Georg, 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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Georg, King of Saxony – source: Wikipedia

King Georg of Saxony was born Prince Friedrich August Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Maximilian Karl Maria Nepomuk Baptist Xaver Cyriacus Romanus, on August 8, 1832, in Dresden,  Kingdom, now in the German state of Saxony. He was the second son of King Johann of Saxony and Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria. Georg had eight siblings:

Georg studied at the University of Bonn before beginning a military career which saw him fight in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War. In 1871, he represented Saxony at the Palace of Versailles for the proclamation of Prussian King Wilhelm I as the first German Emperor. In addition to his military career, Georg also chaired the Saxon Antiquities Association from 1855 until his accession in 1902. The organization was dedicated to the preservation of monuments and buildings in Saxony.

Infanta Maria Ana. source: Wikipedia

On May 11, 1859, at the Belém Palace in Lisbon, Portugal Georg married Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal. She was the daughter of the former Queen Maria II of Portugal and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and a sister of King Pedro V of Portugal. Despite an unhappy marriage, they had eight children:

As his elder brother Albert had no children, Georg was heir-presumptive to the Saxony throne from the time of Albert’s accession in 1873. Albert died in 1902, and Georg became King of Saxony at nearly 70 years old. Because of his age, many people felt he should step down and let the throne pass to his son, Friedrich August. His unpopularity increased during the textile workers’ strike in Crimmitschau in 1903-1904. Refusing to give in to the demands for higher wages and better working conditions, the King sent military forces into the city to force the end of the strike.

Georg’s reign lasted only two years. After falling ill with influenza earlier in the year, King Georg died in Pillnitz on October 15, 1904. 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) in Dresden,  Kingdom, now in the German state of Saxony.

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