Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III | |
---|---|
Frederick Augustus I | |
Successor | Frederick Christian |
Born | 17 October 1696 Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
Died | 5 October 1763 Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire | (aged 66)
Burial | , Dresden |
Spouse | |
Lutheran (until 1712) | |
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
Augustus was supportive of
Royal titles
Royal titles in
English translation: August III, by the grace of God, King of
Biography
Early life and education
Augustus was born 17 October 1696 in
This move was viewed by the Polish nobility as a provocation and from the beginning the prince was treated with prejudice in Poland.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.
Augustus eventually converted to
On 26 September 1714, Augustus was warmly welcomed by
Marriage and wedding
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]
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
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
Augustus on his candidacy to the Polish throne was opposed by
Throughout the spring and summer of 1733,
The Franco-Spanish coalition declared war on Austria and Saxony on 10 October. The Italian states of
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
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
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
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
With the marriage to the Austrian princess
In the first days of December 1740, the Prussians assembled along the
Saxony joined Austria in the
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
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
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
Legacy
Patron of arts
Augustus III was a great patron of the arts and architecture. During his reign the
In 1733, the composer
Personal life and criticism
In 1732, a French priest named Gabriel Piotr Baudouin founded the first
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
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]
- Frederick Augustus Franz Xavier (born Dresden, 18 November 1720 – died Dresden, 22 January 1721)
- Joseph Augustus Wilhelm Frederick Franz Xavier Johann Nepomuk (born Pillnitz, 24 October 1721 – died Dresden, 14 March 1728)
- Frederick Christian Leopold Johann Georg Franz Xavier (born Dresden, 5 September 1722 – died Dresden, 17 December 1763), successor to his father as Elector of Saxony
- Unknown stillborn daughter (Dresden, 23 June 1723)
- Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga (born Dresden, 24 November 1724 – died Buen Retiro, 27 September 1760); married on 19 June 1738 to Charles VII, King of Naples, later King Charles III of Spain
- Maria Margaretha Franziska Xaveria (born Dresden, 13 September 1727 – died Dresden, 1 February 1734), died in childhood.
- Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria
- Unknown child (1729–1730)
- Franz Xavier Albert August Ludwig Benno(born Dresden, 25 August 1730 – died Dresden, 21 June 1806), Regent of Saxony (1763–1768)
- ) of France
- Zemgale(1758–1763)
- Maria Christina Anna Teresia Salomea Eulalia Franziska Xaveria (born Warsaw, 12 February 1735 – died Brumath, 19 November 1782), Princess-Abbess of Remiremont[32]
- Maria Elisabeth Apollonia Casimira Francisca Xaveria (born Warsaw, 9 February 1736 – died Dresden, 24 December 1818), died unmarried[33]
- Albert Kasimir August Ignaz Pius Franz Xavier(born Moritzburg, near Dresden, 11 July 1738 – died Vienna, 10 February 1822), Duke of Teschen and Governor of the Austrian Netherlands (1781–1793)
- Archbishop of Trier
- Thorn and Essen
Gallery
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Portrait of Crown Prince Augustus
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Augustus III in Sarmatian costume, by Louis de Silvestre, c.1737
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Coat of arms of Augustus III of Poland as vicar of the Holy Roman Empire
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Entry of Augustus III into Warsaw by Johann Samuel Mock
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Crown Regalia of King Augustus and Maria Josepha
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6 groschen, 1763
Ancestry
Ancestors of Augustus III of Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See also
- History of Saxony
- History of Poland (1569–1795)
- Rulers of Saxony
- List of Lithuanian rulers
- Dresden Castle – Residence of Augustus III
Notes and references
- ^ "Augustus III | king of Poland and elector of Saxony". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Clarissa Campbell Orr: Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort. Cambridge University Press (2004)
- ^ Jacek Staszewski, August III Sas, Wrocław, 2010, p. 27–29, 70 (in Polish)
- ^ a b Staszewski, Op. cit., p. 28
- ^ a b c d e "August III - przedostatni król i jego legenda | Łazienki Królewskie". lazienki-krolewskie.pl.
- ^ a b c "August III Wettyn (król Polski 1733–1763)". TwojaHistoria.pl.
- ^ "Polski slownik biograficzny: Kopernicki, I.-Kozłowska". Skład główny w księg, Gebethnera i Wolffa. 21 March 1935.
- ^ Konopczyński, Władysław (21 March 1969). "Polski słownik biograficzny". Nakł. Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności.
- ^ a b Flathe, Heinrich Theodor (1878), "Friedrich August II., Kurfürst von Sachsen", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 7, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot: 784–86.
- ^ ISBN 3-05-002600-6.
- ^ 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.
- ISBN 0-521-81422-7.
- ^ a b "Ostatnia polska królowa. Władczyni. o której nie powiedzieli Ci na lekcjach historii". WielkaHistoria. 30 July 2019.
- OCLC 626738
- ISBN 0-521-44229-X
- OCLC 626738
- ^ "Od Sasa do Lasa". werandacountry.pl. 17 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "Zdanie, które podobno mówi wszystko o rządach Augusta III Sasa. Ale czy słusznie?". TwojaHistoria.pl. 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Swan Service | porcelain tableware". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ISBN 9788362460113.
- ^ Watra-Przewłocki, J. (22 March 1918). "Historya Polski ilustrowana". Nakł. i drukiem Wydawn. Braci Worzałłów.
- ^ "Fundacja Warszawa 1939". Fundacja Warszawa 1939.
- )
- ^ a b "250. rocznica śmierci króla Polski Augusta III Wettyna". dzieje.pl.
- ^ "Collegium medico-chirurgicum". Stadtwiki Dresden. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Missa in B Minor ("Kyrie" and "Gloria" of the B Minor Mass)". World Digital Library. 1733. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ "Johann Adolph Hasse Museum". KomponistenQuartier. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Słuchajmy Heinichena..." Radio Kraków. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Szpital Kliniczny Dzieciątka Jezus - O Szpitalu". dzieciatkajezus.pl. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ a b August III Sas: Amazon.co.uk: Staszewski, Jacek: 9788304050341: Books. ASIN 830405034X.
- ^ "August III Sas - Staszewski Jacek - Ossolineum - Księgarnia internetowa czytam.pl". czytam.pl.
- ^ "Christine", Saxony Albert, Netherlands: Royalty guide, 1735, archived from the original (JPEG) on 28 February 2008.
- ^ "Elisabeth", Saxony Albert, Netherlands: Royalty guide, 1736, archived from the original (JPEG) on 28 February 2008.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. III (9th ed.). 1878. p. 85. .
- Bach, Johann Sebastian, "Mass in B Minor", Cue points, Oregon Bach festival, archived from the original (Adobe Flash) on 23 July 2011, retrieved 21 August 2011.