Michal I of Poland was the Grand Duke of Warsaw from 1806 to 1813. He was an ally of Napoleon I of France and the French Empire, who gave Poland its independence after liberating Warsaw from Prussia. Michal's Poland grew in size as France handed over formerly-Polish territories to their Warsawian allies.
Biography[]
Michal was a high-ranking nobleman of Polish aristocracy in the Kingdom of Prussia, and was installed as the leader of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1806 when the French Empire liberated the city from the Prussians. Michal I was initially feeble and his wealth meagre, but Poland grew into a nation of over 7,000,000 people, and Michal I was persuaded to declare war on the strong empires of Austria and Russia by French emperor Napoleon I. Michal reigned as the puppet leader of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw until its occupation by Prussian and Russian forces in 1813.