Augustus the Strong of Saxony's life was consumed by two addictions: the relentless pursuit of power and the no less relentless pursuit of pleasure. From his accession as Elector of Saxony in 1694 he pursued political power and glory by fighting the Ottoman Turks, purchasing the Polish throne and warring against Sweden. By seeking to attach parts of the Ottoman, Swedish and Habsburg domains to his Saxon realm Augustus' aim was eventually to supplant the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors. But his hedonistic lifestyle continually distracted him and when finally defeated in 1707, he found himself back in Saxony fornicating and plotting revenge.
This biography, based on primary German sources, tells the story of his remarkable life.

- 323 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half title
- Dedication
- Title
- Copyrights
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Map
- Introduction
- ‘A prince of great hopes’ Trials of a second son 1670–1694
- ‘A restless ambitious spirit’ His Electoral Highness 1694–1696
- ‘My greatest ambition is glory’ King’s ransom 1697–1702
- ‘A long train of miseries’ King on the run 1703–1707
- Appendix 1: ‘Connaissance de ses forces’: The ‘memoirs’ of Augustus (1705?)
- Appendix 2: ‘Famous alike for his virtues and his vices’: Flemming’s character sketch of King Augustus 1722
- Notes
- Index
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Yes, you can access Pleasure and Ambition by Tony Sharp in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & European History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.