Frederick Augustus III of Saxony

King of Saxony from 1904 to 1918

This article is about King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. For the elector Frederick Augustus III, see Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.

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|

Frederick Augustus III

Frederick Augustus III (1914)

King of Saxony
Reign| 15 October 1904 – 13 November 1918
Predecessor| George
Successor| Monarchy abolished

Born| (1865-05-25)25 May 1865
Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony
Died| 18 February 1932(1932-02-18) (aged 66)
Sibyllenort, Landkreis Oels, Province of Lower Silesia, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic
(present-day Szczodre, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland)
Burial|

Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden

Spouse| Archduchess Louise of Austria
Issue|

* Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony
* Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen
* Prince Ernst Heinrich
* Princess Maria Alix Karola
* Princess Margarete Karola
* Princess Maria Alix Luitpolda
* Princess Anna

| Names

German: Friedrich August Johann Ludwig Karl Gustav Gregor Philipp
English: Frederick Augustus John Louis Charles Gustav Gregory Philip von Wettin
House| Wettin
Father| George of Saxony
Mother| Maria Anna of Portugal
Religion| Roman Catholicism
Signature|

Frederick Augustus III (German: Friedrich August III.; 25 May 1865 – 18 February 1932) was the last King of Saxony (1904–1918). Born in Dresden, Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of King George of Saxony and his wife, Maria Anna of Portugal.

Frederick Augustus served in the Royal Saxon Army before becoming king, and later was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall. Though well-loved by his subjects, he voluntarily abdicated as king on 13 November 1918, after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I. He died in his Sibyllenort Palace in Lower Silesia (now Szczodre in Poland) and was buried in Dresden.

## Military career

[edit]

Frederick Augustus entered the Royal Saxon Army in 1877 as a second lieutenant, despite being only twelve years old. Given his royal status, he advanced rapidly through the ranks. He served initially with the Royal Saxon 1\. (Leib-) Grenadier Regiment Nr. 100. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1883, captain in 1887, major in 1889 and lieutenant colonel in 1891. By 1891, he was commander of the 1st Battalion of Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Nr. 108. He was promoted to colonel on 22 September 1892 and took command of the Schützen (Füsilier)-Regiment Nr. 108 on the same day. On 20 September 1894, the 29-year-old prince was promoted to Generalmajor and given command of the 1st Royal Saxon Infantry Brigade Nr. 45 (Saxon higher units usually bore two numbers: one their Saxon Army number and the other their number in the Prussian Army order of battle). On 22 May 1898, he was promoted to Generalleutnant and given command of the 1st Royal Saxon Infantry Division Nr. 23. He commanded this division until 26 August 1902, when he took command of the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps. He was promoted to General der Infanterie one month later, on 24 September. He remained in command of the corps until October 1904, when he became king. His military career effectively ended with his accession to the throne, but he was promoted subsequently to Generaloberst and then to Generalfeldmarschall (on 9 September 1912).

Following his father's accession, he was in July 1902 appointed à la suite of the German Marine Infantry by Emperor Wilhelm II during a visit to Kiel.[1]

## Abdication

[edit]

When the German Revolution of 1918 broke out in November, Frederick Augustus made no attempt to defend the Saxon monarchy. Knowing that it was futile to continue the war, he demurred when asked to quell a worker-sponsored uprising in the Altmarkt with troops still loyal to the king, and instead quietly left Dresden Castle through a side-gate to Moritzburg Castle.

While seeking refuge in Guteborn, he received news that Hermann Fleissner had proclaimed the Free State of Saxony on 10 November. Three days later, he signed his abdication on a single sheet of paper that consisted of one sentence: "I renounce the throne". Frederick Augustus then relieved all Saxons of their oath of loyalty to the monarchy, calling for unity and urging the citizens to work towards the better good of the state, whereupon he withdrew to Sibyllenort Palace, which he privately owned, near Breslau.

## Family

[edit]

Frederick Augustus married Archduchess Louise of Austria, in Vienna on 21 November 1891. They were divorced in 1903 by the royal decree of the King after she ran away while pregnant with her last child. Luise's flight from Dresden was due to her father-in-law's threatening to have her interned in a mental asylum at the Sonnenstein Castle for life. Her brother supported her in her wish to escape from Saxony. Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria-Hungary did not recognise the divorce.

