August II of Poland

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

August II Mocny

First Reign	From 1697 until 1706
Second Reign	From 1709 until February 1, 1733
Elected	In 1697 in Poland.
Coronation	?
Royal House	Wettin
Predecessor	Jan III Sobieski, Stanisław I Leszczyński
Successor	Stanisław I Leszczyński
Parents	John George III Wettin. Anne Sophie.
Consorts	?
Children	August III Sas Maurice de Saxe
Date of Birth	May 12, 1670
Place of Birth	Dresden, Saxony, (now Germany).
Date of Death	February 1, 1733
Place of Death	Warsaw, Poland.

King August II The Strong (German August II der Starke, Polish August II Mocny) (May 12, 1670 - February 1, 1733) was an influential Saxon nobleman and monarch. He held the titles Elector of Saxony and King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Biography

Born in Dresden, Saxony, August was the son of John George III Wettin and Anne Sophie of Denmark. In 1694, he became Elector of Saxony as Kurfürst Friedrich August I. von Sachsen. Following the death of the Polish king John III Sobieski, August was converted to Catholicism and elected king of Poland in 1697 with the help and support of Russia and Austria. The legality of the election was questioned by some Poles.

As a result of defeats in the war with Sweden and the pro-Swedish party in Poland, August had to abdicate in 1706 in favour of Stanisław Leszczyński. But after the Swedish defeat in the Battle of Poltava, he was reintroduced as King of Poland in 1709. One of his sons, August III of Poland, followed him as Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.

August II was called August the Strong for his bearlike strength and also for his numerous offspring. It is sometimes written that he sired 365 children. Although this figure would be extremely difficult to verify, August II did father a very large number of illegitimate children, the most famous of whom was Maurice de Saxe (with Aurora von Königsmarck), the brilliant French military commander.

He successfully set out to discover the secret of the "White Gold", as the porcelain he eventually produced in Dresden and Meissen was called. He also gathered many of the best architects and painters from all over Europe in Dresden, and his rule marks the beginning of Dresden's development as a leading centre of technology and art. August's body was buried in Poland --all but his heart, which is in Dresden castle.

Royal titles:

Official Latin version: Augustus Secundus, Dei Gratia rex Poloniae, magnus dux Lithuaniae, Russie, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniae, Kijoviae, Volhyniae, Podoliae, Smolensciae, Severiae, Czerniechoviaeque, nec non haereditarius dux Saxoniae et princeps elector etc.

English translation: August II, by God's grace King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia (Ukraine), Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, Kyiv, Volhynia, Podolia, Smolensk, Sewierz and, Czernichow, an also hereditary duke of Saxony and prince elector, etc.

da:August 2. af Sachsen de:August II. (Polen) no:Friedrich August II av Sachsen pl:August II Mocny fi:August Väkevä sv:August den starke