Frederick Augustus, Count Rutowsky (also written ''Rutowski'') (

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

19 June 1702 – Pillnitz, 16 March 1764), was a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

who commanded Saxon forces in the

Siege of Pirna The siege of Pirna (or Investment of Pirna) took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of Saxony during the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War). Following the occupation of the capital Dresden by Frederick the Great on ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

Life

Early years

He was an illegitimate son of

August the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and his mistress Fatima (or Fatime) who was of Turkish origin. His mother was captured during the Battle of Buda by

Hans Adam von Schöning Hans Adam von Schöning (1 October 1641 – 28 August 1696) was a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the service of Brandenburg-Prussia and the Electorate of Saxony. Schöning was born at Tamsel near Küstrin in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. He was ...

. After Fatima became the King's mistress, she was christened ''Maria Anna'' and moved to the Dresden court. The child got the name of his father, but shortly after the birth Fatima was married at the instigation of Augustus to his chamberman

Johann Georg of Spiegel Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning " Yahweh is Graciou ...

. Frederick Augustus moved to the estates of the

Spiegel Family Spiegel is German, Yiddish, and Dutch for "mirror". More specifically, it may refer to: Publications * ''Der Spiegel'', a weekly German magazine * Der Spiegel (online), the online sibling of ''Der Spiegel'' Political * Spiegel scandal, a 1962 G ...

, but his father cared about his education, which led him among other things to go to Paris, where he found his half-sister Anna Karolina (the later countess Orzelska) and brought her to Dresden. Fatima, despite her marriage, remained a mistress of Augustus. In 1706, she gave birth to the King's second child, a daughter, called Maria Anna Katharina. However, soon Frederick Augustus and his sister became orphans: Johann Georg of Spiegel died in 1715 and their mother Fatima five years later. Augustus the Strong took the guardianship of the children, but he only recognized and legitimized them both in 1724. Shortly after, he raised both, as his right of King of Poland, with the Polish title of ''Count Rutowski'' and ''Countess Rutowska''. The coat of arms awarded to them shows a Saxon rhombus wreath as well as a Polish White Eagle. On 8 October 1724 Frederick August, now Count Rutowski, obtained of his father the highest decoration of the Wettin lands, the Order of the White Eagle, which gave him the rank of an ''Oberst'' of the Saxon Army.

Military career

After a journey to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Rutowski arrived in February 1725 at the court of the King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy,

Victor Amadeus II Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. L ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, where he took command of the Piedmont regiment and was garrisoned in

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandri ...

. It is possible his enjoyment of this city prompted him to write his father, asking permission to enter in French services in order to remain in Turin. His father refused this request and demanded his return. On 26 May 1727 he became a Major-General in the Saxon Army and shortly after he served under the Prussians; however, in 1729 he returned again to the Saxon Army. During the following years, in the

War of Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other regional power, European powers widened in p ...

, he participated in the campaigns in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

, becoming Lieutenant-General on 1 January 1736 and Commander of the ''Garde du Corps''. As such he was in 1737 the leader of the Saxon Contingent in the War against the Turks in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

. On 21 April 1738 he became General of the Cavalry, on 9 August 1740 Governor of

and Commander of the Grenadier Guard, ''Obristhaus'' on 10 August and ''Landzeugmeister''. On 10 January 1742 he was appointed Commander of a Dragoon's Regiment. During the

First Silesian War The First Silesian War (german: Erster Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. T ...

he commanded the Saxon troops in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and participated on the 26 November 1742 in the storming of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. Frederick Augustus commanded the troops which stayed behind in Saxony, and fought with these troops and the biggest part of the Saxon Army coming back from Bohemia the

battle of Kesselsdorf The Battle of Kesselsdorf was fought on 15 December 1745, between the Kingdom of Prussia and the combined forces of the Archduchy of Austria and the Electorate of Saxony during the part of the War of the Austrian Succession known as the Second Sil ...

near

(15 December 1745), where they suffered a crucial defeat in the

Second Silesian War The Second Silesian War (german: Zweiter Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1744 to 1745 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland). The war was fough ...

against the Prince

Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (3 July 1676 – 7 April 1747) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1693 to 1747. He was also a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the Prussian army. Nickname ...

. On 6 January 1746 he was ranked General ''en Chef'', and on 11 January 1749, at last, he was appointed Field Marshal. During the next peace years, he did not succeed in spite of multiple efforts, to avert the cutbacks in the Saxon Army by the prime minister Brühl, which seriously reduced its effectiveness.

Siege of Pirna

At the sudden outbreak of the

, he concentrated the Saxon Army of only 18,100 men in a strong defensive position near

Pirna Pirna (; hsb, Pěrno; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as ...

. He withstood a siege of 6 weeks, but had to capitulate on 16 October 1756, and became a prisoner of King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

. During the years of war Rutowsky stayed in Saxony and renounced all his military functions directly after the

Treaty of Hubertusburg The Treaty of Hubertusburg (german: Frieden von Hubertusburg) was signed on 15 February 1763 at Hubertusburg Castle by Prussia, Austria and Saxony to end the Third Silesian War. Together with the Treaty of Paris, signed five days earlier, it mark ...

on 8 March 1763. He died one year later, aged sixty-one.

Marriage and issue

On 4 January 1739 Frederick Augustus married with the Princess Ludovika Amalie Lubomirska. Their only child, August Joseph, Count Rutowsky (b. 2 August 1741) died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

in Brunswick, 17 January 1755.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutowsky, Frederick Augustus 1702 births 1764 deaths 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian military personnel Illegitimate children of Augustus the Strong Counts of Germany Frederick Augustus Field marshals of Saxony German military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession German people of Turkish descent Polish people of Turkish descent People of the Silesian Wars Albertine branch Sons of kings