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The article comments on the article "Elbing an der Wende zum 18. Jahrhundert" by Simon Behnisch published in the January 2020 issue of the journal. Topics include the relation of the Polish city of Elbing in 17th-18th century with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with regard to war threats; political structure of the Commonwealth in view of the affiliation of cities like Danzig, Thorn and Elbing to it; and the origin of the Great Northern War from 1700-1721.

The Treaty of Altranstadt forced Augustus II to renoilllce the crown of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as well as any cooperation with the Tsardom of Muscovy in the context of the Great Northern War. Now Tsar Peter I was isolated facing the military superiority of Sweden. Looking for diplomatic solutions, Peter I pursued multiple strategies, building a political coilllterweight to Sweden in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth being one of particular importance. The election of a pretender to the Polish crown by the Sandomierz Confederation illlder the patronage of Peter I developed into a crucial part of Russian diplomacy. Johann Christoph von Urbich was accredited as a Russian envoy in Vienna at a time when the efforts of the Tsar to enthrone an anti-king to Stanislaw Leszczyiiski stalled. Based on the resources of this experienced diplomat, changes of strategy were discussed. The discrepancy between the Tsar's high expectations and the limits set by pragmatic politics put the new envoy into a situation in which he had to develop networks for initiatives of his own. His correspondence with the Saxon court and with Jan Szembek, the Polish Vice-Chancellor of Augustus II, show that the diplomat entered into special relations with them. These multiple loyalties only existed for a limited time, but were concurrent with his commitment to Peter I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]