Frederick Augustus III of Saxony


Frederick Augustus III was the last King of Saxony. Born in Dresden, Frederick Augustus was the eldest son of [George, List of rulers of Saxony|King of Saxony|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 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. 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 -Regiment Nr. 108. He was promoted to colonel on 22 September 1892 and took command of the Schützen -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. 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.
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.

Abdication

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.

Marriage and issue

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:
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

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."
  • 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."
  • 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!"