Issued to mark the centenary of the Battle of Leipzig — the "Battle of Nations" of October 1813 — this coin commemorates what remains the largest battle in European history before the First World War, involving over half a million combatants across four days. Saxony's position at that centenary was historically awkward: in 1813, Saxon forces had fought on Napoleon's side, switching allegiance only after the French lines collapsed. Frederick August I was briefly held prisoner by the Prussians following the battle.
Frederick August III, who authorized this issue, would himself be deposed five years later when a revolutionary crowd in Dresden reportedly told him to "sort out your own mess."
Issued to mark the centenary of the Battle of Leipzig — the "Battle of Nations" of October 1813 — this coin commemorates what remains the largest battle in European history before the First World War, involving over half a million combatants across four days. Saxony's position at that centenary was historically awkward: in 1813, Saxon forces had fought on Napoleon's side, switching allegiance only after the French lines collapsed. Frederick August I was briefly held prisoner by the Prussians following the battle.
Frederick August III, who authorized this issue, would himself be deposed five years later when a revolutionary crowd in Dresden reportedly told him to "sort out your own mess."