Stanisław August Poniatowski

Stanisław August Poniatowski was a Polish king who ruled from 1764 to 1795. He was a man of many contradictions, combining a love of the arts and culture with a complete inability to control his unruly nobles.

Born into a noble family, Stanisław was a bit of a party animal in his youth. He loved nothing more than a good night out on the town, and his favorite pastime was drinking with his buddies until the wee hours of the morning. In fact, he was known to be so fond of drinking that he was once caught passed out in a gutter after a particularly wild night.

Despite his love of partying, Stanisław was also a noted patron of the arts. He loved to commission paintings and sculptures, and he was especially fond of Italian opera. In fact, he once spent so much money on a single opera production that he bankrupted the entire treasury. Oops!

But while Stanisław might have been a fan of culture and refinement, he was also completely ineffectual as a ruler. He struggled to maintain control over the Polish nobility, who were notorious for their unruliness and frequent rebellions. At one point, he even had to flee the country after a particularly nasty uprising.

So while Stanisław August Poniatowski may have been a lover of the finer things in life, he was ultimately a bit of a train wreck as a king. But hey, at least he knew how to throw a good party!