The tragic national epic of Polish history began in these late 18th-century wars.

Under Poland''s Saxon monarchy, Russia and Prussia constantly meddled in the affairs of the Kingdom. In 1768 a civil war broke out between pro-Russian ''Commonwealth'' Poles and ''Confederate'' patriots who opposed foreign intervention; Russia intervened directly, and the First Partition followed in 1772. Guerrilla resistance continued, and, following a Second Partition between Russia and Prussia in 1793, Poland''s national hero Thaddeus Kosciusko led a national uprising against the invaders in April 1794. After remarkable victories against the odds at Raclawice and Warsaw, the patriots were finally defeated at Maciejowice, and Poland ceased to exist as a political nation.

Featuring specially commissioned full-color illustrations, this is the epic story of Poland''s doomed struggle to remain independent in the face of aggression from its neighbours in the late 18th century.