Augustus II
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Augustus II
(also Augustus the Strong; Polish, August II Mocny). Born May 12, 1670, in Dresden; died Feb. 1, 1733, in Warsaw. Elector of Saxony under the name Frederick Augustus I (1694–1733). King of Poland (1697–1706, 1709–33).
The son of the Saxon elector John George III, Augustus was elected to the Polish throne upon the death of King Jan III Sobieski. The election of Augustus was largely a result of Russia’s support for his candidacy. Augustus fought against Sweden in the Northern War of 1700–21. Under the Altranstadt Peace, which he concluded with Charles XII in 1706, Augustus was obliged to renounce the Polish crown.
After the defeat of the Swedish Army by Russia at the battle of Poltava in 1709, Peter I helped Augustus regain the Polish throne. Augustus’ desire to impose absolutism on Poland brought him into conflict with the Polish magnates and szlachta (gentry). To thwart the king’s plans, these two groups joined to form the Tarnogród Confederation. The conflict ended with the king’s defeat, which was confirmed by the Niemy, or Silent, Sejm in 1717.