Bulgakov was further outmaneuvered by the Polish reformers when King Stanisław August drew closer to leaders of the reform-minded Patriotic Party (Stanisław Małachowski, Ignacy Potocki, Hugo Kołłątaj, Stanisław Staszic and others). Finally the reformers pulled a quasi-coup d'etat, voting for a new constitution, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, when most of the pro-Russian deputies (Muscovite Party) were away for the Easter recess. The Constitution which drastically reformed the Commonwealth coincided with the end of the Russo-Turkish war.
Bulgakov was outmaneuvered by Polish reformers, who were aided by King Stanisław August's support of reform-minded Patriotic Party leaders (Stanisław Małachowski, Ignacy Potocki, Hugo Kołłątaj, Stanisław Staszic and others). The reformers staged a quasi-coup d'etat, voting for a new constitution, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, while most pro-Russian deputies (Muscovite Party) were away for Easter recess. This constitution drastically reformed the Commonwealth coinciding with the end of the Russo-Turkish war.