Augustus the Strong, King of Poland (1670-1733), facing left in gilt-studded armour, white cravat, ermine-lined red cloak around his shoulders, full bottomed powdered wig, wearing the blue sash of the Royal Polish Order of the White Eagle

Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony succeeded to the electorship as Frederick Augustus I in 1694 on the death of his brother, John George IV. After a military fighting career against France and the Turks, he renounced his Protestantism and became a Roman Catholic in 1696 in order to secure his election to the Polish throne as Augustus II in 1697. In alliance with Peter I the Great of Russia and Frederik IV of Denmark, he planned the partition of Sweden invading Livonia in 1699. Defeated by Karl XII of Sweden who responded by invading Saxony and Poland, Augustus was deposed in 1706 and replaced by Stanislas Leszczynski. After the defeat of the Swedes by Peter the Great at Poltava in 1709, he recovered the Polish throne. He attempted without success to convert the elective Polish kingship into a hereditary one but was nevertheless succeeded as both Elector and King by his son, Frederick Augustus.