Frederick Augustus III of Saxony

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

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

Frederick Augustus III
King of Saxony
Reign15 October 1904 – 13 November 1918
PredecessorGeorge
SuccessorMonarchy abolished
Born(1865-05-25)25 May 1865
Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, German Confederation
Died18 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
SpouseArchduchess Louise of Austria (m. 1891; div. 1903)
IssueGeorg, 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
Full name
German: Friedrich August Johann Ludwig Karl Gustav Gregor Philipp
English: Frederick Augustus John Louis Charles Gustav Gregory Philip
HouseWettin
FatherGeorge of Saxony
MotherMaria Anna of Portugal
ReligionRoman Catholicism

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 Sibyllenort (now Szczodre) in Lower Silesia and was buried in Dresden.

Military career

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]

Family

Frederick Augustus married Archduchess Luise, Princess of Tuscany, 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 Sonnestein Mental Asylum for life. Her brother supported her in her wish to escape Saxony. Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria-Hungary did not recognise the divorce.

They had seven children:

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

Quotes
  • When standing in uniform on a station platform, a lady asked him 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]
  • Upon abdicating, he is supposed to have said "Nu da machd doch eiern Drägg alleene!" (Saxon for "Well then take care of this crap yourselves!"), but there is no documentation of this.
  • When cheered by a crowd in a railroad station several years after his abdication, he stuck his head out of the train's window and shouted "Ihr seid mer ja scheene Demogradn!" (Saxon for "You're a fine lot of republicans, I'll say!"[3]).

Decorations and awards

Ancestry

Notes
  1. "Latest intelligence - the German Emperor and Saxony". The Times (36812). London. 5 July 1902. p. 7.
  2. "In Saxony". Time Magazine. 1925-08-10. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  3. "Milestones, Feb. 29, 1932". Time. 29 February 1932. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  4. Justus Perthes, Almanach de Gotha (1923) pp. 108-109
  5. Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1878) (in German), "Königliche Ritter-Orden", p. 3
  6. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1888), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 62, 74
  7. Hof und Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Bayern (1906) (in German), "Königliche Orden", p. 7
  8. Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1890), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 46
  9. Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16
  10. Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 29
  11. "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 50, 52, 55, retrieved 2 November 2019
  12. Sveriges Statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 671, retrieved 2018-01-06 – via runeberg.org
  13. Royal Thai Government Gazette (23 March 1899). "พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ ที่ประเทศยุโรป" (PDF) (in Thai). Retrieved 2019-05-08. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
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
 — TITULAR —
King of Saxony
13 November 1918 – 18 February 1932		 Succeeded by
Friedrich Christian
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