Augustus III of Poland

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Augustus III
Frederick Augustus I
SuccessorFrederick Christian
Born17 October 1696
Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
Died5 October 1763(1763-10-05) (aged 66)
Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
Burial, Dresden
Spouse
(m. 1719; died 1757)
Lutheran (until 1712)
SignatureAugustus III's signature

Augustus III (Polish: August III Sas – "the Saxon"; Lithuanian: Augustas III; 17 October 1696 – 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II (German: Friedrich August II).

He was the only legitimate son of

Maria Josepha, daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, and became elector of Saxony following his father's death in 1733. Augustus was able to gain the support of Charles VI by agreeing to the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and also gained recognition from Russian Empress Anna by supporting Russia's claim to the region of Courland. He was elected king of Poland by a small minority on 5 October 1733 and subsequently banished the former Polish king Stanisław I. He was crowned in Kraków on 17 January 1734.[1]

Augustus was supportive of

Poland, his rule was marked by the increasing influence of the Czartoryski and Poniatowski families, and by the intervention of Catherine the Great in Polish affairs. His rule deepened the social anarchy in Poland and increased the country's dependence on its neighbours, notably Prussia, Austria, and Russia. The Russian Empire prevented him from installing his family on the Polish throne, supporting instead the aristocrat Stanisław August Poniatowski, the lover of Catherine the Great. Throughout his reign, Augustus was known to be more interested in ease and pleasure than in the affairs of state; this notable patron of the arts left the administration of Saxony and Poland to his chief adviser, Heinrich von Brühl
, who in turn left Polish administration chiefly to the powerful Czartoryski family.

Royal titles

Royal titles in

Latin
: Augustus tertius, Dei gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniæ, Russiæ, Prussiæ, Masoviæ, Samogitiæ, Kijoviæ, Volhiniæ, Podoliæ, Podlachiæ, Livoniæ, Smolensciæ, Severiæ, Czerniechoviæque, nec non-hæreditarius dux Saxoniæ et princeps elector etc.

English translation: August III, by the grace of God, King of

Prince-Elector
, etc.

Biography

Augustus, aged 19 years in 1715 by Nicolas de Largillière

Early life and education

Augustus was born 17 October 1696 in

Wawel in Kraków and purely held a titular title of queen.[2]
This move was viewed by the Polish nobility as a provocation and from the beginning the prince was treated with prejudice in Poland.

Prince Frederick Augustus, by Louis de Silvestre, 1727

From his early years, Augustus was groomed to succeed as king of Poland-Lithuania; best tutors were hired from across the continent and the prince studied Polish, German, French and Latin.

Lutheran.[6] This was particularly unfavourable for the Poles, who wouldn't accept or tolerate a Protestant monarch. As a consequence, a troubled Augustus II organized a tour of Catholic countries in Europe for his son which he hoped would bring him closer to Catholicism and break the bond between him and his controlling grandmother. In Venice, the Polish entourage thwarted a kidnapping attempt organized by British agents of Queen Anne in order to prevent him from converting.[7][8] He also witnessed the coronation of Charles VI in 1711 after the death of his brother and predecessor, Joseph I.[5]

Augustus eventually converted to

Protestant Saxon aristocracy.[6][9][10] Faced with a hereditary Catholic succession for Saxony, Prussia and Hanover attempted to oust Saxony from the directorship of the Protestant body in the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire, but Saxony managed to retain the directorship.[11]

, 1714

On 26 September 1714, Augustus was warmly welcomed by

Louis XIV of France at Versailles. Louis rejoiced when he heard that Augustus converted to Catholicism and permitted him to stay at the royal court and in Paris. The young prince participated in balls, masquerades and private parties that were hosted by the Sun King himself.[5] During this time, Augustus improved his knowledge of the French language and learnt how to approach politics and diplomacy.[5] In June 1715, he departed Versailles and travelled across France, visiting Bordeaux, Moissac, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Marseille and Lyon.[5]
Apart from sightseeing, the purpose of this trip was to understand how cities and villages function. Being brought up in great wealth, Augustus was not entirely aware of how extensive poverty and poor living conditions could be in the countryside.

