Owen Matthews Owen Matthews

Few rulers can have rejoiced in a less appropriate sobriquet than Augustus the Strong

The 17th-century Elector of Saxony was notoriously vain and incompetent, and his reckless bid for the Polish crown was disastrous for all concerned

Portrait of Augustus the Strong by Louis de Silvestre. [Bridgeman Images]
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  • Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco

    Tim Blanning

    Allen Lane, pp. 448, £30

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