Friedrich August I, King of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Kingdom of Saxony: The rulers of the Electorate of Saxony of the House of Wettin had held the title of Elector for several centuries. Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony was not involved in the establishment of the Confederation of the Rhine, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Staying out of the politics, he was drawn in when Napoleon advanced into German territory, siding with Prussia. The Saxony forces suffered significant losses and Friedrich August soon surrendered. He was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine and had to cede territory to the Kingdom of Westphalia. However, the trade-off was Saxony’s elevation to a kingdom. So on December 20, 1806, Friedrich August became King Friedrich August I of Saxony. On November 13, 1918, the last King of Saxony, Friedrich August III formally abdicated the Saxony throne, bringing about the end of the monarchy. . Today, the land that was once the Kingdom of Saxony is located in the German state of Saxony, in the east of Germany, bordering Poland and the Czech Republic.

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Friedrich August I, King of Saxony – source: Wikipedia

Friedrich August I was the first King of Saxony, reigning from 1806 to 1827. He was born Prince Friedrich August Josef Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Alois Xavier on December 23, 1750, in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany, the eldest surviving child of Prince (later Elector) Friedrich Christian of Saxony and Princess Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria.

Friedrich August had six siblings:

Upon his father’s death on December 17, 1763, Friedrich August became Elector of Saxony, reigning as Friedrich August III. As he was only thirteen years old, his mother served as Regent, and his uncle, Prince Franz Xavier, served as his representative until his eighteenth birthday in 1768. During this time, his uncle relinquished the throne of Poland to Stanisław II Augustus on Friedrich August’s behalf. However, under the terms of the new Polish Constitution, he remained heir to the Polish throne which he would later refuse upon Stanisław’s death in 1798.

Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. source: Wikipedia

On January 1769, Friedrich August married Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, the daughter of Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler and Countess Palatine Maria Francisca of Sulzbach. She was also the sister of the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. In addition to three stillborn children, Friedrich August and Amalie had one daughter:

As Elector, Friedrich August was not involved in establishing the Confederation of the Rhine, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Staying out of the politics, he was drawn in when Napoleon advanced into German territory, siding with Prussia. The Saxon forces suffered significant losses and Friedrich August soon surrendered. He was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine and had to cede territory to the Kingdom of Westphalia. However, the trade-off was Saxony’s elevation to a kingdom. So on December 20, 1806, Friedrich August became King Friedrich August I of Saxony.

The following year, the French Emperor Napoléon established the Duchy of Warsaw as a protectorate of the French Empire. In the Duchy’s constitution, he joined it with the House of Saxony, creating King Friedrich August I the Duke of Warsaw on June 9, 1807.

Under the watchful and controlling eye of Napoleon, Friedrich August attempted to join the Sixth Coalition in 1813, starting with a clandestine pact with Austria. However, word got back to Napoleon who quickly squashed the King’s efforts. The Emperor demanded the full support of Saxony, including their forces. Despite his misgivings about Napoleon, he trusted the Prussians even less, so the Saxons fought alongside the French in the Battle of Leipzig. The Prussians had no real intent to bring Saxony into the Coalition and had already formed a separate alliance with Russia, with the agreement that Prussia would annex Saxony. Instead of any support for Friedrich August, he was arrested by the Prussians and taken into custody.

After being released from prison in February 1815, the King delayed agreeing to any of the terms set out at the Congress of Vienna. Having no choice, he soon agreed to the peace treaty presented by Prussia and Russia. On May 21, 1815, he signed the treaty which gave more than half of the Saxony territory to Prussia, and the next day abdicated as Duke of Warsaw. Polish territory was divided amongst Russia, Austria, and Prussia, with the Russian area becoming the Kingdom of Poland, with the Russian Emperor as King. Upon returning home to Saxony in July 1815, the king received a warm welcome from the people of Saxony. He would remain on the throne for another twelve years.

Dresden Castle, c1896. source: Wikipedia

King Friedrich August I died at Dresden Castle in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on May 5, 1827. He is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony). As he had no male heirs, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Anton.

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