[Born at Dresden, in Saxony, 1696. Died at Chambord, in France, 1750.
Aged 54.]
One of the most illustrious warriors of the eighteenth century. The
natural son of Frederic Augustus II., King of Poland, and Aurora, the
celebrated Countess of Königsmarck. In 1711, he followed the King of
Poland to Stralsund; he also served in Hungary against the Turks, and
was at the siege of Belgrade. In 1720, he entered the service of France,
in which, after famous deeds of heroism, and many brilliant triumphs, he
rose to the highest rank. In 1745, he gained the battle of Fontenoy, and
by the capture of Mäestricht in 1747, he secured the peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle. Marshal Saxe was large in size, and of extraordinary
strength. He was a Lutheran.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by J. B. Pigalle, a celebrated French
sculptor of the last century, who died at Paris in 1785. The mausoleum
to the memory of Saxe, in the church of St. Thomas, at Strasbourg, was
built by him. The Marshal wears his armour, which is sculptured with
the arms of his family. The statue at Versailles is the work of M.
Rude, in 1836. Another bust, by Cartellier, treated in the Antique
style, is in the Tuileries.]