city and town unlucky enough to be on his way. Ancient buildings were destroyed, families massacred, with only a few survivors being allowed to live as they were forced to join Poniatowski's army.

In his eagerness to expand his legend however, Poniatowski had allowed himself to forget many of the basic rules of warfare, including the need for supply and reinforcements. By the time his army reached London, it was a shadow of its former self, with some regiments being only at half strenght and exhausted after months of constant fighting in an hostile land.

Despite selling his life dearly, Stanislaw Poniatowski died at the gates of London in 1715 alongside his royal army. His last battle would then proove to be his last, with his name being remembered too by the population of Great Britain, as a monster who nearly wiped out all life in the Isles for his own, insatiable hunger for glory and death. In the Commonwealth, attempts were made to focus more on the great contributions done by the man to protect and expand the country, erecting a monument to him and building a tomb without body so he would be remembered for years to come.

## Personality

Despite being a genious in matters of war, and a popular figure amonst the army and common citizens of the Commonwealth, Stanislaw Poniatowski was not a happy man. Obsessed by his need of being remembered unlike the friends he had lost during his years at the Southern frontier, he was ready to do anything, no matter the cost, to become a legend. No matter how many victories and praise he got though, the man was never satisfied enough.

A short temper and distrust of government officials also made his a difficult man to trust, even by his fellow commanders. While he fought well at the side of others, Poniatowski seldom had good words to say about the people he saw as his "competitors".