1740 and All That

Overall impressions: definitely far more informative than the previous August(us) biography we've come across. The subtitle indicates where Blanning is going with this. Another subtitle could have been "His times and life", since there is certainly a lot about contemporaries not August(us) - Charles of Sweden and Peter the Great, most prominently - but since they vehemently influence his life, justifiably so. Still, it is noticeable that the biography starts with our hedonistic hero already an adult and later gives only the briefest of summaries of his childhood and youth. There is more than enough about the Great Northern War to satisfy Mildred, but also, justifying the other part of the title, about Saxony in general and Leipzig and Dresden in particular as cultural hotspots and amazing achievements in that sense under Augustus. In terms of August's private life, Blanning announces he has no intention to cover every mistress and provides just details on the most important ones, Aurora von Königsmarck (his fave), Fatima (the Turkish one) and of course Countess Cosel (he's a bit baffled about the severity of her fate and doesn't think the marriage promise alone explains it). Ditto for the kids, which, alas, means nothing about the Countess Orzelska. (Possibly having deflowered Fritz doesn't compete with having been France's military hero and ancestor of George Sand.)

( Why young Augustus puts his brother's lover's mother through a Witch Trial )

( Young Augustus Goes Catholic and Gets Poland )

( Poland: Impossible to Govern (Not just for Saxons) )

( The Perils of Pissing Off Charles of Sweden )

( The Case for Augustus the Artist )

( Quotes, Quotes, Quotes )