# Proclamation of Połaniec (1794)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1794-proclamation-of-polaniec
Location: Połaniec

Kościuszko granted peasants personal freedom, reduced their labour obligations and protected them from arbitrary eviction, hoping to draw them into the uprising. 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 (7 May 1794), 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. Proclamation of Połaniec mattered because it defined rights and institutions that shaped Polish government and society. 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
Proclamation of Połaniec mattered because it defined rights and institutions that shaped Polish government and society.

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

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Proclamation of Połaniec](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_of_Po%C5%82aniec)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Proclamation of Połaniec](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Proclamation+of+Po%C5%82aniec)
- [Wikipedia — Partitions of Poland (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland)