# Polish–Prussian alliance (1790)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1790-polish-prussian-alliance
Location: Warsaw

The Commonwealth signed a defensive alliance with Prussia, which later failed to honour it. Within the broader Reform & Partitions period: Under Stanisław August the Commonwealth attempted sweeping Enlightenment reforms, culminating in the Constitution of 3 May 1791, while Russia, Prussia and Austria carved up its territory in three partitions. At this point in the timeline (1790), the governing authority was Stanisław August Poniatowski (King of Poland). Last King of Poland; patron of the Enlightenment and the Constitution of 3 May 1791, he abdicated after the Third Partition. Polish–Prussian alliance mattered because diplomacy defined Poland's relations with its neighbours and the wider world. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Polish–Prussian alliance mattered because diplomacy defined Poland's relations with its neighbours and the wider world.

Ruler at the time: [Stanisław August Poniatowski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/stanislaw-august-poniatowski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Polish–Prussian alliance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Prussian_alliance)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Polish–Prussian alliance](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Polish%E2%80%93Prussian+alliance)
- [Wikipedia — Partitions of Poland (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland)