Did you know, Ottoman Empire never recognized the annexation of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and for 137 years Ottoman Sultans asked about the Polish ambassador whenever they received diplomatic corps of the partitioners.

20 comments

  1. I’ve heard about it many times, never managed to verify it though. However, I’ve just come back from İstanbul and many guides (in Dolmabahçe or Topkapı, for example) confirm this.
    Obviously though it was more about rivalry with Russia than sympathy towards Poland-Lithuania, as we’ve had plenty of wars with each other and it was actually Poland-Lithuania* that signed the first peace treaty in Ottoman history (1699, Karlowitz) in which the latter had to cede some territory instead of acquire some, stopping the four centuries of expansion.

    *not alone, obviously

  2. Didn’t know about Iran. Another great gesture in history from them.

  6. Sobieski whooped them so hard that they were being cautious ever since

  7. Another funny anecdote is that during WW2 Imperial Japan never really recognised Poland being annexed so when the Polish Government in exile declared war on Japan, the Japanese just refused it. So theoretically Poland, even tho part of Allies, was never at war with Japan, and Japan, even tho they were in the Axis, never recognised Polish occupation.

    And yes I refuse to use word “surrender” or “capitulation” because Poland never officially capitulated (if I’m not wrong) and we did have a government and an army on Polish soil which represented the government in exile all that time

  8. We know. It was more to annoy Russia, but we are still grateful.

  11. That’s nice if you choose to forget that the Ottomans were to the neighboring nations what Russia was to Poland – an authoritarian, imperialist, settler colonialist empire and slavers on top of it.

  13. When the joke talked about “Lehistan”, I suddenly got flashbacks of “Wielka Lechia”.

  14. I guess they must have considered us worthy opponents after Vienna. Can’t blame them!

  15. The Ottomans and their Tatar Crimean buddies raided the Commonwealth lands and abducted tens of thousands of slaves each year to be sold in Istanbul. So yeah thanks for that Turkish support…

  16. We could have made an alliance and strike together Austria.

  17. Ok, so practically there was no Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – it was Lehistan or simply Poland. He didnt ask for Lithuanian deputy

  20. So Ottomans were using our name to troll others. It’s nice, but I woul;dn’t overestimate its importance.

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