Aleksander Benedykt Sobieski
| Aleksander Benedykt Sobieski | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Poland | |
_-_Portrait_of_Aleksander_Benedykt_Sobieski_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) 
Painting by Hyacinthe Rigaud
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| Family | House of Sobieski |
| Father | John III Sobieski |
| Mother | Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien |
| Born | 6 December 1677 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Died | 16 November 1714 (aged 36) Rome, Italy |
Aleksander Benedykt Stanisław Sobieski (Polish pronunciation: [alɛˈksandɛr bɛˈnɛdɨkt staˈɲiswaf sɔˈbjɛskʲi]; 6 December 1677 – 16 November 1714) was a Polish prince, nobleman, diplomat, writer, scholar and the son of John III Sobieski, King of Poland, and his wife, Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien.
He was a candidate for election to the Polish throne in 1697, following his father's death, but was unsuccessful. In 1702, he declined Charles XII of Sweden's offer to set him up as a rival king to Augustus II of Poland. He died in Rome in 1714, having recently become a Capuchin friar.
In childhood he was highly educated by the most talented scholars and teachers in the country, and by the age of 15 he spoke fluently several languages. In 1691 he accompanied his father on a military expedition to Moldavia where he learnt military tactics and broadened his fighting skills. At the end of his father's life, due to Sobieski's conflict with the eldest son Jakub, he was a to succeed his father to the throne, however, this never took place. In October 1696, while in Paris, he requested an audition with Louis XIV as the marquis of Jarosław. On January 19, 1698 together with his brother, Konstanty Władysław Sobieski, he organized a ball in Warsaw, in the honor of the newly crowned king Augustus II the Strong. Sobieski often accompanied Augustus II on military expeditions, most notably during the September campaign against the Tatars. He later became a close friend and supporter of the king. He was also known to be very fond of the monarch. In October, the same year, Sobieski personally escorted his mother on her trip to Italy.
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