They had seven children:

* Friedrich August Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony (1893–1943). After becoming a Jesuit priest, he renounced his rights in 1923. He was allegedly assassinated by the SS or Gestapo in 1943.
* Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen, Duke of Saxony (1893–1968). Married Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn and Taxis (1903–1976) and had issue.
* Ernst Heinrich (1896–1971). Married first Princess Sophie of Luxembourg (1902–1941), daughter of Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, in 1921 and second Virginia Dulon (1910–2002) in 1947 (morganatically). Had issue with Sophie.
* Maria Alix Carola, stillborn 22 August 1898
* Margarete Carola Wilhelmine (1900–1962). Married Prince Friedrich of Hohenzollern (1891–1965).
* Maria Alix Luitpolda (1901–1990). Married Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden (1891–1964).
* Anna Monika Pia (1903–1976). Married firstly Archduke Joseph Franz of Austria (1895–1957) and secondly Reginald Kazanjian (1905–1990).

Their two eldest sons, Friedrich August and Friedrich Christian, were both born in 1893, but were not twins. Friedrich August was born in January, and Friedrich Christian was born in December.

## Quotes

[edit]

Frederick Augustus was a popular monarch who was not particularly given to the formalities and luxuries of royalty. He often dressed in civilian clothes, was comfortable speaking in the vernacular Upper Saxon dialect, and was sometimes seen playing skat with his subjects in the pubs of Dresden. Several instances of his self-effacing sense of humour have been recorded.

* When standing in uniform on a station platform, he was asked by a lady to move her trunk. He is reported to have replied, "Madam, I am not a porter; I only look like one."[2]
* When the German Republic was proclaimed in 1918, he was asked by telephone whether he would abdicate willingly. He said: "Oh, well, I suppose I'd better."[3]
* When cheered by a crowd in a railway station several years after his abdication, he stuck his head out of the train's window and shouted "You're a fine lot of republicans, I'll say!"[3]

## Decorations and awards

[edit]

Coat of Arms of the King of Saxony

*  Saxony:[4]
* Knight of the Rue Crown, 1877;[5] Grand Master, 15 October 1904
* Knight of the Military Order of St. Henry, 21 October 1914[6]
* Grand Master of the Albert Order
* Grand Master of the Civil Order of Saxony
* Saxon Service Order, 1st Class (25 years service)
*  Baden:[7]
* Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1884
* Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1884
*  Bavaria:
* Knight of St. Hubert, 1886[8]
* Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph
* Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1886[9]
*  Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 13 May 1893[10]
* Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore[4]
*  Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Collar[4]
* Prussia:
* Knight of the Black Eagle, 19 September 1882;[11] with Collar
* Pour le Mérite (military), 29 December 1916[6]
* Iron Cross (1914), 1st and 2nd Classes
*  Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1886[12]
*  Schaumburg-Lippe: Cross of Honour of the House Order of Schaumburg-Lippe, 1st Class[4]
*  Württemberg: Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1894[13]
* Austria-Hungary:[14]
* Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1886
* Knight of the Golden Fleece, 1889
* Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, 1917
*  Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold[4]
*  Bulgaria: Knight of Saints Cyril and Methodius, with Collar[15]
* Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer[4]
*  Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion[15]
*  Ottoman Empire: Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class[4]
*  Portugal:[4]
* Grand Cross of the Sash of the Two Orders
* Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword
*  Russia:[4]
* Knight of St. Andrew
* Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
*  Sweden: Knight of the Seraphim, 12 March 1910[16]
* Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 24 August 1897[17]
* Kingdom of Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 18 March 1907[18]
* Tuscan Grand Ducal Family: Grand Cross of St. Joseph[4]

## Ancestry

[edit]

Ancestors of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. John, King of Saxony|

|  |  |
| 9\. Princess Carolina of Parma

| 2\. George, King of Saxony|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

| 5\. Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria|

|  |  |
| 11\. Princess Caroline of Baden

| 1\. Frederick Augustus III of Saxony|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Ferdinand, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry

| 6\. Ferdinand II of Portugal|

|  |  |
| 13\. Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya

| 3\. Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Pedro I of Brazil and IV of Portugal

