Augustus III
Augustus III (1696-1763), the son of Augustus II,
elector of Saxony and king of Poland from 1733. He was brought to the throne
following an armed intervention by Russian and Saxon forces and the
deposition of the elected king,
Stanislaus Leszczynski.
Augustus was an indolent and incapable monarch, but he did enjoy popularity
among certain sections of the gentry, because he did not interfere in state
affairs and tolerated the licence of the magnates and their lesser peers.
Under his reign, Poland completely lost her significance on the international
arena. In the history of Poland, the Saxon period became synonymous with
backwardness and inertia which push state into decline. During the times
of Augustus III, the Enlightenment ideas began reaching Poland and the first
projects for the reform of the state were drawn up, though without any
involvement on the part of the king.
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