(1677-1766) - Born to an influential and renowned Polish family of magnates, Stanislaw Lesczynski was twice elected to the Polish throne; 1704 and 1733. He was a well educated and intelligent man. He was however weak willed and his family was previously involved in the Polish-Swedish wars in a rather infamous way. He was elected under the protectorate and sponsorship of the then Swedish king Karl XII. Leszczynski's power reached only as far as the extent of Swedish army garrisons.
From 1699 he led the Poznan (Posen) voivodship. In 1703 he supported Karl XII in his conflict with August II The Powerful and Russia. As mentioned before Carl repayed him by sponsoring his election to the Polish crown. He was not a strong leader and was a bit of a puppet. He did endear himself to the people for his charitable acitivities and quest for justice, even for the common man. This gained him the nickname of 'Benevolent'. He was well educated and wrote a number of treatises on topics ranging from law to the reformation.
He ended his life in Lorraine given to him by his son in law, Louis XV. He established a knights' academy in the town of Lunéville, which later educated many Polish officers and political activists. He lived and died in Nancy where his remains were laid to rest at the Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours. He died due to severe burns after his nightrobe was ignited by a spark from his fireplace.
During the French Revolution his coffin and remains were desecrated by revolutionary zealots. Some of the remnants were saved by people close to him and are now in the royal tomb at the Wawel Castle in Cracow (Kraków). | 
