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| Frederick Augustus II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait byCarl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein | |||||
| King of Saxony | |||||
| Reign | 6 June 1836 – 9 August 1854 | ||||
| Predecessor | Anthony | ||||
| Successor | John | ||||
| Born | (1797-05-18)18 May 1797 Pillnitz, Dresden,Electorate of Saxony,Holy Roman Empire | ||||
| Died | 9 August 1854(1854-08-09) (aged 57) Karrösten,Austrian Empire | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Issue | Theodor Uhlig (illegitimate) | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wettin | ||||
| Father | Prince Maximilian of Saxony | ||||
| Mother | Princess Caroline of Parma | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Frederick Augustus II (German:Friedrich August II.; 18 May 1797 – 9 August 1854) wasKing of Saxony and a member of theHouse of Wettin.
He was the eldest son ofMaximilian, Prince of Saxony – younger son of the ElectorFrederick Christian of Saxony – by his first wife,Caroline of Bourbon, Princess of Parma.
From his birth, it was clear that one day Frederick Augustus would become the ruler of Saxony. His father was the only son of the Elector Frederick Christian of Saxony who left surviving male issue. When KingFrederick Augustus I died (1827) andAnton succeeded him as King, Frederick Augustus became second in line to the throne, preceded only by his father Maximilian. However, he took no part in the administration of the country.[1]
He was an officer in theWar of the Sixth Coalition. However, he had little interest in military affairs.
TheJuly Revolution of 1830 inFrance marked the beginning of disturbances in Saxony that autumn. The people claimed a change in the constitution and demanded a young regent of the kingdom to share the government with the King Anton. On 1 September the Prince Maximilian renounced his rights of succession in favor of his son Frederick Augustus, who was proclaimed Prince Co-Regent (de:Prinz-Mitregenten) of Saxony. On 2 February 1832 Frederick Augustus brought Free Autonomy to the cities. Also, by an edict of 17 March of that year, the farmers were freed from thecorvée and hereditary submission. His popularity and liberal reforms quickly ended the discontent.[1]
On 6 June 1836, King Anton died and Frederick Augustus succeeded him. As an intelligent man, he was quickly popular with the people as he had been since the time of his regency. The new king solved political questions only from a pure sense of duty. Mostly he preferred to leave these things on the hands of his ministers.
A standardized jurisdiction for Saxony created theCriminal Code of 1836. During theRevolutionary disturbances of 1848 (March Revolution), he appointed liberal ministers in the government, lifted censorship, and remitted a liberal electoral law. Later his attitude changed. On 28 April Frederick August II dissolved the Parliament, and in 1849 he was forced to flee to theKönigstein Fortress. TheMay Uprising was crushed by Saxon andPrussian troops and Frederick was able to return after only a few days.
From that time onward his reign was tranquil and prosperous. LaterCount Beust, leader of the Austrian and feudal party in Saxony, became his principal minister and guided his policy on most occasions.[1]
In 1844 Frederick Augustus, accompanied by his personal physicianCarl Gustav Carus, made an informal (incognito) visit to England and Scotland. Among places they visited wereLyme Regis where he purchased from the local fossil collector and dealer,Mary Anning, an ichthyosaur skeleton for his own extensive natural history collection. It was not a state visit, but the King was the guest ofQueen Victoria andPrince Albert atWindsor Castle, visited many of the sights inLondon and in the university cities ofOxford andCambridge, and toured widely in England, Wales and Scotland.[2]
In addition to his interest in fossils, Frederick Augustus devoted his leisure hours chiefly to the study ofbotany. He made botanical excursions into different countries, and hisFlora Marienbadensis, oder Pflanzen und Gebirgsarten, gesammelt und beschrieben was published in Prague in 1837.[1]
During a journey inTyrol, he had an accident in Brennbüchel in which he fell in front of a horse that stepped on his head. On 8 August 1854, he died in the Gasthof Neuner. He was buried on 16 August in theKatholische Hofkirche ofDresden. In his memory, the Dowager Queen Maria arranged to establish the Königskapelle (King's Chapel) at the accident place, which was consecrated one year later, some of the last members of the Saxon royal family, includingMaria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, are buried beside the chapel.
InVienna on 26 September 1819 (by proxy) and again in Dresden on 7 October 1819 (in person), Frederick Augustus married firstly with the ArchduchessMaria Caroline of Austria (Maria Karoline Ferdinande Theresia Josephine Demetria), daughter of EmperorFrancis I ofAustria. They had no children.
In Dresden on 24 April 1833 Frederick Augustus married secondly with the PrincessMaria Anna of Bavaria (Maria Anna Leopoldine Elisabeth Wilhelmine), daughter of the KingMaximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Like his first marriage, this was childless.
The musicianTheodor Uhlig (1822–1853) was an illegitimate son of Frederick Augustus.[3]
Without legitimate issue, after his death Frederick Augustus was succeeded by his younger brother,Johann.
| Ancestors of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony |
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hashagen, Justus (1911). "Frederick Augustus II.". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 61.Frederick Augustus II of Saxony Born: 18 May 1797 Died: 9 August 1854 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Saxony 1836–1854 | Succeeded by |
