# Society of Friends of Learning (1800)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1800-society-of-friends-of-learning
Location: Warsaw

Scholars founded the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning to preserve Polish language, science and culture after the partitions. It was the forerunner of later national academies. Within the broader Napoleonic & Congress Poland period: Poles fought beside Napoleon in hope of restoring their state, gaining the Duchy of Warsaw. After 1815 the Congress Kingdom of Poland enjoyed a constitution under the Russian tsar until the November Uprising. At this point in the timeline (1800), the governing authority was Partitioning powers (Prussia, Austria and Russia). After 1795 the former Polish lands were ruled directly by the Kingdom of Prussia, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Russian Empire. Society of Friends of Learning mattered because education and learning sustained Polish culture and trained future generations of leaders. 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
Society of Friends of Learning mattered because education and learning sustained Polish culture and trained future generations of leaders.

Ruler at the time: [Partitioning powers](https://poland-history.com/rulers/partitioning-powers)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Society_of_Friends_of_Learning)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Society of Friends of Learning](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Society+of+Friends+of+Learning)
- [Wikipedia — Congress Poland (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_Poland)