PATKUL, JOHANN REINHOLD (1660-1707)

This article appears in Volume V20, Page 928 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: PAS-PER

PATKUL, JOHANN REINHOLD (1660-1707) , Livonian politician and agitator, was born in prison at Stockholm, where his father lay under suspicion of treason. He entered the Swedish army at an early age and was already a captain when, in 1689, at the head of a deputation of Livonian gentry, he went to Stockholm to protest against the rigour with which the land-recovery project of Charles XI. was being carried out in his native province. His eloquence favourably impressed Charles XI., but his representations were disregarded, and the offensive language with which, in another petition addressed to the king three years later, he renewed his complaints, involved him in a government prosecution. To save himself from the penalties of high treason, Patkul fled from Stockholm to Switzer-land, and was condemned in contumaciam to lose his right hand and his head. His estates were at the same time confiscated. For the next four years he led a vagabond life, but in 1698, after vainly petitioning the new king, Charles XII., for pardon, he entered the service of

Augustus

AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

the Strong of Saxony and Poland, with the deliberate intention of wresting from Sweden Livonia, to which he had now no hope of returning so long as that province belonged to the Swedish Crown. The aristocratic republic of Poland was obviously the most convenient suzerain for a Livonian nobleman; so, in 1698, Patkul proceeded to the court of the king-elector at Dresden and bombarded

Augustus

AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

with proposals for the

partition

PARTITION

of Sweden. His first plan was a combination against her of Saxony, Denmark and Brandenburg; but, Brandenburg failing him, he was obliged very unwillingly to admit Russia into the partnership. The tsar was to be content with Ingria and Esthonia, while Augustus was
to take Livonia, nominally as a fief of Poland, but really as an hereditary possession of the Saxon

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

. Military operations against Sweden's Baltic provinces were to be begun simultaneously by the

Saxons

SAXONS

and Russians. After thus forging the first link of the

partition

PARTITION

treaty, Patkul proceeded to Moscow, and, at a

secret

SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

conference held at Preobrazhenskoye, easily persuaded Peter the

Great

GREAT

to accede to the nefarious league (Nov. 11, 1699). Thoughout the earlier, unluckier days of the

Great

GREAT

Northern War, Patkul was the mainstay of the confederates. At Vienna, in 1702, he picked up the Scottish general George Benedict Ogilvie, and enlisted him in Peter's service. The same year, recognizing the -unprofitableness of serving such a master as Augustus, he exchanged the Saxon for the Russian service. Peter was glad enough to get a man so famous for his talents and energy, but Patkul speedily belied his reputation. His knowledge was too local and limited. On the 19th of August 1704 he succeeded, at last, in bringing about a treaty of alliance between Russia and the Polish republic to strengthen the hands of Augustus, but he failed to bring Prussia also into the anti-Swedish league because of Frederick I.'s fear of Charles and jealousy of Peter. From Berlin Patkul went on to Dresden to conclude an agreement -with the imperial commissioners for the transfer of the Russian contingent from the Saxon to the Austrian service. The Saxon ministers, after protesting against the new arrangement, arrested Patkul and shut him up in the fortress of Sonnenstein (Dec. 19, 1705), altogether disregarding the remonstrances of Peter against such a gross violation of international law. After the peace of Altranstadt (Sept. 24, 1707) he was delivered up to Charles, and at Kazimierz in Poland (Oct. lo, 1707) was broken alive on the wheel, Charles rejecting an appeal for mercy from his sister, the princess Ulrica, on the ground that Patkul, as a traitor, could not be pardoned for example's sake.
See 0. Sjogren, Johan Reinhold Patkul (Swed.) (Stockholm, 1882) ; Anton Buchholtz, Beitrage zur Lebensgeschichte J. R. Patkuls (

Leipzig

LEIPZIG

, 1893). (R. N. B.)

End of Article: PATKUL, JOHANN REINHOLD (1660-1707)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/PAS_PER/PATKUL_JOHANN_REINHOLD_1660_17.html">
PATKUL, JOHANN REINHOLD (1660-1707)
</a>

(Previous)
PATIO

(Next)
PATMORE, COVENTRY KERSEY DIGHTON (1823-1896)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email