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Augustus the Strong by Tim Blanning review – not just a boisterous bon vivant

The portrait of the 18th-century king of Poland as little more than a bruising socialite is only half the story, argues this vivacious new biographyHistory has been unkind to Augustus the Strong. Not exactly a household name even in historically minded households, the 18th-century elector of Saxony and sovereign of Poland is remembered, if at all, as a minor king of bling.And it’s true, he was known for living it up. As an impressionable teenager on the Grand Tour, he divided his time between balls, banquets and brothels. Versailles so impressed him that he made it his life’s mission to cosplay as Louis XIV. Accordingly, a cut-price version of the French palace was hastily assembled outside Dresden; these days, Moritzburg Castle is regarded, depending on taste, eithe...

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