Marriage and wedding

Wedding reception of Augustus III and Maria Josepha at the Zwinger Palace in Dresden, 1719

On 20 August 1719, Augustus married Maria Josepha of Austria in Vienna. She was the daughter of the deceased Emperor Joseph I and niece of Charles VI of the Holy Roman Empire, whose coronation young Augustus attended. This marriage wasn't coincidental; Augustus II the Strong orchestrated it to maintain the position of the Saxons within the Holy Roman Empire. The alliance with Catholic Charles would prove fruitful in case of hostile or armed opposition from the Protestant states within the Empire. Ten days earlier, on 10 August 1719, Maria Josepha was forced to renounce her claim to the throne of Austria in favour of her uncle's daughter, Maria Theresa. In accordance with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 issued by Charles, a female heir or the eldest daughter would be permitted to inherit the throne of Austria. Augustus II also hoped to place Saxony in a better position should there arise a war of succession to the Austrian territories.[12]

Royal Monogram of King Augustus III of Poland.

The wedding celebration in Dresden was one of the most splendorous and expensive of the Baroque era in Europe.[13] Over 800 guests were invited for a 2-week celebration. The main banquet was held in a chamber that was transformed into an artificial silver mine to astound the invitees. Apart from exotic dishes, over 500 deer were brought in from the Białowieża Forest for the feast. Approximately 4 million thalers were spent for this occasion.[13]

Succession

National Museum in Warsaw

Augustus II died suddenly on 1 February 1733, following a Sejm (Polish parliament) session in Warsaw. Augustus III inherited the Saxon electorate without any problems, but his election to the Polish throne was much more complicated. Shortly before the ailing king died, Prussia, Austria and Russia signed a pact known as the Treaty of the Three Black Eagles, which would prevent Augustus III and Stanisław Leszczyński from inheriting the Polish throne. The royal elections in Poland and the elective monarchy, in general, weakened the country and allowed other powers to meddle in Polish affairs. The neighbouring countries that signed the treaty preferred a neutral monarch like Infante Manuel, Count of Ourém, brother of John V of Portugal, or any living relative of the Piast dynasty. The agreement had provisions for all three powers to agree that it was in their best interest that their common neighbour, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, did not undertake any reforms that might strengthen it and trigger expansionism. The new king would also have to maintain friendly relations with these countries.

The treaty quickly became ineffective as Prussia began to support Leszczyński and allowed him safe passage from France to Poland through German lands. As a result, Austria and Russia signed on 19 August 1733 the Löwenwolde's Treaty, named after Karl Gustav von Löwenwolde. The terms of Löwenwolde's Treaty were direct; Russia opted for a quid pro quo – they would provide troops to ensure Augustus III was elected king and in turn, Augustus would recognise Anna Ivanovna as Empress of Russia, thus relinquishing Polish claims to Livonia and Courland.[14][15] Austria received a promise that as king, Augustus would both renounce any claim to the Austrian succession and continue respecting the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713.[16]

War of the Polish Succession

Royal Polish Regalia
of Augustus III, made around the time of the Succession War

Augustus on his candidacy to the Polish throne was opposed by

Spain, Stanisław sparked the War of the Polish Succession
.

Throughout the spring and summer of 1733,

Eugene of Savoy recommended to the emperor a more warlike posture against its longtime rival, France. He suggested that the Rhine valley and northern Italy should be strengthened with more troops, however only minimal steps were taken to improve imperial defences on the Rhine. In July 1733, Augustus agreed to Austria's and Russia's terms per Löwenwolde's Treaty. During the election sejm in August, Russian troops counting 30,000 men under the command of Peter Lacy entered Poland to secure Augustus' succession. The election was de jure won by Stanisław, with 12,000 votes. Augustus received 3,000, however, he had the support of Poland's influential, wealthiest and most corrupt magnates, such as Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki
.

