The tragic national epic of Polish history began in these late 18th-century wars. Under Polands Saxon monarchy Russia & Prussia constantly meddled in the affairs of the Kingdom. In 1768 a civil war broke out between pro-Russian Commonwealth Poles & Confederate patriots who opposed foreign intervention; Russia intervened directly & the First Partition followed in 1772. Guerrilla resistance continued & anti-Russian political moves were snuffed out by a second Russian invasion in 1792. Following a Second Partition between Russia & Prussia in 1793 Polands national hero Thaddeus Kosciusko led a national uprising against the invaders in April 1794. After remarkable victories against the odds at Raclawice & Warsaw the patriots were finally defeated by the combined armies of Prussia & Russia at Maciejowice. This led to the Third Partition of 1795 between Prussia Russia & Austria & Poland ceased to exist as a political nation. Featuring specially commissioned full-color illustrations this is the epic story of Polands doomed struggle to remain independent in the face of aggression from its neighbours in the late 18th century.