# First Partition of Poland (1772)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1772-first-partition-of-poland
Categories: main-event

Russia, Prussia and Austria annexed about a third of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Russia received Polish Livonia and eastern Belarus including Vitebsk and Mogilev. Two further partitions followed in 1793 and 1795. The partitions began the destruction of the Commonwealth.

## Why it matters
The partitions began the destruction of the Commonwealth.

Ruler at the time: [Catherine II](https://history-russia.com/rulers/catherine-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — First Partition of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Partition_of_Poland)
- [Wikipedia — Partitions of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland)
- [Wikipedia — Russian Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — First Partition of Poland](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=First+Partition+of+Poland)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)