The Franco-Spanish coalition declared war on Austria and Saxony on 10 October. The Italian states of

confirmed Augustus III as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

To this day, the aphorism and phrase od Sasa do Lasa (lit. from the Saxon to Leszczyński) exists in the Polish language and is used when describing two completely opposite things in everyday life.[17]

Reign and diplomacy

Poland

Count von Brühl exhibiting his extravagant Meissen porcelain. Brühl was the viceroy of Poland and headed the Saxon court

As King, Augustus was uninterested in the affairs of his Polish–Lithuanian dominion, focusing instead on hunting, the opera, and the collection of artwork at the

Sejm (Liberum veto), fostering internal political anarchy and weakening the Commonwealth. Augustus delegated most of his powers and responsibilities in the Commonwealth to Heinrich von Brühl, who served in effect as the viceroy of Poland. Brühl in turn left the politics in Poland to the most powerful magnates and nobles, which resulted in widespread corruption.[18] Under Augustus, Poland was not involved in any major conflicts which further lessened its position in Europe and allowed the neighbouring countries to take advantage of the disorder. Any opposition was violently crushed by Brühl, who used either Saxon or Russian forces that permanently stationed in the country.[18]

Brühl was a skillful diplomat and strategist; Augustus could only be reached through him if an important political feud arose. He was also the head of the Saxon court in Dresden and was fond of collectibles, such as gadgets, jewellery and

National Museum in Warsaw.[19] He also owned the largest collections of watches, vests, wigs and hats in Europe, though this cannot be accurately assessed.[20][21] Brühl was depicted by his rivals as a nouveau-riche materialist, who used his wealth to gain support. His lavish spending was immortalized by Augustus' reported question to the viceroy "Brühl, do I have money?"[18]

By 1748 Augustus III completed extending the Saxon Palace in Warsaw and made significant contributions in remodelling the Royal Castle. In 1750, von Brühl purchased a residence adjacent to the larger Saxon Palace and transformed it into a rococo masterpiece, which later became known as the Brühl Palace. Both buildings were completely destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.[22]

War of the Austrian Succession

View of Dresden's Neumarkt in 1747, by Bernardo Bellotto

With the marriage to the Austrian princess

Hungary and Bohemia. Saxony mediated between the friendly French faction and the Habsburg faction of Maria Theresa. Between 1741 and 1742 Saxony was allied with France, but changed sides with the help of Austrian diplomats.[23]

In the first days of December 1740, the Prussians assembled along the

Breslau, and Brieg, but abandoned the rest of the region and withdrew into Moravia. This campaign gave Prussia control of most of the richest provinces in the Habsburg monarchy, with the commercial centre of Breslau as well as mining, weaving and dyeing industries. Silesia was also rich in natural resources such as coal, chalk, copper
and gold.

Augustus III by Rotari, 1755

Saxony joined Austria in the

expansionist ideas and goals. On 8 January 1745, the Treaty of Warsaw united Great Britain, the Habsburg monarchy, the Dutch Republic and Saxony into what became known as the "Quadruple Alliance", which was aimed at securing the Austrian throne for Maria Theresa. Soon-after Charles VII died of gout in Munich, which weakened the Prussians. However, Prussia still maintained military superiority; the successful battles of Hennersdorf and Kesselsdorf opened the way to Dresden, which Frederick occupied on 18 December. The Treaty of Dresden was eventually completed on Christmas Day (25 December) and Saxony was obliged to pay one million rixdollars in reparations to the Prussian state. The treaty ended the Second Silesian War with a status quo ante bellum
.

Maria Theresa was finally recognized in her inheritance with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, which proved a Pyrrhic victory for Augustus III; the conflict nearly bankrupted Saxony. Meanwhile, the affairs in Poland remained highly neglected.

Seven Years' War

National Museum in Warsaw
.

