Blanning, Tim August der Starke

Sachsens Sonnenkönig. Eine Biographie

A total political and military failure, but a cultural and historical legacy of world renown this is how British historian Tim Blanning sums up the life of Augustus the Strong in his illuminating and entertaining new biography, transporting his readers into the opulent world of the Baroque. A historical coincidence gave the Saxon elector Poland in 1697, where he henceforth reigned as Augustus II. He could have used this opportunity to create a powerful European state, a bulwark against Russia and Prussian expansion. But politically and militarily, Augustus missed no opportunity to fail. At the same time, he indulged in the pleasures of life as a ruthless spendthrift and libertine, and promoted the arts just as excessively. For more than 35 turbulent years, August played a role in the concert of European powers. When he died in 1733 at the age of 62, Poland was finished as a European power and the once-rich Saxony was bankrupt. Tim Blanning takes a stern yet forgiving look at the contradictory life of this Baroque prince, who found fulfilment in his love of art and architecture. At home in Dresden, he erected a monument to himself that shows this excessive character from his most brilliant side.