Month: August 2023

The 1771 AR Medal by Johann Leonhard Oexlein serves as a remarkable numismatic artifact that commemorates a pivotal moment in Polish history—the delivery of King Stanisław August Poniatowski from a plot against him orchestrated by the Confederation of Bar. This post aims to shed light on the intricate details of its design and the political climate of the time.

The Medal’s Artistic Elements

The medal, measuring 44mm in diameter and weighing 21.84 grams, is a work of intricate craftsmanship. The obverse features the Latin inscription “NOLITE TANGERE CHRISTOS MEOS,” which translates to “Do not touch my anointed ones.” It is a quotation from the Bible, Psalm 105:15 (or 103:15 in the Latin Vulgate), where God warns the kings of the earth not to harm his chosen people and his prophets. It depicts an attack on the king by two Furies, one holding a sword and another a torch. The Hand of God descends from a cloud to protect the king, while a storm looms over a cityscape in the background. The artist, J.L. Oexlein, leaves his signature at the lower right, and the date and time of the event are inscribed in the exergue.

The reverse of the medal bears another Latin inscription, “OCVLI DOMINI SVPER IVSTOS,” meaning “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.” It is another quotation from the Bible, Psalm 34:15 (or 33:16 in the Latin Vulgate), where David praises God for his protection and deliverance from his enemies. Here, King Stanislaus stands before a palace, flanked by kneeling subjects. The exergue carries the phrase “FIDA POLONIA/GAVDET,” which can be translated as “Faithful Poland rejoices.”

Historical Context

The Bar Confederation was a movement of Polish nobles and gentry that opposed the Russian influence and interference in Poland’s affairs in the late 18th century. It was formed in 1768 at the fortress of Bar in Podolia, now part of Ukraine, and lasted until 1772. The confederates opposed Polish king Stanisław II August Poniatowski, who was seen as a puppet of Russia, and against the Russian army that freely accessed much of Poland. They also resisted the reforms that granted equal rights to religious minorities, such as Protestants and Orthodox Christians, in the predominantly Catholic country. 

In 1770, the Council of the Bar Confederation proclaimed King Stanisław II August Poniatowski dethroned. Richard Butterwick narrates the events which followed quite ably:

Having declared Stanisław August’s reign void, [the Bar Confederates] decided to abduct him, probably in order to put him on trial. However, the attempt backfired badly, not least because only the king’s version of events is known. In short it is as follows:

On the evening of 3 November 1771 Stanisław August was returning to the Royal Castle from a visit to the nearby residence of Michał Czartoryski, when confederate riders surrounded his lightly guarded carriage. After a brief struggle, they headed out of the city with the wounded monarch. One by one, they lost either their nerve or their bearings, until the king was able to talk round the last of his captors and find refuge in the house of a miller. Help soon arrived from Warsaw. Whatever else actually happened that night, afterwards Stanisław August was able to depict the confederates to all Europe as regicides, and himself as a man of mercy. Despite the pressure from Catherine II for the severest penalties to be applied to the ‘regicides’, he kept his promise to spare his last captor’s life. He even paid him a pension in exile for the remainder of his reign.

-Butterwick, R. (2020). The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1733-1795: Light and Flame, Yale University Press: New Haven. p. 115.

Butterwick notes that Stanisław August preserved the clothes that he had been wearing that evening as “quasi-relics,” and interpreted his survival from the conspiracy as a sign that he was destined to achieve great things for the Commonwealth. The king also placed even greater trust in Divine Providence going forward. The direct action against the king, however, had unfortunate and far-reaching consequences for the Bar Confederation.

In 1772, Adam Naruszewicz wrote an ode commemorating the king’s remarkable clemency towards the conspirators. Naruszewicz’s “ODA III DO SPRAWIEDLIWOŚCI,” included, at lines 57-60, the following statement: “I can only interpret such a fate as a marvel: to have kings as defenders of their own grievances, to seek revenge through kindness, and with a sincere mind prefer mercy over being a hero of power” (from Naruszewicz, A. (2005). Poezje zebrane.  Vol. II. Wolska, B. (ed). Poland: Instytut Badań Literackich. p. 109, which read: “Polszczę to tylko takie los zostawił dziwy: mieć królów obrońcami urazy właściwej, szukać zemsty dobrocią, a umysłem szczerem woleć litości, niż być mocy bohaterem”).

Wolska, the editor of the volume that I translated the ode fragment from, implied that Naruszewicz seemed to be contrasting Stanisław August’s humanitarianism with rulers such as the usurper Catherine II and expansionist Frederick II who found their fame on policies of aggression and wars that lead to the deaths of many people (from Naruszewicz, A. (2005), p. 6, which read: “Daje to okazję do przeciwsta wienia postawy pełnej humanitaryzmu władcom budującym swe zna czenie i sławę na wzbudzającej strach agresywnej polityce i wojnach, które przyczyniają się do śmierci wielu ludzi”).

Political Repercussions

The direct assault on the person of the king led the Habsburgs and other foreign courts to withdraw their support from the Confederation of Bar, resulting in, among other things, the expulsion of their members from their territories. This incident also provided the neighboring powers—Russia, Prussia, and Austria—a pretext to highlight the so-called “Polish anarchy,” thereby “justifying” their interventionist policies and the first partition of Poland. Consequently, the Confederation lost much of its European support, and the king reverted to the Russian faction.

Conclusion

The 1771 AR Medal by Johann Leonhard Oexlein is not merely a numismatic curiosity; it is a tangible representation of this tumultuous period in Polish history. It encapsulates the complexities of political alliances, the fervor of nationalistic movements, and the divine providence attributed to the survival of a king. As such, it serves as an invaluable artifact for scholars and enthusiasts interested in the interplay between numismatics and history.