The Electorate of Saxony was involved in the Seven Years' War from 1756 to 1763. The Saxons were allied with Austria and Russia against Frederick the Great of Prussia, who saw Saxony as another potential field for expansion. Saxony was then merely a buffer zone between Prussia and Austrian Bohemia as well as Silesia, which Frederick attempted to annex in their entirety. Moreover, Saxony and Poland were separated by a strip of land in Silesia and Lusatia which made the movement of troops even more difficult. Frederick's plans also entailed annexing the Electorate of Hanover, but joining France would trigger an Austro-Russian attack and occupation. On 29 August 1756, the Prussian Army preemptively invaded Saxony, beginning the Third Silesian War, a theatre of the Seven Years' War. Saxony was bled dry and exploited at the maximum extent to support Prussia's war effort. The Treaty of Hubertusburg signed on 15 February 1763 ended the conflict with Frederick's victory and Saxony renounced its claim to Silesia.

Death

In April 1763, Augustus returned ill and frail from Poland to Dresden with his closest advisors, leaving Primate

Wawel in Kraków, Augustus III was buried at Dresden Cathedral
and remains one of the few Polish monarchs who were buried outside of Poland.

Augustus's eldest surviving son, Frederick Christian, succeeded his father as elector but died two and a half months later.

In the Commonwealth, on 7 September 1764, with the small participation of the

Catherine II of Russia
and as such enjoyed strong support from that Empress's court.

Legacy

Patron of arts

Saxon Facade of the Royal Castle in Warsaw

Augustus III was a great patron of the arts and architecture. During his reign the

Warsaw Old Town
.

Meissen porcelain figure of King Augustus III

In 1733, the composer

Kyrie–Gloria Mass in B minor, BWV 232 I (early version), to Augustus in honor of his succession to the Saxon electorate, with the hope of appointment as Court Composer, a title Bach received three years later.[26] Bach's title of Koeniglicher Pohlnischer Hoff Compositeur (Royal Polish Court Composer, and court composer to the Elector of Saxony) is engraved on the title page of Bach's famous Goldberg Variations. Augustus III was also the patron of composer Johann Adolph Hasse, who was granted the title of the Royal-Polish and Electoral-Saxon Kapellmeister by his father, Augustus II, in 1731,[27] and thanks to Augustus III the same title was obtained in 1716 by composer Johann David Heinichen.[28]

Personal life and criticism

Donors to the General Hospital of Infant Jesus; Augustus III is in the top left corner, 18th-century depictions

In 1732, a French priest named Gabriel Piotr Baudouin founded the first

Warsaw Insurgents Square), and in 1758 Augustus III decreed that the new institution be called Szpital Generalny Dzieciątka Jezus (The General Hospital of Infant Jesus). The newly established hospital expanded its operations into treating not only orphans but also the sick and the poor.[29]
Augustus remained a charitable man throughout his life and donated to the hospital. His successor, Stanisław Augustus, also contributed to the cause.

Despite his charitable manner, Augustus was viewed in Poland as an impotent monarch, obese, plump, ugly and lazy sybarite with no interest in the affairs of the state.[30] Such harsh critique and opinion continues to this day. On the other hand, historian Jacek Staszewski was able to find a description of Augustus' character in the Dresden archives in the late 1980s; he was considered an honest and affectionate man, who was widely respected during his reign by both the Saxons and the Poles.[30] In his personal life, Augustus was a devoted husband to Maria Josepha, with whom he had sixteen children. Unlike his father who was a notorious womanizer, he was never unfaithful and enjoyed spending time with his spouse, uncommon among the royalty in those days.[31] He also favoured hunting.

Depictions

Augustus III was portrayed by Ernst Dernburg in the 1941 film Friedemann Bach.

Issue

Naples and Sicily
, pictured in Polish dress (1738).

