Introduction:

Among the numerous topics negotiated by the Great Powers Russia, Great Britain, Prussia, Austria and France at the Congress of Vienna, the question of the political future of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw (Poland) and the Kingdom of Saxony was of central concern. The reason for this was not so much that these two states were of exceptional political, strategic or economic significance (even though these aspects cannot be completely dismissed). It was rather due to the fact that the fronts had hardened so much between the powers that had gained victory over Napoleon while fighting about the future affiliation of these two states. Thus at the turn of the year from 1814 to 1815, a military conflict between Austria and Great Britain on the one side and Prussia and Russia on the other side was only narrowly avoided. Not surprisingly, therefore, the dispute over Poland and Saxony - commonly referred to as the 'Saxon-Polish Crisis' - has been the topic of numerous historical research projects. It can be noted, however, that so far very little research has focused on the Saxon part of the 'Saxon-Polish Crisis', i.e. the Kingdom of Saxony itself, not only in the negotiations at the Congress of Vienna but especially on the roots of the crisis dating back to the political events of the 'liberation year' of 1813.