| 7\. Maria II of Portugal|

|  |  |
| 15\. Archduchess Leopoldina of Austria

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Latest intelligence - the German Emperor and Saxony". The Times. No. 36812\. London. 5 July 1902. p. 7.
2. ^ "In Saxony". Time. 10 August 1925. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
3. ^ a b "Milestones, Feb. 29, 1932". Time. 29 February 1932. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rangliste de Königlich Preußischen Armee (in German), Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn, 1903, p. 139 – via hathitrust.org
5. ^ Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1878) (in German), "Königliche Ritter-Orden", p. 3
6. ^ a b "Friedrich August III. Johann Ludwig Karl Gustav König von Sachsen". the Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
7. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1888), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 62, 74
8. ^ Hof und Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Bayern (1906) (in German), "Königliche Orden", p. 7
9. ^ Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1890), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 46
10. ^ "Ludewigs-orden", Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1914, p. 5 – via hathitrust.org
11. ^ "Schwarzer Adler-orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, p. 9 – via hathitrust.org`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
12. ^ Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Archived 6 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16
13. ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 29
14. ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 50, 52, 55, retrieved 2 November 2019
15. ^ a b Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1923) pp. 108–109
16. ^ Sveriges Statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 6 January 2018 – via runeberg.org
17. ^ Royal Thai Government Gazette (23 March 1899). "พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ ที่ประเทศยุโรป" (PDF) (in Thai). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
18. ^ "Caballeros extranjeros del collar de la Orden de Carlos III", Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish), 1920, p. 213, retrieved 12 July 2020

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Augustus III of Saxony.

Frederick Augustus III of Saxony

House of Wettin

Born: 25 May 1865 Died: 18 February 1932

Regnal titles
Preceded by

George

|  King of Saxony
15 October 1904 – 13 November 1918  | Monarchy abolished

German Revolution

Titles in pretence
Loss of title

Republic declared

| — TITULAR —
King of Saxony
13 November 1918 – 18 February 1932  | Succeeded by

Friedrich Christian

* v
* t
* e

Final hereditary rulers of the states of the German Empire

Emperor|

* Wilhelm II

Kings|

* Wilhelm II of Prussia
* Ludwig III of Bavaria
* Friedrich August III of Saxony
* Wilhelm II of Württemberg

Grand dukes|

* Friedrich II of Baden
* Ernst Ludwig of Hesse
* Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
* Adolf Friedrich VI of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
* Friedrich August II of Oldenburg
* William Ernest of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Dukes|

* Joachim Ernst of Anhalt
* Ernst August of Brunswick
* Ernst II of Saxe-Altenburg
* Karl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
* Bernhard III of Saxe-Meiningen

Principalities|

* Leopold IV of Lippe
* Heinrich XXVII of Reuss-Gera
* Heinrich XXIV of Reuss-Greiz
* Adolf II of Schaumburg-Lippe
* Günther Victor of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt-Sondershausen
* Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont

* v
* t
* e

Kings of Saxony

* Frederick Augustus I (1806–1827)
* Anthony (1827–1836)
* Frederick Augustus II (1836–1854)
* John (1854–1873)
* Albert (1873–1902)
* George (1902–1904)
* Frederick Augustus III (1904–1918)

* v
* t
* e

Princes of Saxony

The generations are numbered from the ascension of Frederick I as Elector of Saxony in 1423.

1st generation|

* Frederick II
* William III, Landgrave of Thuringia

2nd generation|

* Ernest
* Albert III

3rd generation|

* Frederick III
* Ernest, Archbishop of Magdeburg
* Albert, Administrator of Mainz
* John
* George
* Henry IV
* Prince Frederick, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights

4th generation|

* John, Hereditary Prince of Saxony
* Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Saxony
* John Frederick I
* Maurice
* Severinus
* John Ernest
* Augustus

5th generation|

* John Frederick II
* Johann Wilhelm
* John Frederick III
* Christian I

6th generation|

* Christian II
* John George I
* August

7th generation|

* John George II
* Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels
* Christian I of Saxe-Merseburg
* Maurice of Saxe-Zeitz

8th generation|

* John George III

9th generation|

* John George IV
* Frederick Augustus I

10th generation|

* Frederick Augustus II1

11th generation|

* Frederick Christian1
* Prince Francis Xavier1
* Charles, Duke of Courland1
* Albert, Duke of Teschen1
* Clemens Wenceslaus, Archbishop of Trier1

12th generation|

* Frederick Augustus I
* Anthony I
* Maximilian, Crown Prince

13th generation|

* Frederick Augustus II
* John

14th generation|

* Albert
* George

15th generation|

* Frederick Augustus III
* Prince Johann Georg
* Prince Maximilian
* Prince Albert

16th generation|

* Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony
* Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen
* Prince Ernst Heinrich

17th generation|

* Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen
* Albert, Margrave of Meissen

18th generation|

* Prince Rüdiger
* Prince Alexander

19th generation|

* Prince Daniel

1 also królewicz of Poland and Lithuania

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National|

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Artists|

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