Why Hungarian freedom fighter Rákóczi called in the Russian troops
An often overlooked chapter of the Rákóczi War of Independence is that, in 1707, Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II signed a treaty with the Russians in Warsaw, hoping it would lend international weight to his cause and ensure that Hungary and Transylvania would be included in the broader European peace settlement then emerging. In the final year of the conflict, however, he sent envoys to the Russian Tsar requesting the deployment of several thousand Russian troops to north-eastern Hungary.
The Russian treaty
The troops would indeed arrive—albeit two and a half centuries later, in 1944, in the form of the Soviet Red Army. Contrary to claims made by communist historians, Tsar Peter I (Peter the Great) sent no artillerymen or other soldiers during the war.
Nevertheless, a treaty was genuinely concluded in Warsaw in 1707. Tsar Peter, then struggling in the Great Northern War following a crushing defeat near Narva in 1700, hoped to capitalise on Rákóczi’s strong French connections. France’s Louis XIV, then at war with the Austrians, provided Rákóczi with tangible support. The tsar sought Versailles’ mediation in his conflict with Sweden, aiming to emerge as the dominant power in Northern and Eastern Europe.
European support
In return, Rákóczi hoped for the Polish crown and military aid from Russia to support his independence struggle. Peter promised both, but little materialised beyond the continued deployment of diplomats.
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Desperately seeking European aid, Rákóczi found France too distant and Russia unwilling to antagonise the Habsburgs, who were locked in conflict with Sweden—Russia’s principal rival—in Central Europe.
The 1708 defeat at the Battle of Trencsén revealed the kuruc forces’ inability to overcome well-organised Austrian troops, despite superior numbers. The victor on the battlefield was János Pálffy, who, a few years later, would broker the Treaty of Szatmár with Sándor Károlyi, Rákóczi’s acting commander while conversing with Russian envoys in Poland.
Why did Rákóczi seek Russian troops?
Rákóczi hoped that, following Tsar Peter’s 1709 victory over Swedish forces at Poltava, the tsar would not only mediate peace with Vienna but also actively join the War of Independence on the kuruc side. By spring 1710, Rákóczi was requesting Russian reinforcements to defend his remaining territories—effectively to secure them so they would not need to confront imperial forces.
Later clarifying his request, the prince asked for 3,000 to 4,000 troops and, should he be forced to flee, permission for himself and his followers to settle in Ukraine. At the time, the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine were sparsely populated (other regions were under Polish control), inhabited partly by Cossacks—providing ample space for resettlement.
A lost cause
By this stage, Rákóczi’s aim was chiefly to buy time—holding on until an extensive European peace agreement could be reached that would include Hungary and Transylvania. But Sándor Károlyi and János Pálffy reached an accord sooner: Hungary and Transylvania retained their feudal rights (paving the way for later reform eras), although the authority of the emperor and king remained unchallenged. Rákóczi rejected the settlement, considered Károlyi a traitor, and—despite being granted amnesty and the chance to retain his estates—chose exile instead.
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Source: Béla Köpeczi – Ágnes R. Várkonyi: II. Rákóczi Ferenc. Budapest. Osiris. 2004.
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