Voting Station

Augustus the Strong

Please vote to return to collections.

Monarch

The Resume

    (May 12, 1670-February 1, 1733)
    Born in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
    Elector of Saxony (1694-1733)
    King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1697-1706)
    King of Poland (1709-33)

Why he might be annoying:

    As Elector of Saxony, he was known as Frederick Augustus I, while as King of Poland he was known as Augustus II.
    In order to be eligible for the throne of Poland, he converted to the Roman Catholic faith, which alienated his mostly Protestant subjects in Saxony.
    He got elected to the Polish throne by liberally bribing the country's nobles and clergy.
    He got Poland embroiled in a war with Sweden, during which the Swedish army captured Warsaw and Krakow, and eventually replaced Augustus with a monarch of their choice.
    He was returned to the Polish throne by Tzar Peter the Great and depended on Russian support to maintain his rule.
    He allegedly fathered as many as 365 children out of wedlock.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He could bend horseshoes with his bare hands.
    Early in his reign as King of Poland, he successfully concluded a war with the Ottoman Empire that regained Podolia and Ukraine for Poland.
    He amassed a significant art collection and built baroque palaces in Saxony and Poland.
    He established the Saxon capital Dresden as a leading cultural center, attracting artists from across Europe.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 58 Votes: 68.97% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 236 Votes: 65.68% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 74 Votes: 56.76% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 35 Votes: 51.43% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 92 Votes: 51.09% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 30 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 57 Votes: 54.39% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 121 Votes: 58.68% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 201 Votes: 59.70% Annoying