Formation of the Bar Confederation

Background. After the deposition of the Swedish client king Stanislaus I, the Commonwealth had declined from a major European power into a Russian satellite state, with the tsar effectively choosing Polish–Lithuanian monarchs during the "free" elections and steering much internal politics. The Repnin Sejm of 1767–1768, named after the Russian ambassador who unofficially presided over its proceedings, exemplified this control.

Treaty of Perpetual Friendship. Russian protection over Poland–Lithuania became official through the Traktat wieczystej przyjaźni pomiędzy Rosją a Rzecząpospolitą, the Treaty of perpetual friendship between Russia and the Commonwealth, which the Repnin Sejm accepted without debate on 27 February 1768. By that year Russians already regarded the still-independent Commonwealth as a protectorate of the Russian Empire.

Confederation and Aftermath. The articles of the confederation were signed on 29 February 1768 at the fortress of Bar in Podolia, an association of szlachta formed to defend the Commonwealth's internal and external independence against Russian political influence and against King Stanislaus II Augustus and Polish reformers seeking to limit the magnates' power. The ensuing struggle lasted until 1772, involving roughly 100,000 nobles in some 500 military clashes.