On 20 August 1719, Augustus married Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria, the eldest child of Joseph I, the Holy Roman Emperor. They had sixteen children, but only fourteen or fifteen are recognized by historians:[9][10]

  • Portrait of Crown Prince Augustus
    Portrait of Crown Prince Augustus
  • Augustus III in Sarmatian costume, by Louis de Silvestre, c.1737
    Augustus III in Sarmatian costume, by Louis de Silvestre, c.1737
  • Coat of arms of Augustus III of Poland as vicar of the Holy Roman Empire
    Coat of arms of Augustus III of Poland as vicar of the Holy Roman Empire
  • Entry of Augustus III into Warsaw by Johann Samuel Mock
    Entry of Augustus III into Warsaw by Johann Samuel Mock
  • Crown Regalia of King Augustus and Maria Josepha
    Crown Regalia of King Augustus and Maria Josepha
  • 6 groschen, 1763
    6 groschen, 1763

Ancestry

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Augustus III | king of Poland and elector of Saxony". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  2. ^ Clarissa Campbell Orr: Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press (2004)
  3. ^ Jacek Staszewski, August III Sas, Wrocław, 2010, p. 27–29, 70 (in Polish)
  4. ^ a b Staszewski, Op. cit., p. 28
  5. ^ a b c d e "August III - przedostatni król i jego legenda | Łazienki Królewskie". lazienki-krolewskie.pl.
  6. ^ a b c "August III Wettyn (król Polski 1733–1763)". TwojaHistoria.pl.
  7. ^ "Polski slownik biograficzny: Kopernicki, I.-Kozłowska". Skład główny w księg, Gebethnera i Wolffa. 21 March 1935.
  8. ^ Konopczyński, Władysław (21 March 1969). "Polski słownik biograficzny". Nakł. Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności.
  9. ^ a b Flathe, Heinrich Theodor (1878), "Friedrich August II., Kurfürst von Sachsen", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 7, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot: 784–86.
  10. ^ .
  11. ^ Kalipke, Andreas (2010). "The Corpus Evangelicorum". In Coy, J.P.; Marschke, B. Benjamin; Sabean D.W. (eds.). The Holy Roman Empire, Reconsidered. Berghahn. pp. 228–247.
  12. .
  13. ^ a b "Ostatnia polska królowa. Władczyni. o której nie powiedzieli Ci na lekcjach historii". WielkaHistoria. 30 July 2019.
  14. OCLC 626738
  15. ^ "Od Sasa do Lasa". werandacountry.pl. 17 April 2015.
  16. ^ a b c "Zdanie, które podobno mówi wszystko o rządach Augusta III Sasa. Ale czy słusznie?". TwojaHistoria.pl. 16 January 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Swan Service | porcelain tableware". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  18. .
  19. ^ Watra-Przewłocki, J. (22 March 1918). "Historya Polski ilustrowana". Nakł. i drukiem Wydawn. Braci Worzałłów.
  20. ^ "Fundacja Warszawa 1939". Fundacja Warszawa 1939.
  21. ISBN 978-0-750-90578-7. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help
    )
  22. ^ a b "250. rocznica śmierci króla Polski Augusta III Wettyna". dzieje.pl.
  23. ^ "Collegium medico-chirurgicum". Stadtwiki Dresden. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Missa in B Minor ("Kyrie" and "Gloria" of the B Minor Mass)". World Digital Library. 1733. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  25. ^ "Johann Adolph Hasse Museum". KomponistenQuartier. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  26. ^ "Słuchajmy Heinichena..." Radio Kraków. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Szpital Kliniczny Dzieciątka Jezus - O Szpitalu". dzieciatkajezus.pl. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  28. ^ a b August III Sas: Amazon.co.uk: Staszewski, Jacek: 9788304050341: Books. ASIN 830405034X.
  29. ^ "August III Sas - Staszewski Jacek - Ossolineum - Księgarnia internetowa czytam.pl". czytam.pl.
  30. ^ "Christine", Saxony Albert, Netherlands: Royalty guide, 1735, archived from the original (JPEG) on 28 February 2008.
  31. ^ "Elisabeth", Saxony Albert, Netherlands: Royalty guide, 1736, archived from the original (JPEG) on 28 February 2008.
Augustus III of Poland (Frederick Augustus II of Saxony)
Born: 17 October 1696 Died: 5 October 1763
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Stanisław I
King of Poland

1733–1763
Succeeded by
Stanisław II August
Preceded by
Frederick Augustus I
Elector of Saxony

1733–1763
Succeeded by