On November 4, 1794, Russian troops under the command of General Alexander Suvorov stormed Praga – Warsaw’s fortified district on the right bank of the Vistula. The battle and the subsequent massacre of residents and defenders broke the resistance of the Polish capital. Warsaw capitulated immediately afterward, although sources give different dates for the formal surrender – November 5 or 7.
Thus ended the uprising led by Tadeusz Kościuszko, which had begun in March of the same year as an attempt to restore the independence of Poland, diminished after the Second Partition. Kościuszko proclaimed the beginning of the struggle in Kraków on March 24, 1794, and was chosen as supreme commander of the insurgent forces. The Poles achieved victory at Racławice on April 4, but failed to overcome the superiority of Russia and Prussia.
From Racławice to the Fall of Praga
The uprising received broad support among the population, but was hampered by a lack of sufficient weapons, resources and outside assistance. On October 10, 1794, Kościuszko was defeated and captured in the Battle of Maciejowice. Suvorov then directed Russian forces toward Warsaw.
The main attack was launched against Praga on November 4. The district was captured after a brief but exceptionally bloody assault. Historical estimates of the number of victims vary, but the event remains known as the Praga massacre. After the fortifications fell, the defense of Warsaw collapsed, and the remnants of the insurgent army surrendered on November 16.
Suvorov is credited with the brief message to Empress Catherine II: „Hurray! Warsaw is ours!“ It became a symbol of the Russian victory, but behind it lay the end of the last organized attempt to save the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The Third Partition Erases the State
After the defeat of the uprising, the three neighboring powers – Russia, Prussia and Austria – began negotiations on the final distribution of the remaining Polish lands. In this context, it is important to clarify that Austria, that is, the Habsburg monarchy, took part in 1795, rather than the Holy Roman Empire as a separate political entity.
Russia and Austria signed a preliminary agreement on January 3, 1795, while the final agreement between the three powers was signed in Saint Petersburg on October 24 of the same year. Prussia received Warsaw and lands in the central part of the country, Austria received territories around Kraków and in Lesser Poland, while Russia received the largest share of the remaining eastern lands of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
King Stanisław August Poniatowski abdicated on November 25, 1795. On January 26, 1797, Russia, Prussia and Austria signed an additional convention regulating the borders and administrative matters. The three powers also agreed not to officially use the name „Kingdom of Poland“.
The Third Partition brought an end to the independent existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Poland did not restore its independence until 1918, when the collapse of the empires after the First World War paved the way for the creation of the Second Polish Republic.
Sources: britannica.com, polishhistory.pl, thecollector.com